The NAO is launching a new dedicated team to highlight best practice in public sector productivity, against a backdrop of sustained pressure on public services and constrained public finances.
The government should do more to ensure its compensation schemes reach as many eligible claimants as possible, despite efforts to make the claims process easier, the UK’s spending watchdog has said.
The government has come under fire for its decision to avert the closure of British Steel’s Scunthorpe site after it emerged that the Department for Business and Trade intervened without a clear exit...
Director at the NAO Steven Corbishley discusses the watchdog’s good practice guide on annual reporting, highlighting the principles he says form the foundation of high-quality and timely reports.
Following the National Audit Office’s release of its final guide in its good practice series on financial management in government, Chris Coyne sets out why reporting is crucial for informed decision...
The National Audit Office has hailed progress made in addressing delays to the publication of government accounts since the pandemic but warned there is more to do to secure timely and robust...
While the Treasury has made a good start in supporting the implementation of new sustainability reporting requirements across central government, it will take several years for climate related...
A lack of consistent data over departmental spend on external consultants is hampering efforts to slash unnecessary spend, a National Audit Office report has warned.
The government’s drive for efficiency savings is being hampered by poor quality data and a dependence on clunky, outdated systems, according to the National Audit Office.
The government is missing out on billions of pounds of savings a year by failing to exploit the potential of data analytics to tackle fraud and error, according to a new study.
The operational capability of those responsible for delivering frontline government services is “varied and often lacking in what matters most”, according to a report from the National Audit...
Senior civil servants might be deliberately undermining vital fraud detection work in an attempt to protect their organisation’s reputation, according to counter-fraud workers.
A shortfall in digital and procurement expertise across government has led to taxpayers’ money being wasted and progress on transformation losing pace, according to the National Audit Office.
The UK spending watchdog has raised concerns about the Government Property Agency’s accounting, leading to it qualifying its opinion on the Cabinet Office’s accounts for 2023-24.
Senior audit manager at the National Audit Office Chris Coyne explains the value in the NAO’s good practice guides, including the latest on resource allocation.
The overwhelming lack of reliable financial data submitted by the English local authority sector to the Whole of Government Accounts has led the comptroller and auditor general to disclaim his...
The scale of the financial issues English health services face now and in the coming years is “unprecedented”, the National Audit Office has claimed in a report – with the government claiming the NHS...
Government plans to house asylum seekers in barges and former military sites will cost £46m more than continuing to use hotels, according to a report from the National Audit Office.
Delays and a poor initial estimate for developing a new medical research facility have seen costs soar and “undermined” future resilience to public health emergencies and value for money, the...
The government does not properly monitor the effectiveness of tax reliefs, meaning billions of pounds of subsidies may not deliver economic growth, the National Audit Office has said.
The government cannot demonstrate that biomass generators are meeting sustainability targets, the National Audit Office has said, casting doubt over the effectiveness of subsidies.
NHS trusts’ inconsistent use of a central procurement body means the service is not “making the most” of its enormous buying power, the National Audit Office has said.
