Audit Commission

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Questions over quango report, by David Walker

7 January 2011 | David Walker

The Commons Public Administration Select Committee has stuck it to the government and won headlines as a result. The MPs use uncompromisingly scathing language to attack the amateurism of the Cabinet Office in its bid to cull quangos. Read more...

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The commission must not be cowed, by David Walker

13 December 2010 | David Walker

Now that councils have their spending allocations, they will start budget making in earnest. With the financial sustainability of some of them problematic, district auditors will inevitably be thrust into the line of fire. Read more...

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Saving public finance, by Malcom Prowle

8 December 2010 | Malcolm Prowle

If public bodies are to find genuine efficiency savings, managers will need to put their financial skills in order too Read more...

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Audit in the age of austerity, by Stephen Fitzgerald

6 December 2010 | Stephen Fitzgerald

The Christmas reception season is in full swing.  One of the things that I am finding is that several good friends have left or are about the leave the Audit Commission – one of the first casualties of the coalition government’s cull of public spending. Read more...

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In defence of quangos, by Colin Talbot

15 October 2010 | Colin Talbot

The Great Quango Cull has turned out to be rather less dramatic than advertised, and the reasons given have shifted from being about saving money to increasing ‘accountability’. Even this government’s determination to thin out the ranks of quangos seems to have stalled. Six hundred and forty-eight of the existing 901 bodies will remain, although most will be affected in some way. Read more...

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Shock and audit, by Steve Freer

16 September 2010 | Steve Freer

Public sector regulation faces a big shake-up with the sudden demise of the Audit Commission. So what comes next? Read more...

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