We all rely on local public services to be able to function in our day-to-day lives, and in these challenging times, we’re even more reliant on those services. Whether from local authorities, local NHS organisations police forces and fire and rescue organisations, to keep us safe and take care of us should we need it. […]
Young people are making complex choices about higher education without much effective help and advice, and the institutions concerned are under very little competitive pressure to provide best value.
Cloud services’ can bring cost and performance benefits. But they can also bring new challenges and risks. To help leaders oversee decision-making and implementation of cloud services, we recently published ‘Guidance for audit committees on cloud services’. The magazine, Public Sector Executive, invited us to outline the issues in the article The National Audit Office’s guide […]
The head of the NAO’s annual speech will focus on the challenges of rising demand for public services and stretched resources.
The Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) are an audited set of accounts showing in one place the financial position of the whole public sector. However, the NAO considers that the picture is incomplete.
The number of NHS and local government bodies with weaknesses in their arrangements for delivering value for money is increasing.
This report examines if government is achieving its ambition for the public sector to be a leader in decarbonising its activities.
Energy bills support successfully protected many people and businesses during 2022 and 2023 from rising energy prices.
This is our second report on the progress Defra has made in preparing for EU Exit.
This examines whether the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has achieved the objectives of the UK Green Investment Bank intervention, and whether UK Government Investments has achieved value for money in the subsequent sale of the Bank.
Following approval by the Public Accounts Commission we have appointed a new non-executive Board member, Alistair Conner.
Key public bodies are insufficiently prepared for a major animal disease outbreak and would likely struggle to cope with one.
A National Audit Office report has concluded that two programmes aimed at building capacity in the third sector have had a positive impact on frontline third sector organisations but have not yet demonstrated value for money. Both have suffered from administrative weaknesses and a lack of initial targets against which the effectiveness of the programmes […]
Data analytics are a vital tool to tackle fraud and error, but savings so far have been modest compared to the amount potentially achievable.
The Cabinet Office is responsible for the Business Appointment Rules, but has not published any guidelines, and has no oversight of departmental compliance.
Equity investors have helped to deliver many public sector infrastructure projects via the Private Finance Initiative and have managed them in ways from which the public sector can learn. Against a background of limited information, evidence gathered by the National Audit Office raises concern that the public sector is paying more than it should for equity investment.
Government can release resources and improve accountability by tailoring governance and audit requirements for small public bodies.
With charities such as museums and galleries relying increasingly on donations to supplement public grant funding, this report summarises the issues faced and best-practice management of the risks associated with donations as a source of income.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Amyas Morse, has for the second successive year qualified his opinion on the financial statements of Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S).
This report aims to evaluate and conclude on HM Treasury’s overall approach to over-indebtedness.