The Department for Communities and Local Government has given local authorities approximately £68 million a year to improve the handling of planning applications and in particular to speed them up. While authorities are taking more decisions on major housing schemes within 13 weeks, the true extent of the improvement across the development process is not […]
Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs), used to assess the need for, and potential impact of, new regulations, have not always been used effectively, according to a report published today by the National Audit Office. The report finds that RIAs often failed to consider fully the cost and benefit of regulation, and did not take account of […]
Full cost recovery remains an important principle for financial relationships between government and the third sector, but government departments have found difficulties in translating the principle into practice, according to a review published today by the National Audit Office. Today’s review examines the progress made by central government departments in ensuring that, by April 2006, […]
The National Audit Office has today called for a step change improvement in how central government departments work with each other and with regional and local bodies, if the Government’s ambitious aspirations for the Thames Gateway region are to be realised. The Government has set out its vision to make the Thames Gateway, the area […]
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. […]
The Pension Service has made real and substantial progress since 2002 in helping pensioners to secure their entitlements using new and well thought through approaches, but will need to build on this work to improve take-up still further. A report today by the National Audit Office highlights the need to develop local work to reach […]
Since 1999, low cost home ownership (LCHO) assistance has helped 40,000 people to buy their properties. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has made a commitment to help an extra 100,000 households into home ownership by 2010. But demand for assistance far exceeds supply. In 2004-05, 11,000 households received assistance through Government funded […]
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 […]
In the three years since the Royal Household took over responsibility for managing its own air and rail travel, the cost of such travel has reduced by two thirds. However, as a result of the National Audit Office’s enquiries, the basis of charging by the Ministry of Defence for royal use of the RAF’s 32 […]
Consumers spend some £400 billion each year on goods and services bought from the private sector. The Audit Commission and the National Audit Office have concluded that there is scope for a real improvement in the way in which consumers’ interests are protected. In a joint initiative the two audit organisations have looked at consumer […]
Responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) requests made to the NAO in 2025.
The C&AG has issued a clean audit opinion, providing assurance to Parliament on FCDO’s 2024-25 financial statements.
FCDO has made improvements in managing its overseas estate, but it still faces significant challenges, according to a new NAO report.
The NAO’s latest report reviews the government’s approach to improving family court services for children in England and Wales.
This upcoming NAO study will examine how effectively the government is tackling the challenges of growing numbers of people with frailty.
NHS England’s Elective Care transformation programmes have not yet met all of their goals to support elective care recovery.
Financial, legal and governance risks remain which the MoD must mitigate to support the increasingly important role of the reserve forces in national defence.
The head of the NAO’s annual speech will focus on the challenges of rising demand for public services and stretched resources.
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.
Public electric vehicle chargepoint installations are on track, but government needs to make sure they are located in the right places.