I was attracted by Audit Scotland's good reputation, and the opportunity to contribute
to a high profile role. The role of auditing Best Value seemed to follow naturally
from working directly with a council. The job with Audit Scotland gave me the opportunity
to build on this experience, and also to see the bigger picture of how councils
across the whole of Scotland operate.
All audits of councils are different, but because of its location, I found the Shetland
audit I took part in particularly interesting. It gave an insight into the different
challenges facing island councils, and we tailored our audit accordingly.
I find that the most intensive part of the job is going on-site to audit a council,
and the immediate planning stages beforehand. This involves a lot of practical issues
such as how to run focus groups and ensuring we keep the council well informed.
Once on-site we meet a wide range of people, from front-line staff through to councillors,
directors and the chief executive, all within a short space of time. We need to
be well informed about the council to engage effectively, and to challenge how the
council approaches its duty to deliver Best Value.