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 |
2020/21 |
| Within two months after the end of the financial year |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Between two and three months after the end of the financial year |
27 |
15 |
15 |
20 |
6 |
6 |
| Between three and four months after the end of the financial year |
49 |
60 |
56 |
54 |
16 |
14 |
| Between four and five months after the end of the financial year* |
- |
- |
- |
- |
13 |
8 |
| More than five months after the end of the financial year* |
- |
- |
- |
- |
38 |
48* |
| Subtotal: Number meeting statutory deadline |
76 |
75 |
71 |
74 |
73 |
64 |
| Percentage of councils meeting statutory deadline |
97% |
96% |
91% |
95% |
94% |
82% |
| Between four and five months after the end of the financial year |
0 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
| More than five months after the end of the financial year |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Not issued as at the date of compilation |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
| Total |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
* Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Parliament passed legislation on 5 August 2020 to extend the statutory reporting time frames for various public entities, including local authorities, by two months. The statutory deadlines for local authorities moved from 31 October to 31 December 2021. The statutory time frames were extended to ensure that there was no reduction in financial and performance reporting because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020/21, 14 councils missed the revised deadline to complete and adopt their audited annual report by 31 December 2021.
* Forty-eight councils did not adopt their annual reports within five months of the end of the financial year. However, 36 of the 48 councils still met the extended statutory audit deadline of 31 December 2021, which was six months after the end of the financial year.
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 |
2020/21 |
| 0-5 days |
28 |
23 |
27 |
34 |
31 |
38 |
| 6-10 days |
15 |
19 |
11 |
13 |
9 |
12 |
| 11-20 days |
14 |
8 |
16 |
11 |
12 |
11 |
| 21 days to one month |
17 |
22 |
22 |
17 |
16 |
11 |
| Subtotal: Number meeting statutory deadline |
74 |
72 |
76 |
75 |
68 |
72 |
| Percentage of councils meeting statutory deadline |
95% |
92% |
97% |
96% |
86% |
92% |
| Number not meeting the deadline |
3 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
| Not issued as at the date of compilation |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
| Total |
78 |
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 |
2020/21 |
| 0-5 days |
16 |
7 |
15 |
14 |
16 |
24 |
| 6-10 days |
14 |
15 |
11 |
8 |
11 |
8 |
| 11-20 days |
11 |
11 |
10 |
14 |
9 |
13 |
| 21 days to one month |
29 |
32 |
37 |
36 |
28 |
19 |
| Subtotal: Number meeting statutory deadline |
70 |
65 |
73 |
72 |
64 |
64 |
| Percentage of councils meeting statutory deadline |
90% |
83% |
94% |
92% |
82% |
82% |
| One month to 40 days |
6 |
9 |
2 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
| 41-60 days |
1 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
| More than 60 days |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Not issued as at the date of compilation |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
| Total |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
78 |
