• The NAO disclaims the 2024-25 Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) – the third year in a row this has been necessary
  • The lack of audit assurance over English local government accounts remains the cause, although there has been some progress since last year

The WGA1 remains a vital tool in the management and scrutiny of public spending, as it brings together all public sector assets and liabilities, covering more than 10,000 departments, agencies and other government organisations.  

The publication of the 2024-25 WGA marks the earliest that the accounts have been published since the 2017-18 WGA. But for the third year in a row, the National Audit Office (NAO) is issuing a disclaimed opinion on the WGA, reflecting continued lack of assurance over a significant proportion of English local government accounting data.

More councils have provided accounts than in recent years, meaning that there has been a reduction in missing data in the 2024-25 WGA. However, many of these are either unaudited or subject to a disclaimed audit opinion from their external auditor, meaning that the accuracy of the data is not assured. For English local authorities, 280 submissions were unaudited or disclaimed in 2024-25.

The government has legislated for a new Local Audit Office as part of its plan to restore normal levels of assurance for local government financial reporting.

"Recent measures to begin to restore normal audit assurance for English local authorities are welcome.

“This work must be progressed with vigour to ensure timely and high-quality financial reporting for every local body, supporting their accountability to local people and providing more reliable whole of government accounts."

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO

Read the full report

Whole of Government Accounts 2024-25

Notes for editors

  1. The Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) provides a consolidated view of the public sector financial position and performance. It is prepared by HM Treasury under the Government Resources and Accounts Act (GRAA) 2000 and in line with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS, as adapted for the public sector), and is independently audited by the National Audit Office (NAO). It brings together the results of over 10,000 public bodies including central government departments, the NHS, local authorities, devolved governments, academies and public corporations into a single set of accounts.