The National Audit Office outlines ten principles that the government needs to consider if it is to achieve value for money when using markets to deliver public services.
Central government needs to have better engagement with local government, particularly as more services are devolved.
This briefing draws out findings from 46 NAO reports since 2008-09 that are relevant to local delivery. It communicates the wide range of work we have undertaken and the main lessons that have arisen from it.
This short guide is one of 17 we have produced covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Department for Communities and Local Government during the last Parliament.
The service provided to students applying for finance in 2009 did not achieve value for money, according to a report today by the National Audit Office. There were major problems in the processing of applications – with fewer than half new applications being fully processed by the start of term – and in communications with […]
The Department of Health has developed an ambitious and comprehensive strategy for dementia. However, there has not yet been a robust approach to implementation, according to a National Audit Office report published today. Despite the Department stating, since 2007, that dementia is now a national priority, it has not been given the levers or urgency […]
This briefing has been prepared for the Communities and Local Government Select Committee to provide an overview of the work and performance of the Department for Communities and Local Government (the Department) in the financial year 2007-08 and subsequent months. It takes as its basis the Department’s Annual Report 2008, drawing upon the work of the National Audit Office (NAO) together with relevant material from other external and internal reviews of departmental performance.
The PSNI’s strategy to modernise and rationalise the police estate in Northern Ireland is leading to visible improvements, although there is still much work left to do, according to the National Audit Office. The plans to refurbish and build police stations, and review the need for others, are being taken forward against a challenging background. […]
Substantial savings, in addition to the significant improvements already achieved, could be made by more efficient management and purchasing of postal services by the public sector, according to a report by Parliament’s spending watchdog. The National Audit Office has found that an estimated £31 million a year could be saved across the public sector by […]
Few national targets for improving public services can be achieved by central government departments alone. Successful delivery of Whitehall’s targets, set out in Public Service Agreements (PSAs), relies on a complex chain of organisations involving local authorities and health trusts, as well as private, voluntary and community organisations. Government departments should build stronger partnerships with […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) does well to manage the difficult job of having housing available for Service personnel and their families when posted overseas. However, it needs to adopt a greater customer focus in its delivery of housing services overseas. It also […]
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn today reported on the Connexions Service, concluding that it is a radical change in the delivery of advice and guidance to young people and is on target to meeting its major objective of reducing the proportion of 16- to 18-year olds not in education, employment or […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that he had identified five critical issues which departments must pay careful attention to if the extra £61 billion spent on improving public services over the next three years is to have its full impact. It is too early to tell whether […]
Tackling frailty is key to the long-term health of our aging population, yet many people are failing to receive a diagnosis or the right care.
Our report looks at why home to school transport is one of the fastest growing areas of spending for local authorities in England.
Government lacks clarity on the impact of its funding for independent adult hospices as demand rises for palliative and end-of-life care.
Government can release resources and improve accountability by tailoring governance and audit requirements for small public bodies.
Weaknesses in the MHCLG developer contributions system are undermining councils’ ability to negotiate with developers, says the NAO.
Financial, legal and governance risks remain which the MoD must mitigate to support the increasingly important role of the reserve forces in national defence.
In his annual speech in Parliament, Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, championed effective innovation as a way to tackle the ongoing challenge of rising demand for stretched public services.