Parish councillors are being taught how to handle financial reporting after harsh criticism from Auditor General Larry Dennis. The Island's independent financial watchdog blasted councils — Bermuda's second tier of government — for their lack of fiscal accountability in his annual report last year.

He said Pembroke Parish Council ought to be scrapped and others warned that they would suffer the same fate for failing to release up to date audited financial statements.

Now a series of workshops is being held for parish councillors to bring them up to speed with their reporting requirements under the Parish Council Act 1971.

Gabriel Broomes, financial controller at the Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation, which is responsible for the councils, is attending the sessions to explain how better fiscal controls can be put in place.

The workshops are being led by former PLP MP and Bermuda Industrial Union leader Ottiwell Simmons, who was drafted in as a consultant to help improve the councils' financial reporting after Mr. Dennis' damning report.

A Ministry spokesman said this week: "All parish councils have been working hard to bring their accounts up to date and properly account for previous years' expenditures and are working hard to restore the good name of the parish councils and promote all that they do for the benefit of residents of Bermuda."

He added: "Parish councils, formerly parish vestries, continue to play an important role in Bermuda. Each parish council follows the Parish Councils Act of 1971 which details their specific functions, one of which is to bring to the Minister's attention any matter affecting the general welfare of persons resident in the parish."

The latest four-hour session, for the central parish councils, was held on March 26 at Bermuda College, with councillors from Pembroke, Devonshire, Paget, Southampton and Warwick attending. Acting Culture Minister Nelson Bascome opened the meeting and explained that the workshops were aimed at promoting "standardised practice". Lawyer Shade Subair gave a presentation on the Act.

Mr. Dennis reported last July that none of the parish councils had issued audited financial statements for the year ending March 2007 while only Paget and Smith's issued audited statements for 2006.

Mr. Broomes congratulated those parish councils which have brought their accounts up to date and completed the audit process with Mr. Dennis' office.

Permanent secretary Wayne Carey said progress was being made by parish councils to bring their accounting records up to date and avoid further instances of late reporting. A Ministry spokesman could not provide details to The Royal Gazette last night of which councils are now in compliance. The Ministry has previously said it expects all councils to be up to date by the end of this year.