VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
McMahon announces new audit reforms
09/04/2025 The Government has set out a series of 16 commitments aimed at fixing the ‘fragmented and broken’ local audit system. |
Council urged to take 'more strategic approach' to transformation
08/04/2025 A watchdog has urged Argyll and Bute Council to take a more ‘strategic approach' to transforming services to help close a £29m funding gap. |
EXCLUSIVE: Auditors look into chief's £327k payoff
02/04/2025 Auditors are assessing an objection to Thanet DC's accounts after an ex-councillor said they should declare a £327k payment to its former boss ‘unlawful'. |
Somerset could be in need of exceptional financial support
25/03/2025 Somerset Council has been found to have 45 ‘key risks' that mean it may need exceptional financial support from the Government. |
Government green lights Plymouth financial support
25/03/2025 The Government has green lighted Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) worth £72m for Plymouth City Council following a review of its finances. |
Government ‘flying blind’ on finances due to audit crisis
18/03/2025 The Government does not have sufficient oversight of local authority finances due to the ‘unprecedented’ local audit crisis, MPs warn. |
New rules at district after ‘inappropriate behaviour’
26/02/2025 Teignbridge District Council has agreed to adopt a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to swearing and abusive behaviour after auditors criticised the behaviour of some members. |
Unlock Awaab’s Law compliance with audits
25/02/2025 Validate cleaning performance to ensure healthier living conditions, advises MSL Solution Providers. |
Fife Council reaches £46m ‘turning point’
25/02/2025 Fife Council has reached a ‘turning point’ and will now have to save £46m, according to a new report by the Accounts Commission. |
IT woes to cost Birmingham City Council more than £90m
21/02/2025 The failed implementation of Birmingham City Council’s new IT system could cost the taxpayer £90m more than was originally budgeted, auditors have revealed. |
'Significant weaknesses' at Cumberland and Dorset
17/02/2025 Cumberland and Dorset councils have both being found to have ‘significant weaknesses' by auditors Grant Thornton. |
Concern over new audit body
04/02/2025 Ministers have been warned against overreach with the creation of the Local Audit Office (LAO). |
Scottish councils told to transform at a pace ‘not yet seen’
28/01/2025 A spending watchdog has urged Scottish councils to pursue transformation ‘at a pace and depth we’ve not yet seen’ to deal with severe financial pressures. |
£1m Aberdeen council fraud case ‘cautionary tale’
08/01/2025 Local authorities have been urged to learn from the weaknesses that enabled an Aberdeen City Council employee to defraud the council of £1.1m over two decades. |
Wirral auditor issues statutory notice
07/01/2025 Auditors have raised the alarm over Wirral MBC's finances as it fights to avoid issuing a section 114 notice. |
Public provision of audit considered
19/12/2024 The Government is considering expanding capacity in local audit through public provision. |
Oflog: Local government watchdog to be shut down
17/12/2024 The short-lived Office for Local Government (Oflog) will be closed by the end of the year, local government minister Jim McMahon has confirmed. |
Rayner to launch public sector rewire White Paper
16/12/2024 Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will kick off a huge rewiring of public service reform with the launch of the devolution White Paper in Leeds later today. |
Welsh councils 'financially unsustainable' without action
04/12/2024 ‘Significant’ risks facing Welsh councils’ finances are likely to increase unless action is taken, a public sector watchdog has warned. |
Report finds ‘alarming erosion of governance capacity’
02/12/2024 Governance within councils must be improved if local public finances are to be rebuilt, a think-tank has argued. |
Reform: Oflog should become local audit system leader
02/12/2024 The Government body in charge of councils' performance in England should be extended so it becomes a local audit system leader, a think-tank has said today. |
Woking contacts police following auditor report
28/11/2024 Woking BC has contacted the police after an auditor's report found officers failure to ensure its finance and business was managed ‘prudently or lawfully'. |
NAO: Council audit backlog prevents Government accounts sign off
27/11/2024 The Government’s accounts have failed to be signed off for the first time because of what auditors describe as the ‘severe backlogs’ in council audits. |
Edinburgh urged to consider drug testing amid HGV safety concerns
31/10/2024 ‘Strong concerns around the potential use of alcohol or drugs while driving’ have emerged in a report into the safety of City of Edinburgh Council’s heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). |
Edinburgh Council told to ‘accelerate’ transformation
