Audit Commission

Margaret Thatcher: the local legacy

A preoccupation with local government bookended Margaret Thatcher’s political career, but her time in Number 10 failed to resolve the fundamentals of the Whitehall-town hall dynamic. Read more

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From laggard to leader

Oldham has transformed itself from one of the slowest councils in England to publish its accounts to the fastest. So what’s the secret of its success? Read more

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Little seasonal good cheer from Osborne

The chancellor gave local government a slight breathing space on funding cuts in his Autumn Statement. But there are very few reasons to celebrate  Read more

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No-one to watch over us

As local government prepares for the end of the Audit Commission and a new private market, there are warning signs from the NHS experience Read more

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In a pickle about regulation

Protestations from the Local Government Association about over-centralised regulation show that it missed the point about the abolition of the Audit Commission Read more

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Queen’s Speech: Don’t forget local government

The Communities department was missing in action today as the Queen outlined the coalition’s priorities for the year ahead. Local government ministers need to get more involved and press for amendments to a number of the Bills Read more

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Lost in transition

The Audit Commission’s success in outsourcing its work offers little insight into the future of local audit  – as it is only a halfway house Read more

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District audit: sense of an ending

Dispersing the Audit Commission’s work to private firms marks the end of District Audit as we know it. But watch this space for further reforms Read more

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Audit Commission: the feeling’s not mutual

Today’s announcement on private sector contracts for Audit Commission work confirms that the ‘mutual option’ was always a non-starter for public audit – and for the wider public sector too Read more

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Facing up to fraud

Large-scale fraud is difficult to detect but local authorities can identify potential problems by making use of a seven-point check list Read more...

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