Audit
Auditor issues qualified opinion on Stoke-on-Trent accounts
Concerns over finances and children’s services have resulted in auditors issuing a qualified opinion on Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s accounts.
Could the beating stick be used to point out councils’ efficiencies?
While local government focuses on the stick used to beat it, where is the carrot?, asks Heather Jameson. 'What if councils embraced a little transparency and used this new data to create their own stories?'
'Real action' call amid £585m budget shortfall
Scotland’s councils today demanded a ‘real and meaningful solution’ to the sector’s underfunding after finance experts identified a collective £585m budget shortfall this year.
Auditors issue warning over member-officer relations at district
Teignbridge DC has deployed external support to improve member-officer relations after auditors reported the authority has made little progress since warnings last year.
Local elections: more than just a barometer for Rishi
Local elections do swing with national politics, but the full picture is far more nuanced, says Heather Jameson. 'More so now, as a gaping chasm opens up between the performance of the best and worst local authorities and mayors.'
Minister rules out Oflog role on audit
A minister has quashed suggestions oversight of audit should be handed to the Office for Local Government (Oflog).
Watchdog tells Falkirk to confront 'difficult decisions'
Falkirk Council faces ‘difficult decisions’ to bridge a budget gap of tens of millions, according to Audit Scotland.
Ministers in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
The letter on councils’ productivity, sent by local government minister Simon Hoare this week, borders on farcical, says Heather Jameson.
Struggles continue for scandal-hit council contractor
A council contractor previously at the centre of a residential care abuse scandal has continued to struggle since it closed the sites.
Oflog should be handed audit oversight, MPs told
The Office for Local Government (Oflog) should be handed oversight of England’s broken audit regime – a role earmarked for the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) - accounting experts have told MPs.
Grant Thornton fined over pension audit
Grant Thornton has been fined by the Financial Reporting Council for ‘failures’ in its audit of an unnamed local authority’s pension fund.
Hopes for regen scheme revived after Home Office scales back asylum plan
A £300m council-led regeneration scheme threatened when Whitehall commandeered the site for asylum accommodation could now go ahead after the plan was scaled down.
Homelessness inquiry launched by NAO
The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched an inquiry into homelessness as the issue piles pressure on squeezed council budgets.
Councils lobby for reduced audit fees amid backstop plan
Fees for councils should be slashed if auditors are forced to give qualified opinions due to failing to meet the backstop deadline later this year, English councils have said.
Two-year Sandwell intervention to end
Local government minister Simon Hoare has today confirmed that Whitehall’s two-year intervention at Sandwell Council will end.
Watchdog warning over Moray's funding gap
Moray Council must act quickly to shore up its finances, Audit Scotland has warned.
Moving forward after failure
Ed Hammond considers the governance challenges facing members under section 114 and other models of oversight and the implications for member-officer relationships.
Lending rates could spike after audit reset, LGA warns
Proposals to reset the local audit system and clear the backlog of accounts could drive up the lending rates offered to the sector, councils have warned.
Audit Commission fears continue to haunt Oflog
A senior sector figure has expressed concerns about the Office for Local Government’s (Oflog) direction of travel.
Plymouth told to 'hold its nerve' on budget
Plymouth City Council’s budget for the forthcoming year hinges on a request to the Government for a capitalisation direction.