Audit Commission

Facing up to fraud

11 November 2011 | Chris Clements

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...

Tags: | | 1 comment

Audit Commission: the watchdog that didn’t bark

1 July 2011 | David Walker

The Audit Commission is still holding back in responding to the consultation on its own demise. Criticising the government’s plans could be tantamount to attacking localism and the Big Society Read more

Tags: | | | | | 3 comments

Perils of privatising public audit

3 June 2011 | David Walker

Plans to effectively privatise the Audit Commission are destined to fail. Within five years we can expect something not dissimilar from district audit being recreated Read more

Tags: | | | | Comment

Whither local audit? Nobody knows, by David Walker

5 April 2011 | David Walker

Thanks to the NLGN, the ACCA and Baker Tilly accountants– with Clive Betts’ Commons CLG committee due to weigh in soonish – a public debate about the future of local audit has more or less taken off this spring. But conceptually and strategically, things are as confused as they have been since last summer when the government announced the abolition of the Audit Commission on a whim and a prayer. Read more...

Tags: | | | Comment

Accounts and accountability, by Olivier Roth

4 April 2011 | Olivier Roth

At a time when public confidence in political institutions is low, audit is arguably more important than ever. So what should replace the Audit Commission? Read more...

Tags: | | | | | Comment

On target for IFRS? By Martin Evans

23 March 2011 | Martin Evans

Local government finance teams still have time to resolve any outstanding issues with International Financial Reporting Standards – if they act now Read more...

Tags: | | | | | Comment

Where’s the evidence? By Colin Talbot

8 March 2011 | Colin Talbot

The New Labour government made a great song and dance about ‘evidence-based policy’, which was generally observed more in rhetoric than in reality. But to be fair to them, their period in office did see a big increase in knowledge about ‘what works’ and ‘what performs’ in government, even if they didn’t always (often?) act on it. Read more...

Tags: | | | | | 1 comment

Abolition angst, by David Walker

16 February 2011 | David Walker

The Audit Commission cheats death! It’s now a fair bet – you could try laying odds at Paddy Power – that Eric Pickles’ bete noire will outlast his tenure as Communities Secretary. Read more...

Tags: | | 15 comments

Auditors will still tell it like it is, by Martin Evans

11 February 2011 | Martin Evans

As public services grapple with the financial squeeze, auditors will continue to focus on what matters both to audited bodies and to citizens Read more...

Tags: | | | Comment

Come clean about the cuts, by John Tizard

17 January 2011 | John Tizard

When will ministers and the media cease pretending that local authorities can absorb over 25% cuts in their grants over the next three to four years (and in many cases, the degree of funding reductions is considerably greater than 25%) and avoid cuts in services? When will they cease to opine that if only local authorities were not paying their senior officers such high salaries there would be money to avoid service cuts? What nonsense! Read more...

Tags: | | | Comment