Annual Reporting (2023)

Background

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. 

In each year since 2020 the C&AG has published a report on Annual Reporting accompanied in each year by a Good Practice Guide. The C&AG has also sought to encourage and to share best practice through delivery of workshops, the publication of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and the publication of Annual Report Self-Assessment Tools. 

Consistent with my 2020, 2021 and 2022 reviews, for this 2023 report the C&AG has reviewed the annual reports and, where available publicly, the annual accounts produced by the States of Jersey and by Jersey entities that are either: 

• identified by the States of Jersey in their annual report as controlled by the States; or  
• established by the States Assembly and required to prepare an annual report and/or accounts. 

The C&AG has reviewed 38 annual reports for 2022 that were published by 31 July 2023. The full list of annual reports I have considered since 2020 is set out in Appendix One.  I have considered the content of all the annual reports and accounts reviewed against a set of criteria that encompassed: 

• minimum content that I consider to be best practice for accountability to public stakeholders 
• essential elements of a good annual report; and  
• over-arching principles for good public reporting. 

Scope

The review has evaluated the 2022 annual reports of the States of Jersey, States controlled entities and entities established by the States, against updated criteria encompassing: 

• minimum content that I consider to be best practice for accountability to public stakeholders 
• essential elements of a good annual report; and  
• over-arching principles for good public reporting. 

The review has evaluated the 2022 annual reports of the States of Jersey, States controlled entities and entities established by the States, against updated criteria encompassing: 

• minimum content that I consider to be best practice for accountability to public stakeholders 
• essential elements of a good annual report; and  
• over-arching principles for good public reporting. 

The review sought to identify the progress being made by entities in improving their annual reporting.  It also sought to identify and share good practice through the publication of an updated Good Practice Guide. 

Conclusions

I am pleased to see year-on-year improvements in the annual reports of States controlled and States established entities that I have reviewed. I encourage these entities to consider how to address the matters raised in this report and to use my updated Good Practice Guide to make further improvements.

I am also pleased to see progress made by the States of Jersey in improving their own annual report and in implementing some of my wider recommendations from 2022.  I will continue to monitor the progress being made to address these recommendations.