Financial Management  

A typical role within Financial Management works closely with a portfolio of council services, providing high quality financial information and advice so they can deliver the council’s priorities while achieving value for money.  We build credible, collaborative relationships with senior officers and other stakeholders, understanding their needs, but providing challenge where needed. 

We support service delivery and transformation through a focus on financial planning, options appraisals, invest-to-save business cases and a commercial approach to traded services. We take a risk-based approach to supporting the core finance processes of budget planning, monitoring, reporting and closure of accounts. 

Revenues

The Revenues team is responsible for the collection of local taxes (Council Tax and Business Rates) and other general council income. 

The income collected is essential to fund the services provided by the Council. 

A typical role will involve ensuring that bills are issued in accordance with the legislation, dealing with telephone queries from the public. Other roles involve the recovery of unpaid debts, often from vulnerable people. 

This can be very challenging, particularly in the current financial situation, and the roles require a combination of knowledge, empathy and resilience.  

Procurement and Commercial

Procurement and Commercial Services (PACS) is at the very heart of procurement and commercial activity within Leeds City Council and is continually aspiring to develop leading practices within one of the largest local authorities in the country.  

PACS is responsible for setting, supporting and monitoring the policies and procedures for procurement, purchasing, and contract management in relation to the Council’s £1bn annual external spend with suppliers. PACS also provides support to a wide range of the Council’s commercial activity (for example, capital infrastructure projects, income generation and regional commercial initiatives).

PACS is a vibrant, forward-thinking and multi-disciplinary service made up of procurement professionals, accountants, lawyers, contract managers, project managers, and data analysts. PACS works as a trusted partner with service areas across the Council, adding value by: 

• providing industry insights, knowledge and expertise to help shape procurement and commercial strategies;  
• ensuring effective governance and contract/supplier management arrangements are in place and continually reviewed and improved; 
• maintaining accurate data and providing useful analysis in relation commercial and transformation activity to inform decision making; and 
• maximising income and outputs from commercial activity. 

This support helps facilitate achievement of the Council’s Best City ambition (supporting each of the Council’s 3 Pillars) and delivery of the breakthrough priorities.  

Audit, Governance and Insurance

The role of internal audit is to provide independent assurance that an organisation's risk management, governance and internal control processes are operating effectively.

We have a professional duty to provide an unbiased and objective view. We must be independent from the operations we evaluate and report our findings to senior leaders, including the Chief Executive and Members. 

Internal auditors deal with issues that are fundamentally important to the prosperity of the Council. Unlike external auditors, we look beyond financial risks and statements to consider wider issues such as the organisation's reputation, growth, its impact on the environment and the way it treats its employees. 

Internal auditors help the Council succeed. We do this through a combination of assurance and constructive challenge. The assurance part of our work involves telling managers, leaders and Members how well the systems and processes designed to keep the Council on track are working. Then, we offer constructive challenge help to improve those systems and processes where necessary. 

Corporate Governance and Insurance services also fall within this area, demonstrating a wider remit for ensuring that the Council has arrangements in place to make sound decisions and manage risks.