External auditors for a council in north-east England have threatened to issue statutory recommendations because “deep-rooted” relationship issues between officers and councillors are undermining...
The current level of information held by central government on local authority owned subsidiaries is weak, according to an expert who also suggested departments could be requesting additional data.
The Northern Irish spending watchdog has found that a council’s agreements relating to two pieces of land were unlawful, with auditors saying the deals point to a culture of “bypassing best practice...
Internal auditors for a city council in south-west England have found that officers are failing to follow regulations on regularly filing declarations on conflicts of interest.
Local Government Pension Schemes should make a significant push to reform complex governance arrangements to offer a more joined-up and coherent approach, according to experts.
The decision by the mayor of Middlesbrough Council to hold undocumented meetings with contractors on a £21m construction project was not in line with the authority’s constitution, according to...
CIPFA’s Sarah Sheen and ICAEW’s Oliver Simms explain how working in local audit brings substantial benefits, including the opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives.
A spending watchdog has advised a Welsh authority to seek ministerial assistance after continued governance problems meant it failed to make progress on statutory recommendations.
Senior local government expert Max Caller is set to lead a governance review commissioned by Northumberland County Council into senior officer and member conduct.
The government has announced its intention to install commissioners at a West Midlands local authority, with powers to dismiss and appoint senior officers, including the section 151 officer.
A government-appointed improvement board has voiced worries about the Nottingham City Council's timetable for adopting a medium term financial strategy, which is seen as key to delivering financial...
The behaviour of senior officers at Thanet Borough Council fell below “the standard expected on a number of occasions”, with the cost of resulting investigations putting the authority’s financial...
An administrative error at a London borough saw more than £700,000 of incorrect payments made to businesses and a social care provider, according to external auditors.
Thanet District Council’s leader has requested central government support to improve governance at the authority, following disciplinary issues and legal disputes.
Nottingham City Council’s scrutiny of wholly-owned companies remains “superficial and inadequate” a year after its auditors raised similar concerns, according to an independent report.
Coventry City Council is set to create a shareholder committee to manage commercial investments, in a bid to avoid financial difficulties experienced by some authorities.
Westminster City Council’s management of an over-budget local attraction which has become a national laughing stock has been branded ‘as an exercise in unaccountability’ by the authority's...
City of Edinburgh Council has failed to identify the potential costs of exiting emergency Covid-19 traffic reduction schemes, according to its internal auditors.
A borough council failed to carry out proper investigations before spending £100m on a shopping centre and surrounding properties in its area, according to an independent report.
Eight struggling local authorities will be subject to financial healthchecks by CIPFA as they await approval on £72.5m of government support, ministers have announced.