24/10/2024 Officers and councillors at the City of Edinburgh Council must ‘accelerate its transformation and change programme’ to save £100m by 2029, auditors say. |
Auditor uncovers £7m of fraud and errors
23/10/2024 More than £7m worth of fraud and payment errors have been identified in Wales in a counter-fraud initiative, according to Audit Wales. |
LGA warning over audit fees
22/10/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned it is ‘very likely' there will be ‘significant' audit fee variations as the accounts backlog is eliminated. |
Auditors for Redditch and Bromsgrove quit
17/10/2024 Ernst & Young have taken on auditing Redditch BC and Bromsgrove DC's accounts mid-financial year after firm Bishop Fleming resigned. |
New data protection audit framework launched
07/10/2024 The Information Commissioner’s Office has today launched a new audit framework designed to help councils assess their compliance with data protection law. |
Council issues formal complaint over public interest report
07/10/2024 Luton BC has issued a formal complaint against its auditor following the publication of a public interest report. |
Councillors accused of ‘not seriously considering’ recommendations
03/10/2024 Auditors have accused Dudley Council members of ‘not seriously considering’ the recommendations of officers when it came to the council’s financial position. |
Council told to ‘urgently address’ financial situation
27/09/2024 Auditors have praised Clackmannanshire Council for demonstrating improvement but urged the local authority to ‘urgently address its financial situation.’ |
Call for Oflog independence
27/09/2024 Academics have called for an overhaul of the Office for Local Government (Oflog), including making it independent from Whitehall. |
Pandemic fraud investigation unit lacked ‘appropriate governance’
19/08/2024 The Government's pandemic fraud investigation unit lacked ‘appropriate governance’ either on the part of the Government or from Thurrock Council, an independent review has concluded. |
Dudley to 'get a grip' on finances
05/08/2024 Spending controls have helped Dudley MBC ‘get a grip' on its finances, the council has said. |
Audit Wales tells councils to improve performance information
30/07/2024 Councils in Wales are not giving enough information to leaders about what their communities think of their services, a public sector watchdog has found. |
Council’s £500k social media spend criticised
29/07/2024 Social media campaigns costing almost £500,000 ‘did not represent value for money’, a report from Essex County Council's audit committee has said. |
Council may have broken law over £4m contracts
25/07/2024 Middlesbrough Council may have broken procurement law when it awarded four contracts worth more than £4m, an external audit has found. |
Weakening financial sustainability arrangements
25/07/2024 Paul Dossett, head of local government, Grant Thornton UK, discusses financial sustainability and raises concerns about the viability of a number of councils. |
King's Speech: OBR handed beefed-up scrutiny role
17/07/2024 The Government has put fiscal stability in the form of a Budget Responsibility Bill at the heart of the King's Speech. |
Rise in sustainability and governance weaknesses
16/07/2024 Weaknesses in councils' financial sustainability and governance are increasing, according to evidence uncovered in a newly-published report. |
Moody's withdraws Warrington's credit rating
17/06/2024 Indebted Warrington BC has had its credit rating withdrawn by Moody’s due to the lack of ‘sufficient, current audited financial information’ on the authority. |
Councils ‘too slow’ at resolving £40m dispute
12/06/2024 Two Northamptonshire councils have been 'too slow' to resolve a dispute over £40m of debt, an auditor has warned. |
LGA to review new assurance resource
20/05/2024 An improvement and assurance framework will be reviewed by Local Government Association (LGA) members ahead of publication as a new resource for the sector. |
Auditors add to council biometric warnings
20/05/2024 A spending watchdog has echoed councils’ concerns that biometric entry requirements at UK ports could lead to freight delays and gridlock on major roads. |
Auditors raise doubts over biodiversity enforcement
17/05/2024 Auditors have questioned whether local authorities will be able to effectively ensure compliance and enforcement of biodiversity net gain (BNG). |
Auditor issues qualified opinion on Stoke-on-Trent accounts
15/05/2024 Concerns over finances and children’s services have resulted in auditors issuing a qualified opinion on Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s accounts. |
Auditors warned over relief road 'iceberg'
19/04/2024 A councillor has asked Shropshire Council’s external auditor to investigate concerns the North West Relief Road will 'completely bankrupt the council'. |
Watchdog tells Falkirk to confront 'difficult decisions'
17/04/2024 Falkirk Council faces ‘difficult decisions’ to bridge a budget gap of tens of millions, according to Audit Scotland. |
