Managing the impact of Housing Benefit reform
Published on:DWP is working to manage the introduction of the housing benefit reforms and has a critical role to play in anticipating adverse consequences.
DWP is working to manage the introduction of the housing benefit reforms and has a critical role to play in anticipating adverse consequences.
This Departmental Overview 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 2010-2011.
The NAO has today published a review of three formula-based grants from central government to fund local public services.
The Department for Education is not meeting its objectives to improve the quality of care and the stability of placements for children in care.
Local authorities have worked hard to manage reductions in government funding, but the DCLG needs to be better informed about the situation across England.
Not all local authorities’ Council Tax support scheme will achieve the objectives outlined by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Local authorities have worked hard to manage reductions in government funding, but the DCLG needs to be better informed about the situation across England.
Improvements have been made to the running of the Regional Growth Fund, but there is still a significant amount of public money to allocate through the Fund.
The new policing oversight framework has been in place for a year but already there are gaps in the system with the potential to undermine accountability both to the Home Office and the public.
This report draws out good practice lessons from three local improvement projects. It has been produced jointly by the National Audit Office, Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.
The lack of predictability of funding for highways authorities has practical implications for road networks and may lead to increased costs in the long term.
The £1.4 billion funding could result in 41,000 extra full-time equivalent private sector jobs but thousands more could have been created from the same resources.
The Department for Education has made progress against many of its objectives in delivering the free entitlement to early education, but it must address variations in take-up, quality of provision and the impact on attainment in later years if it is to achieve value for money.
Payment by results (PbR) schemes are hard to get right, and are risky and costly for commissioners. Credible evidence for claimed benefits of PbR is now needed.
By operating in a more integrated way, government could reduce inefficiencies in public services and deliver a better service to citizens. A case study on the Whole-Place Community Budget pilots points to the potential benefits on offer where public services are integrated more effectively.
The NAO believes a review of the New Homes Bonus scheme is essential to ensure the Department understands the substantial financial risks to local authorities.
G4S and Serco, two of the new providers awarded Home Office contracts to provide accommodation for asylum seekers in the UK, struggled to get the contracts up and running.
Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 covering the period 2008-2011
Review of the data systems for Public Service Agreement 21 led by the Department for Communities and Local Government: ‘Build more cohesive, empowered and active communities’
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills and HM Treasury asked the National Audit Office to undertake reviews of the Regional Development Agencies outside London.
Firebuy, established by the Department for Communities and Local Government to support procurement of kit by Fire and Rescue Services, has cost nearly twice as much to set up and run as the total savings it claims to have delivered.