THE findings of an indepedent audit into Bolton Council’s decision to award £300,000 to Asons Solicitors will not be released until September.

It was expected that the results of the audit by KPMG into the council’s actions in issuing the grant under its emergency powers procedure would be available in June.

However, the review has now been delayed as it is being conducted at the same time as the audit of the council’s most recent annual accounts.

The controversial grant, awarded last year, was returned in full when the law firm ceased trading in March.

Bolton Tory leader Cllr David Greenhalgh, who chairs the council’s audit committee, said: “The apparent delay of the KPMG independent review into the Asons decision is frustrating. However I accept the logic, in terms of timing and meeting the council’s obligations, in having one audit committee meeting in September which will deal with both the Asons review and the council’s annual accounts.

“What is of the utmost importance now is that audit committee has the opportunity to examine KPMG’s findings in detail and comment on any recommendations. KPMG has a statutory responsibility within their role as external auditor to ask for evidence and support documents from the council that may otherwise be deemed to be commercially sensitive.

“We must receive full assurances that the council has been wholly cooperative with the review, and it is absolutely essential, in the spirit of openness and transparency, that the findings of the review be made public in their entirety.”

A council spokesman said: “The audit is being carried out at the same time as the audit of the council’s accounts for the financial year 2016-17.

“The audit is nearing completion and should be completed by September.”

UKIP’s Cllr Sean Hornby said that any attempt to ‘bury’ the audit ‘won’t wash’. He added: “This report needs to be published separately. Putting it with the accounts just looks like an attempt to water it down.”

Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Andrew Martin, said the delay was "unacceptable" and "another example of the public being kept in the dark".