Struggles continue for scandal-hit council contractor
16/04/2024 A council contractor previously at the centre of a residential care abuse scandal has continued to struggle since it closed the sites. |
Oflog should be handed audit oversight, MPs told
16/04/2024 Oflog should be handed oversight of England’s broken audit regime – a role earmarked for the Financial Reporting Council - accounting experts have told MPs. |
Grant Thornton fined over pension audit
08/04/2024 Grant Thornton has been fined by the Financial Reporting Council for ‘failures’ in its audit of an unnamed local authority’s pension fund. |
Councils should get traffic light grading, say accountants
04/04/2024 Oflog should grade councils using a traffic-light-style ranking system, chartered accountants have suggested. |
Hopes for regen scheme revived after Home Office scales back asylum plan
20/03/2024 A £300m council-led regeneration scheme threatened when Whitehall commandeered the site for asylum accommodation could now go ahead. |
Homelessness inquiry launched by NAO
13/03/2024 The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched an inquiry into homelessness as the issue piles pressure on squeezed council budgets. |
Two-year Sandwell intervention to end
07/03/2024 Local government minister Simon Hoare has today confirmed that Whitehall’s two-year intervention at Sandwell Council will end. |
Watchdog warning over Moray's funding gap
07/03/2024 Moray Council must act quickly to shore up its finances, Audit Scotland has warned. |
Lending rates could spike after audit reset, LGA warns
01/03/2024 Proposals to reset the local audit system and clear the backlog of accounts could drive up the lending rates offered to the sector, councils have warned. |
The financial crisis in Birmingham City Council
22/02/2024 Dr James Brackley and Prof. Adam Leaver of the Audit Reform Lab call for an urgent value for money assessment of Birmingham CC's proposed cuts and asset sales. |
Plymouth told to 'hold its nerve' on budget
19/02/2024 Plymouth City Council’s budget for the forthcoming year hinges on a request to the Government for a capitalisation direction. |
Consultation on audit reset proposals launched
09/02/2024 Proposals to reset the local audit system and clear the backlog of accounts have been officially unveiled. |
Statutory recommendations lifted at Sandwell
08/02/2024 Auditors have lifted the three statutory recommendations in place at Sandwell MBC. |
Audit 'backstops' could become permanent
06/02/2024 ‘Backstop’ dates designed to reset the local audit system could become a ‘permanent feature,’ the Government has admitted. |
Officer-member relations ‘fractured’ at Wrexham
01/02/2024 Issues in Wrexham County Borough Council’s planning service mean it is hindered in fulfilling its role, an audit has found. |
Call for ‘different approach’ to brownfield
24/01/2024 A more ‘systematic, interventionist and collaborative’ method could ‘significantly’ increase the regeneration of brownfield sites in Wales, according to a new report. |
Auditor's 'significant concerns' over Dudley finances
15/01/2024 Dudley MBC has received a withering verdict on its finances from external auditor Grant Thornton as it attempts to stave off a section 114 notice. |
Audit reset to trigger slew of qualified and disclaimed opinions
12/01/2024 The auditor general has warned of qualified and disclaimed audits being issued ahead of a reset to take place later this year. |
Dudley's sustainability 'in jeopardy'
11/12/2023 Dudley MBC has set up an improvement board following stark warnings over its finances and governance. |
Urgent action needed to re-establish trust in local audit
24/11/2023 The Government must take urgent action to remedy the ongoing problems with local audit and improve accountability at the local level, MPs say. |
MPs launch inquiry into controversial watchdog
24/11/2023 An inquiry looking at the remit of the controversial Office for Local Government (Oflog) was launched by MPs today. |
Less than 100 homes for refugees are occupied
24/11/2023 Fewer than 100 homes acquired using a fund to support English councils obtain housing for those fleeing conflicts have been occupied, latest figures reveal. |
EXCLUSIVE: Oflog pushes ahead with early warning system
16/11/2023 Senior Oflog officials are pressing ahead with their plans to create an early warning system for councils in trouble despite continuing LGA resistance. |
Chancellor urged to tackle audit backlog
06/11/2023 The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has called on the Government to ‘tackle the crisis’ in local authority financial reporting and audit. |
NAO calls for Homes for Ukraine clarity
17/10/2023 Ministers must prioritise ‘important decisions’ over Homes for Ukraine – including continued funding for councils, spending watchdogs have urged. |
Woking entered s114 territory in 2018
13/09/2023 Woking BC may have faced a section 114 notice at least four years before it declared effective bankruptcy, senior councillors have been told. |
