Signing off the mounting backlog of historical local authority audits could take up to five years as capacity issues restrict progress, an expert has told PF .
A central body with powers to oversee local authorities could help prevent disasters similar to the recent collapses in the sector, experts have told PF.
The high-profile failures of councils in Woking and Thurrock demonstrate the importance of a strong and well-understood local audit system, which has arguably been lost, two senior voices in the...
Rising demand and an over-reliance on reserves have put the financial sustainability of Scottish care boards at risk without significant reforms, the national watchdog has warned.
A senior external auditor is set to become the first director of local audit at the Financial Reporting Council, as part of sector-wide reforms to improve standards.
There is “no comparison” between the proposed new oversight body to take charge of local authority audit, and the defunct Audit Commission, according to Sir Tony Redmond.
Public Sector Audit Appointments has filled a gap left by the Audit Commission, allowing councils to opt in to a national scheme for selecting auditors. It’s proving very popular. Could it go...
The body created by the Local Government Association to oversee council audits following the abolition of the Audit Commission is considering plans to jointly procure contacts across the sector from...
The National Audit Office has published the Code of Audit Practice for local public bodies, which includes a duty for auditors to consider how best to gain assurance over pooled spending initiatives.
This is a critical moment for public audit, writes Margaret Hodge. In the UK and internationally the challenges facing the public sector are enormous. Soaring demand for services, rising demographic...
Closing the Audit Commission is at best precipitous, writes Lord Heseltine. We need a process for protecting the public purse, which may mean we have to re-examine the new structures for public audit
Public audit needs to shape up and become more interventionist, writes Sir Derek Myers. The economic climate demands that it’s in the front seat, driving change
Public audit requires a different set of skills and experience from the private sector, writes Rob Whiteman. This is one of many issues that the new assurance arrangements fail to address
As the Audit Commission finally shuts its doors, there are a host of outstanding questions about practicality, cost and the value of public audit, writes Marcine Waterman
The forces of austerity and marketisation are sweeping through the English public sector, writes Gareth Davies. What must public auditors do to keep up?
The Audit Commission’s controller of audit has raised concerns about transparency at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority and the London Borough of Lambeth after they failed to publish their 2013/14...
Scotland's auditor general Caroline Gardner has been appointed one of three new non-executive directors of Public Sector Audit Appointments, the body that will oversee local audit contracts from next...
Local government and NHS bodies could save as much as £440m if Whitehall extends Audit Commission contracts for local auditor services to 2020, the watchdog has said.
