The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has been processing standard driving licences at normal levels following the backlog that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are still delays in applications from drivers with medical conditions, according to the National Audit Office.
Billions of pounds of cost increase due to contractual change, delays introducing communication networks for our emergency services, potential strains on Army personnel – our recent reports illustrate the huge importance of getting contracts right, and what organisations need to do if they go wrong. They also reinforce the principles discussed in previous posts in […]
Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 covering the period 2008-2011
Review of the data systems for Public Service Agreement 5: ‘Deliver reliable and efficient transport networks that support economic growth’
The reforms set out in government’s rail transformation plans are facing delays, and there remain long-standing issues with the rail sector that need to be addressed, such as its financial sustainability and service to passengers.
2019 will be a pivotal year for local government in England. Numerous difficult and open-ended questions need rapid resolution, at a time when government focus and capacity is directed elsewhere. Drawing on a number of our recent reports, here I explore some of the challenges facing the sector, from budget cuts and growing social care […]
The competition to let this franchise lacked oversight. The full cost to the taxpayer is unknown, but likely to be significant.
The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) has increased the number of dangerous commercial vehicles that it removes from the roads from 28,900 in 2007-08 to 36,500 in 2008-09, but the Agency could make better use of its resources and the effectiveness of its roadside checks is constrained according to a National Audit Office report […]
A report today by the National Audit Office has found that the failure of Metronet – a private infrastructure company responsible for the maintenance and upgrade of sections of the London Underground – has led to an estimated direct loss to the taxpayer of between £170 million and £410 million. There has also been an […]
This report examines how effectively National Highways, and the Department for Transport are managing risks to value for money across the portfolio of road enhancement projects.
Equipment cannibalisation in the Royal Navy has doubled in the past 12 years. It can be effective to meet operational needs but can increase costs and create disruption.
Government needs to ensure its growth plans for Cambridge are aligned with its £6-7bn investment in a new regional railway (East West Rail, Oxford to Cambridge), so it can maximise the economic benefits of the line, a new report by the National Audit Office says.
The Highways Agency’s PFI contract to widen the M25 could have been better value for money. The slowness with which it was taken forward resulted in higher financing costs, and the Agency was slow to investigate a potentially cheaper alternative to widening.
This study examines whether the government and Network Rail are in a position to deliver the Transpennine Route Upgrade successfully.
Our report assesses the government’s progress delivering its ambition to increase rates of walking, wheeling and cycling.
The HS1 project has delivered a high performing line, which was subsequently sold in a well-managed way. But international passenger numbers are falling far short of forecasts and the project costs exceed the value of journey time saving benefits.
The National Audit Office has today published independent reviews of value for money savings reported by the Department for Transport and the Home Office as part of their 2008-09 Annual Reports. The Department for Transport reported savings of £892 million, of which the NAO found that 43 per cent fairly represent realised cash savings, 22 […]
Government is funding thousands of levelling up projects across the UK. But many of these deadlines are unlikely to be met.
This report looks at how DESNZ is set up for power sector decarbonisation while maintaining security of electricity supply and affordability.
In June 2015, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that two large rail electrification schemes would be paused because the rail investment portfolio was costing more and taking longer.