Leading financial and business adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP, which has its East Midlands regional head office in Leicester, has launched a dedicated team to offer consultancy services to local authorities, police bodies and fire and rescue authorities across the Midlands.
The new Local Government Advisory (LGA) team is part of the firm’s wider public sector assurance practice, which delivers external audit services to NHS bodies and local authorities and is the largest provider of assurance and advisory services to public sector bodies in the region.
The new national LGA team is drawn from existing Grant Thornton public sector specialists and some external hires. It will be headed up by Vivien Holland in the Midlands.
It will assist clients in the provision of financial management and accounting advice, supporting the review and development of medium-term financial plans and strategies, financial resilience health checks, finance department “fit for purpose reviews”, governance reviews, and supporting elected members in their scrutiny roles.
It is also providing collaboration support, including options appraisal, business case development and review, due diligence, business planning advice and collaboration health checks for various Alternative Service Delivery Models such as shared services, establishment of local authority trusts, companies and mutual spin-offs.
“I am excited by this opportunity, and confident that the team will be able to provide distinct added value to our clients, and to support them in the significant challenges they face over the short to medium term,” says Vivien.
Jon Roberts, who leads Grant Thornton’s public sector assurance practice in the Midlands, added: “Our investment in this team confirms the priority and importance that the firm places on the public sector, and is in response to our clients request for additional support in navigating the financial challenges faced by the sector.”
Grant Thornton’s Leicester office has approximately 120 staff providing business and financial advice across Corporate and Personal Tax, audit and assurance, employer solutions, corporate finance, and sustainability, to organisations across the East Midlands.
