The National Fraud Initiative has uncovered £1bn in incorrect and dishonestly obtained payments in the UK since its establishment in 1996, the Audit Commission announced today.
The first internal audit standards to apply across the whole of the public sector will help ensure transparency and accountability at a time of spending cuts, CIPFA has said.
The High Court today threw out nine of the ten objections to the planned High Speed 2 rail line, but ruled that the government consultation on compensation was unfair.
More than a quarter of a million extra school places will be needed in England next year, but it is not clear if the Department for Education has provided enough funding to meet demand, auditors...
Small firms are unenthusiastic about councils’ new power to levy supplementary business rates for local projects, believing it will not make a difference to local economies, a survey has indicated.
The public sector is ‘woefully underprepared’ for the impact of an ageing society and urgent government action is needed to avert a crisis in English health and social care services, peers warned...
Auditors have criticised Scottish councils’ management of major capital projects after finding most schemes were late and cost ‘significantly’ more than first estimated.
Design principles should be incorporated into public services to help make them more streamlined, relevant and useful, according to a report published today.
The four ‘whole place’ Community Budget pilots in England show that integrated spending could lead to cheaper and better services, the National Audit Office said today.
A think-tank has been criticised for suggesting that people who live a healthy lifestyle should be able to jump to the front of the queue for non-emergency NHS treatments and operations.
Delays in the government’s school restoration programme are costing councils millions of pounds in repair bills, the Local Government Association said today.
People with dementia are not receiving the help they need because health and care services are ‘struggling’ to cope, the Care Quality Commission has warned.
Fire safety programmes across England are likely to be reduced over the next five years as government cuts bite, the Local Government Association warned today.
The number of people working in local government has fallen by almost 400,000, or 14%, since the coalition took office in 2010, the GMB union said today.
There are still big gaps in childcare provision in the UK despite councils’ obligations to ensure adequate services, according to a survey published today.
The government should abolish the Highways Agency and devolve its funding to councils and other local bodies, a report commissioned by the Local Government Association has concluded.
The way senior managers’ pay rises were decided at Caerphilly County Borough Council last year was unlawful, auditors have ruled in a public interest report.
More than half of the town halls developing new Council Tax Benefit schemes to take effect in April will receive cash to keep bills down, local government minister Brandon Lewis announced today.
The government’s proposals on long-term care have been broadly welcomed but there are concerns that they do nothing to address chronic under-funding in the sector.
