When councils adopted their annual reports
| When the annual report was adopted |
Number adopted for financial year |
| 2015/16 |
2016/17 |
2017/18 |
2018/19 |
2019/20 |
| Within two months after the end of the financial year |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Between two and three months after the end of the financial year |
27 |
15 |
15 |
20 |
6 |
| Between three and four months after the end of the financial year |
49 |
60 |
56 |
54 |
16 |
| Between four and five months after the end of the financial year* |
- |
- |
- |
- |
13 |
| More than five months after the end of the financial year* |
- |
- |
- |
- |
38 |
| Subtotal: Number meeting statutory deadline |
76 |
75 |
71 |
74 |
73 |
| Percentage of councils meeting statutory deadline |
97% |
96% |
91% |
95% |
94% |
| Between four and five months after the end of the financial year |
0 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| More than five months after the end of the financial year |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
| Not issued as at the date of compilation |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
| Total |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
* Because of Covid-19, Parliament passed legislation on 5 August 2020 to extend the statutory reporting time frames for local authorities (among other public entities) by two months. For local authorities, their statutory deadlines moved from 31 October to 31 December 2020. The statutory time frames were extended to ensure that there was no reduction in the quality of financial and performance reporting because of the impact of Covid-19. In 2019/20, five councils missed the revised deadline to complete and adopt their audited annual report by 31 December 2020.
When councils released their annual reports
| Time after adopting annual report |
Number released for financial year |
| 2015/16 |
2016/17 |
2017/18 |
2018/19 |
2019/20 |
| 0-5 days |
28 |
23 |
27 |
34 |
31 |
| 6-10 days |
15 |
19 |
11 |
13 |
9 |
| 11-20 days |
14 |
8 |
16 |
11 |
12 |
| 21 days to one month |
17 |
22 |
22 |
17 |
16 |
| Subtotal: Number meeting statutory deadline |
74 |
72 |
76 |
75 |
68 |
| Percentage of councils meeting statutory deadline |
95% |
92% |
97% |
96% |
86% |
| Number not meeting the deadline |
3 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
| Not issued as at the date of compilation |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
| Total |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
When councils released their summary annual reports
| Time after adopting annual report |
Number released for financial year |
| 2015/16 |
2016/17 |
2017/18 |
2018/19 |
2019/20 |
| 0-5 days |
16 |
7 |
15 |
14 |
16 |
| 6-10 days |
14 |
15 |
11 |
8 |
11 |
| 11-20 days |
11 |
11 |
10 |
14 |
9 |
| 21 days to one month |
29 |
32 |
37 |
36 |
28 |
| Subtotal: Number meeting statutory deadline |
70 |
65 |
73 |
72 |
64 |
| Percentage of councils meeting statutory deadline |
90% |
83% |
94% |
92% |
82% |
| One month to 40 days |
6 |
9 |
2 |
6 |
7 |
| 41-60 days |
1 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| More than 60 days |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Not issued as at the date of compilation |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
| Total |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
