Background to the report

Strong financial management is fundamental to effective government. Timely and accurate financial information is essential not for its own sake, but because it underpins accountability, supports better decisions and helps deliver value for money for the public. The Government Finance Function’s (GFF’s) strategy to 2030 responds directly to this challenge.

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The GFF is a cross-government community of over 9,000 people in finance-related roles across government. Its small central team is based in HM Treasury and led jointly by the Director General of Public Spending in HM Treasury and a chief operating officer from a major government department. Its responsibilities include publishing finance functional standards, providing training to staff through the Government Finance Academy and supporting the cross-government Finance Leadership Group. More generally, it supports finance capability across the civil service, by sharing good practice and providing advice and support.

In July 2025, the GFF published its strategy to 2030. It builds on many years of work and recent progress, particularly on supporting finance skills and career development. In its new strategy, the GFF set out a mission to “put finance at the heart of decision-making, delivering value for money, strengthening public trust”. It aims to do so through a finance function that is skilled and talented, insightful and data-driven, innovative and delivery-focused, and underpinned by improved finance foundations.

Scope of the report

This report examines how well the GFF is set up to deliver on its strategic objectives and drive a step change in financial management. We carried out our examination at an early stage, and we publish this report as the strategy is approaching its first anniversary. Our work provides an independent check on progress, and recommendations that can be actioned in good time to help optimise the outcome.

The report covers:

  • why the GFF’s strategy is important
  • progress with the strategy so far
  • opportunities and challenges

Conclusions

Strong financial management is critical to enabling the government to steer the best course through the challenges it is facing and improve productivity and value for money. The GFF is leading efforts to put finance at the heart of decision-making in government.

Through its 2030 strategy, the GFF recognises the need for a step change in how financial management supports decision-making across government, and sets out a clear ambition to strengthen capability, improve the use of data and insight, and make finance professionals more active partners in the delivery of vital public services.

The GFF has strong, visible leadership and an engaged and active membership and is putting in place the elements necessary to measure progress against its strategic aims. Successfully delivering its strategy will ultimately depend on the extent to which it can overcome enduring structural and cultural barriers such as the poor quality of cost data in government, and the lack of incentives for non-finance staff to prioritise good financial management.

Getting this right matters. If delivered effectively, the strategy has the potential to support the step change in financial management that the government needs, and to strengthen the management of public money in support of better outcomes for the public. The changes expected under Project RESET will place even greater emphasis on the expertise and influence of the government finance profession.

At the same time, the rapid development of AI presents significant opportunities as well as risks. The GFF needs to be at the forefront of these changes so that it can lead the government to seize the potential benefits. To achieve this within the constraints of its capacity, it will need to adopt an agile and flexible approach, informed by a thorough understanding of the impact of its work so that it is focusing its attention where it is most needed.

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View press release (19 Jun 2026)

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