While the impact of the Pupil Premium will take time to become clear, it has the potential to bring about a significant improvement in outcomes. However, the Department for Education and schools have more to do.
This Departmental Overview is one of 17 we are producing covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Department for Communities and Local Government during 2013-14.
Over 10 million people who used public services (about 1 in 5) in the UK last year faced problems with the services. Detriment can and does occur. But users find the complaints and redress systems confusing.
Wave 1 City Deals encouraged cities to develop capacity to manage devolved funding and increased responsibility. It is too early to tell what impact they will have on growth.
The Department has increased local authorities’ flexibility over their funding, but as a result has less information on how funds are being spent.
The incentives on government Accounting Officers to prioritise value for money are weak compared to those associated with the day-to-day job of satisfying Ministers.
With the number of further education (FE) colleges in financial difficulty expected to rise rapidly, there are fundamental structural problems which might require decisions at a regional or sector-wide level.
This briefing on the NHS and sustainability in England has been prepared for the Environmental Audit Committee. It focuses on identifying potential good practice, opportunities and challenges and draws on the NAO’s good practice criteria.
The first phase of the Care Act has been implemented well, but this places new responsibilities on local authorities whose core funding is being significantly reduced.
The Better Care Fund is an innovative idea but the quality of early preparation and planning did not match the scale of the ambition. Current plans forecast £314m of savings for the NHS rather than the £1 billion in early planning assumptions.
This Departmental Overview is one of 17 we are producing covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Communities and Local Government during 2012-13.
This report outlines the importance of recognising and adequately managing conflicts of interest.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Amyas Morse, has qualified his regularity opinion on the 2012-13 financial statements of the Department for Communities and Local Government. This is in respect of two breaches by the DCLG of spending limits authorised by Parliament.
We recommended that the Department for Communities and Local Government improve its evaluation of the impact of funding changes on local authorities’ financial sustainability.
This NAO impacts case study represents one example where there has been some beneficial change, whether financial or non-financial, resulting from our involvement.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has taken steps since November 2014 to improve its understanding of new burdens on local authorities.
The Emergency Services Network is one of the most technologically advanced systems worldwide and is set to replace the existing emergency services communication system, Airwave. However several risks have been highlighted.
Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.
This review was carried out on the 2012-15 Business Plan. Revised Business Plans were issued in June 2013.
Police forces have successfully reduced costs since 2011, but do not have a clear understanding of the demands placed upon them or of the factors that affect their costs.
The NAO examines central government’s approach to the funding of local authorities as they deal with reduced funding without reducing services.
A programme to sell enough government land by March 2015 to build a potential 100,000 homes did not collect information on the amount of money raised or how many homes have actually been built. In future land sales, responsibility for monitoring what happens to land after disposal should be made clear.