The government must improve its oversight of governance in local authorities as they struggle with increased financial and demand pressure, England’s spending watchdog has urged.
The number of public bodies in England failing to provide value for money is “unacceptably high” and increasing, the public spending watchdog has warned.
The prime minister and the chair of the Public Accounts Committee have selected Gareth Davies as their preferred candidate to become the next head of the National Audit Office.
The Treasury’s focus on controlling public spending in the short term risks value for money over the long term, according to the UK’s spending watchdog.
The government has spent at least £239m on 26 inquiries since 2005 but does not monitor their effectiveness, the official public spending watchdog has revealed today.
Local authorities in England are struggling to cope with higher demands and cost pressures, according to a report from the National Audit Office out today.
Government borrowing has increased by 61% since 2009-10 and, while costs have been kept down, the size of the debt poses a significant risk to the public finances, government auditors have warned.
The Department for Education needs to reduce payments to students who do not finish their studies at non-publicly funded higher education providers, the spending watchdog has found.
The first sale of shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland lost the government £1.9bn but was still value for money, according to the National Audit Office.
A programme to streamline the Bank of England is on course to be completed £25m under budget but shortcomings have arisen, the National Audit Office has found.
The Department for Education lacks a “clear rationale” to explain how an increase in apprenticeship numbers would benefit national productivity, according to the National Audit Office.
There needs to be a “step change” in the way the civil service does business in the wake of Brexit and other challenges, the comptroller and auditor general has said.
Government financial assets across banking, housing and student finance are placing an increasing risk to the public finances, the National Audit Office has warned.
