Threading a fine line

The smallest detail of each National Trust property is carefully cherished. But even in the hands of a conservator as skilled as Fiona Hutton, fragile items such as this 18th century tapestry can demand months of concentrated effort.

Management, Governance & CR

Report of the Auditors

Independent Auditors’ Report to the Members of The British Land Company PLC

We have audited the financial statements of The British Land Company PLC for the year ended 31 March 2005 which comprise the profit and loss account, the balance sheets, the statement of total recognised gains and losses, the note of historical cost profit and losses, the reconciliation of movements in shareholders’ funds, the cash flow statement, and the related notes 1 to 29. These financial statements have been prepared under the accounting policies set out therein. We have also audited the information in the part of the directors’ remuneration report that is described as having been audited.

This report is made solely to the Company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Section 235 of the Companies Act 1985. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors’ report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company and the Company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Respective responsibilities of directors and auditors

As described in the statement of directors’ responsibilities, the Company’s directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with applicable United Kingdom law and accounting standards. They are also responsible for the preparation of the other information contained in the annual report including the directors’ remuneration report. Our responsibility is to audit the financial statements and the part of the directors’ remuneration report described as having been audited in accordance with relevant United Kingdom legal and regulatory requirements and auditing standards.

We report to you our opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair view and whether the financial statements and the part of the directors’ remuneration report described as having been audited have been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985. We also report to you if, in our opinion, the directors’ report is not consistent with the financial statements, if the Company has not kept proper accounting records, if we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit, or if information specified by law regarding directors’ remuneration and transactions with the Company and other members of the Group is not disclosed.

We review whether the corporate governance statement reflects the Company’s compliance with the nine provisions of the July 2003 FRC Combined Code specified for our review by the Listing Rules of the Financial Services Authority, and we report if it does not. We are not required to consider whether the Board’s statements on internal control cover all risks and controls, or form an opinion on the effectiveness of the Group’s corporate governance procedures or its risk and control procedures.

We read the directors’ report and the other information contained in the annual report for the above year as described in the contents section including the unaudited part of the directors’ remuneration report and consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the financial statements.

Basis of audit opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with United Kingdom auditing standards issued by the Auditing Practices Board. An audit includes examination, on a test basis, of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and the part of the directors’ remuneration report described as having been audited. It also includes an assessment of the significant estimates and judgements made by the directors in the preparation of the financial statements and of whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the circumstances of the Company and the Group, consistently applied and adequately disclosed.

We planned and performed our audit so as to obtain all the information and explanations which we considered necessary in order to provide us with sufficient evidence to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements and the part of the directors’ remuneration report described as having been audited are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or other irregularity or error. In forming our opinion, we also evaluated the overall adequacy of the presentation of information in the financial statements and the part of the directors’ remuneration report described as having been audited.

Opinion

In our opinion:

the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company and the Group as at 31 March 2005 and of the profit of the Group for the year then ended; and
the financial statements and the part of the directors’ remuneration report described as having been audited have been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985.

Deloitte & Touche LLP
Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors, London
24 May 2005

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