Audit
EXCLUSIVE: LGA improvement cash could be slashed
Smith Square’s top-slice funding could be slashed under plans being considered by Whitehall over fears the sector-led improvement regime is not delivering good value.
MHCLG rejects performance call
Marsham Street has rejected MPs’ call to publish a regular breakdown of council performance across a range of services.
Council tax collection drops further
Council tax collection rates in England declined slightly in 2017/18, new data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has revealed.
Council misses accounts deadline - again
The wait for Reading Council’s 2016/17 accounts to be signed off is expected to stretch on for at least another month.
Auditors launch governance and accountability inquiry
Whitehall’s watchdog has launched an investigation into local government governance and accountability that will be delivered to MPs next year.
Brum to implement bin strike deal
Beleaguered Birmingham City Council is finally expected to implement the deal that ended an acrimonious bin strike – four months behind schedule.
What do traffic jams, hopscotch and skyscrapers have in common?
Diary considers itself something of a connoisseur when it comes to audit reports, but recently found itself considering the images that adorn their front covers.
Northants misspent millions of ring-fenced cash - auditor
Millions of pounds have been misspent by Northamptonshire CC, according to auditors.
Council accounts held up by LOBO challenge
Auditors have delayed a full opinion on Weymouth and Portland BC’s finances pending the outcome of a High Court challenge against Barclays.
Qualified opinion for Lancashire accounts
Lancashire CC’s auditors have issued a qualified opinion on the county’s value for money work amid lingering concerns over children’s services and internal controls.
New CIPFA president aims to simplify accounts
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) new president has said she wants to use her year at the helm to simplify council accounts.
'Hard decisions' ahead for council facing £23m budget gap
A council that relied on reserves to cover budget shortfalls in 2017/18 has been told by auditors it now faces ‘hard decisions’.
County chiefs show red to traffic light ratings
County council chief executives have broken cover to warn that plans for a traffic light-style financial resilience rating system ‘risk over-simplifying complex issues’.
Page: Northamptonshire is wake up call
Public services are lacking the insight offered by the Audit Commission when it comes to an early warning over financial problems, pollster Ben Page has said.
CIPFA president warns of trust breakdown
There has been a ‘universal breakdown in trust’ in public services, the incoming president of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), Sarah Howard, has claimed.
EXCLUSIVE: Council faces tribunal flood
Lancashire CC is facing a deluge of employment tribunal claims from disgruntled former managers as it tries to recruit a permanent chief executive.
Caught in the traffic lights
As CIPFA members gather in Bournemouth for its annual conference, much attention will be paid to its proposals for a ‘resilience index’. Rob Whiteman explains to Heather Jameson why the system of self-regulation needs to change.
£2m Capita repayment after 'fraud'
Contractor Capita has been forced to repay £2m to Barnet LBC following an alleged fraud by an ex-member of staff within joint venture project Re.
NAO to reinforce external auditing
The National Audit Office (NAO) is to reinforce the importance of external auditor reporting after warnings were raised but ignored by Northamptonshire CC.
Finance director in transformation spending warning
Reading Council has been warned it has no room for ‘slippage’ in pursuit of savings following concerns over how other authorities have used capital receipts.