An annual report is a key means by which an entity tells the story of its year. Public annual reporting, done well, enables stakeholders to understand – with trust and confidence – an entity’s strategy and the risks it faces, how much money has been spent and on what, and what has been achieved as a result. It enables stakeholders to hold the entity to account effectively.
Background
In each year since 2020 the C&AG, Lynn Pamment CBE, has undertaken a review of annual reporting and the JAO has published a Good Practice Guide. The C&AG has also sought to encourage and to share best practice through delivery of workshops, the publication of Annual Reporting Self-Assessment Tools. In 2025, as part of marking the 20th anniversary of the Jersey Audit Office, an event was held to present Annual Reporting Awards.
The JAOs Transparency and Excellence in Annual Reporting publications have been based on her review of the annual reports and, where available publicly, the annual accounts produced by the States of Jersey, States controlled entities and entities established by the States. The publications, events and awards considered the content of all the annual reports and accounts reviewed against an annually updated set of criteria that encompasses:
- minimum content that the C&AG considers to be best practice for accountability to public stakeholders
- essential elements of a good annual report; and
- over-arching principles for good public reporting.
Since work was started in this area in 2020, most entities reviewed have made year on year improvements to their annual reports. In overall terms 65% of 2024 annual reports reviewed were judged as good or fair against the best practice standards and principles that the C&AG has identified (28 out of 43 entities reviewed).
In 2025 this review also found that:
- in overall terms, all very large entities (with annual expenditure in excess of £100 million) and all large entities (with annual expenditure between £10 million and £100 million) are now producing reports that the JAO judges to be ‘good’ or ‘fair’
- in addition, 80% of the medium sized entities reviewed (those with annual expenditure between £1 million and £10 million) produced reports that were judged to be ‘good’ or ‘fair’
- some small entities (with annual expenditure of up to £1 million) have the most opportunities to improve the transparency of the annual reports that they publish
- there have been improvements in reporting by those entities who have engaged with the JAO; and
- for smaller entities seeking to improve, we consider the biggest opportunities lie in the areas of sustainability reporting, accountability reporting and financial reporting.
Scope
Objectives of this review
This review will consider 2025 Annual Reports against updated criteria encompassing:
- minimum content that I consider enable stakeholders to hold the entity to account effectively
- enhanced practice elements of a good annual report; and
- best practice principles for excellent public reporting.
In December 2025, the JAO issued an updated Annual Reporting Best Practice Checklist – 2025 Reports.
Scope
This review will focus on the annual reports of the States of Jersey, States controlled entities and entities established by the States, as publicly available on or before 31 July 2026.
Project approach
This review will use a results oriented approach, assessing extent to which annual reports meet the minimum requirements, enhanced practice and best practice the G&AG has identified and published.
In 2026 the JAO will produce a report setting out how annual reporting has developed since the C&AG started these reviews in 2020, supported by an updated Good Practice Guide, also intend to provide summary written feedback to all entities whose reports have been reviewed. The C&AG will update her best practice checklist and hold a stakeholder workshop in December 2026.
The review will commence in May 2026 and be undertaken as a desktop exercise with the detailed work carried out by affiliates engaged by the JAO. It will be informed by an entity’s self-assessment where this has been completed and shared with the Jersey Audit Office.
Project criteria
The C&AGs criteria have been developed based on minimum requirements, enhanced practice and best practice observed in this and other jurisdictions, adapted for Jersey. The criteria for 2025 reports were set out in the Annual Reporting Best Practice Checklist – 2025 Report, published in December 2025.
The four key elements of a good practice annual report, within which current minimum requirements, enhanced practice and best practice performance are described, are:
- Supporting Accountability
- Transparent
- Understandable; and
- Accessible.
Elements within these overarching areas will be scored to produce a profile for each entity’s annual report.