Watchdog uncovers ‘weaknesses’ in councils’ workforce plans
12/09/2023 Weaknesses in Welsh councils’ workforce strategies could hamper their ability to deliver in the long term, Audit Wales has found. |
Middlesbrough closes criticised council-owned company
11/09/2023 Middlesbrough Council will wind up a company it owns following a damning audit. |
Audit reveals ‘deficiencies’ councils’ record keeping
07/09/2023 Auditors have found ‘significant deficiencies’ in the financial management and record keeping of Ammanford Town Council and Llanferres Community Council. |
Plymouth reaches impasse with auditor
30/08/2023 Auditors could issue a qualified opinion on Plymouth City Council’s accounts after questioning its methods to pay off a multi-million pound pension deficit. |
Hundreds of Valium prescriptions to be reviewed
23/08/2023 Hundreds of vulnerable people with drug and alcohol dependencies who have been prescribed Valium are set to have their cases reviewed following investigation. |
Weaknesses in Newport counter-fraud approach
17/08/2023 ‘Weaknesses’ have been found in Newport City Council’s approach to fraud, a finance watchdog has reported. |
Hull’s city-wide mission to document public art
17/08/2023 Hull City Council is calling on residents and visitors to photograph ‘hidden or neglected masterpieces’ as part of an audit of the city’s public art. |
Rowley insists Oflog will not take over audit
14/08/2023 A minister has been forced to clarify that Oflog is not attempting to replace the council audit system. |
Auditor finds ‘significant weaknesses’ in Bristol's finances
10/08/2023 ‘Significant weaknesses’ in reducing overspends are threatening Bristol City Council’s financial sustainability, according to its external auditor. |
‘Real fears’ that post-Grenfell safety legislation won’t be delivered
31/07/2023 Auditor General for Wales has raised concerns over the devolved government’s implementation of building safety legislation that was created after Grenfell. |
Northumberland exit payments were unlawful
25/07/2023 Six severance payments totalling more than £1m made by Northumberland Council to senior officers were unlawful, the council’s section 151 officer has concluded. |
Report reveals lead-up to Coventry culture trust collapse
19/07/2023 A report has laid bare the events leading to the collapse of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, including how financial problems re-emerged after a £1m loan. |
Government to 'reset’ local audit
18/07/2023 Local government minister Lee Rowley said statutory deadlines would be announced in the autumn in a bid to tackle the audit backlog. |
Kent CC faces ‘challenging’ £86m shortfall
14/07/2023 A report by auditors Grant Thornton into Kent CC’s finances has been described as ‘challenging’ after it identified a need for the authority to save £86m. |
Southampton at risk of section 114
12/07/2023 Southampton City Council has been warned it risks having to issue a section 114 notice this financial year as it battles to save £20m from its budget. |
Newcastle City Council to review LTNs
12/07/2023 Newcastle CC has insisted a review of low traffic schemes was commissioned before a former external auditor raised concerns about the way it was implemented. |
Warning audit crisis could get worse
11/07/2023 Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee chair Clive Betts spoke to The MJ as it carries out an inquiry into local audit. |
Intervening at the local level
05/07/2023 After the launch of Oflog yesterday at the LGA conference, Nick Graham, Buckinghamshire Council, takes a step back to look at Government interventions. |
Minister: Oflog won't spot every council failure
04/07/2023 In his speech to the LGA conference this week, levelling up secretary Michael Gove officially launched the Office for Local Government (Oflog). |
Nottingham’s finance controls ‘not fit for purpose'
30/06/2023 Nottingham City Council’s finance controls are ‘not fit for purpose,’ an external review has found. |
'No progress' on devolution to London
21/06/2023 The capital appears to have ‘taken a step backwards’ on devolution, a former chair of London Councils has said. |
Active travel hampered by 'low capability and ambition'
07/06/2023 Council chiefs have defended active travel measures after auditors found more than half of councils had 'low capability and ambition' to deliver projects. |
Auditors should push ahead with accounts sign off, says NAO head
06/06/2023 ‘Unpalatable but necessary options’ should be considered to clear the local audit backlog, the head of the National Audit Office suggested yesterday. |
Audit body in respect call amid tensions
18/05/2023 The organisation responsible for appointing local government auditors has urged ‘everyone to act with appropriate professional respect’ amid tensions. |
Auditors call on Scottish councils to ‘radically change’
17/05/2023 Scotland’s local authorities need to ‘radically change’ how they operate if they are to improve service delivery, auditors say. |
