Local government funding: Assurance to Parliament
Published on:The Department has increased local authorities’ flexibility over their funding, but as a result has less information on how funds are being spent.
The Department has increased local authorities’ flexibility over their funding, but as a result has less information on how funds are being spent.
The first phase of the Care Act has been implemented well, but this places new responsibilities on local authorities whose core funding is being significantly reduced.
Over 10 million people who used public services (about 1 in 5) in the UK last year faced problems with the services. Detriment can and does occur. But users find the complaints and redress systems confusing.
This report outlines the importance of recognising and adequately managing conflicts of interest.
Amyas Morse, the Comptroller and Auditor General, has qualified his audit opinion in respect of two years of financial statements for Firebuy Ltd, covering 2010-11 and the short period in 2011-12 up to the closure of the company in July 2011.
The NAO examines central government’s approach to the funding of local authorities as they deal with reduced funding without reducing services.
Wave 1 City Deals encouraged cities to develop capacity to manage devolved funding and increased responsibility. It is too early to tell what impact they will have on growth.
This briefing on the NHS and sustainability in England has been prepared for the Environmental Audit Committee. It focuses on identifying potential good practice, opportunities and challenges and draws on the NAO’s good practice criteria.
The Better Care Fund is an innovative idea but the quality of early preparation and planning did not match the scale of the ambition. Current plans forecast £314m of savings for the NHS rather than the £1 billion in early planning assumptions.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has taken steps since November 2014 to improve its understanding of new burdens on local authorities.
Police forces have successfully reduced costs since 2011, but do not have a clear understanding of the demands placed upon them or of the factors that affect their costs.
This Departmental Overview is one of 15 we are producing covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Department for Communities and Local Government during 2011-12.
Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.
With the number of further education (FE) colleges in financial difficulty expected to rise rapidly, there are fundamental structural problems which might require decisions at a regional or sector-wide level.
The Programme launch has been successful, however key risks remain such as the planned delivery of new homes towards the end of the programme period.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his audit opinion on the 2011-12 financial statements of the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) because of irregular ex-gratia payments, totalling £51,000, made by the Agency to its staff.
Central government needs to have better engagement with local government, particularly as more services are devolved.
The incentives on government Accounting Officers to prioritise value for money are weak compared to those associated with the day-to-day job of satisfying Ministers.
A programme to sell enough government land by March 2015 to build a potential 100,000 homes did not collect information on the amount of money raised or how many homes have actually been built. In future land sales, responsibility for monitoring what happens to land after disposal should be made clear.
The Emergency Services Network is one of the most technologically advanced systems worldwide and is set to replace the existing emergency services communication system, Airwave. However several risks have been highlighted.