Audit | LocalGov


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.
$Officer-member relations ‘fractured’ at Wrexham image$ 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.