The government’s growing debt burden and high interest costs are a key risk to public finances and must be managed carefully, the National Audit Office has said.
The fall in productivity since the onset of Covid-19 has meant the NHS has been unable to “secure the full benefits” of increased spending and staff numbers, the National Audit Office has warned.
Unscrupulous landlords are profiting from expensive and poor-quality housing for vulnerable people because fragmented regulations and a lack of official data have allowed them to get away with it, a...
Reported fraud nearly quadrupling in the wake of Covid-19, and the fact that the government looks unlikely to recover most of the money, could lead to fraud and corruption becoming more accepted, the...
Delivering the Euston terminus of HS2 will cost almost double its budget despite changes to the scheme aimed at reducing costs, the National Audit Office has said.
Just 1% of fraudulent or incorrect Covid-19 business grant payments have been recovered by councils, because there are no incentives for them to do so, the National Audit Office has said.
The government will struggle to achieve its net zero targets if it continues without a clear plan to decarbonise the power sector – the “backbone” of its ambition – according to the national spending...
The lack of good data on the location and occupancy of government properties is hindering Whitehall’s ability to manage its portfolio, the National Audit Office has said.
Government work evaluating innovative programmes in children’s social care has been praised as exemplary, with the National Audit Office saying it “will be of value to other departments”.
The billions spent on the Covid-19 vaccination programme in England represented value for money given the number of lives saved in once-in-a-lifetime conditions, the National Audit Office has said.
The government is facing questions over whether leaked emails suggest civil servants were told to alter data relating to personal protective equipment bought amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Large amounts of government spending are either evaluated poorly or not evaluated at all, according to a critical report from the National Audit Office.
The government has been criticised for lacking information about its pandemic scheme set up to fight youth unemployment, meaning it does not know whether it is having the positive impact it was hoped...
The proportion of schools run by local authorities reporting deficits more than doubled in five years as cost pressures on the mainstream education system rose faster than funding, the National...
Integrated care systems could be unable to run quality services amid rising demand if NHS bodies and local authorities are not financially sustainable, the National Audit Office has warned.
Councils’ ability to contribute to the government’s climate ambitions is being hampered by “piecemeal” funding and a lack of clarity around their role, according to the National Audit Office.
The lack of government transparency around councils in financial distress makes scrutiny impossible and leaves authorities and service users vulnerable in the wake of Covid-19, MPs have said.
The health service and local government both need long-term financial sustainability if the government is to successfully respond to the next national emergency, the National Audit Office has...
Councils still face a funding gap of more than £600m this financial year due to Covid-19, despite huge government support for the sector, the National Audit Office has found.
