UK National Audit Office

The chancellor must reform spending reviews to ensure mission success A new UK National Audit Office report shows the need for reform in the way the government decides how to allocate public spending. 📖 Read our latest comment from Benjamin Paxton https://lnkd.in/eMHMfrci #spendingreview #ukgovernment #budget #rachelreeves

We have produced our overview of HM Treasury for 2023-24 – our first since 2019. https://lnkd.in/e_-n5x6s It looks at: • what the Treasury does and where it spends its money • its role in planning and spending across government • how it aims to deliver on key objectives relating to sustainable public finances, growth and financial stability • the wider financial services regulatory regime • more information on our work and things to look out for Read it here: https://lnkd.in/e_-n5x6s

Apply to become a Data Science Intern at the National Audit Office. https://lnkd.in/ezSZnypg This is a year-long, entry-level, paid role for people with an interest in programming. You’ll start out working as a team member in our Analysis Hub. In your first month you will undertake intensive training in our programming and development tools and languages including R, SQL and Python. From your second month you will get your hands dirty and start applying the skills you have learned to real life problems, helping the office produce insights into the data we receive from government departments. You will also get the opportunity to collaborate in the review of government models which produce estimates for the audited financial accounts. By the time you have completed your year, you will have outstanding professional experience in the application of data science and modelling skills. No previous experience is necessary. Find out more about the role and apply here: https://lnkd.in/ezSZnypg Applications close 17 November. #DataScienceJobs #RProgramming #Python #SQL

Director of Digital Insights, Yvonne Gallagher, has written in the latest edition of Public Sector Focus about what public sector organisations need to get right when implementing cloud solutions. https://lnkd.in/eE__dn8i   There has been a rapid uptake of cloud services, with a matching increase in government spending with the big cloud providers, since we published our first guidance on cloud services in 2019.   There are three key areas for public sector organisations to consider:   • strategic assessment of cloud services • implementation of cloud services • management and optimisation of cloud services   We have looked at these, along with other key considerations, in our latest cloud guidance. Published earlier this year, the guidance is aimed at audit committees but anybody with an interest in cloud services will find it helpful: https://lnkd.in/er3-8rjY   Read more in Yvonne’s article: https://lnkd.in/eE__dn8i #CloudServices #DigitalServices

Government must undergo a cultural shift towards long-term value for money, rather than the reactive short-termism that has characterised recent years. https://lnkd.in/ezDcuYXf Recent global and national crises, coupled with limited resources, have increased short-termism and decreased transparency. This is made worse by adversarial and rushed spending reviews. In order to make the shift towards long-term thinking, there needs to be a cultural shift within government. This shift can be guided through two key mechanisms; improved incentives for long-term value for money, and behaviour change across government. Our lessons learned report on government's planning and spending framework highlights eight key lessons that government needs to learn. These include: • having clear priorities as a basis for affordable choices • being transparent about plans, choices, and risks • taking a long-term view, balancing short-term objectives with resilience • rigorously monitoring and evaluating Changing the incentives and behaviours embedded across central government will take leadership, functional expertise and collegiate behaviour at all levels, official and political, over a whole Parliament and beyond. The Budget on the 30th October is due to reveal more details on the first Spending Review since 2021. Spending Reviews are important to departments; one former senior civil servant we spoke to said, “these reviews set up a lot of things for success or failure”. The Budget's one-year Review provides a good opportunity for government to make some immediate changes to the way it handles planning and spending frameworks before a multi-year Review is published in 2025. There will always be winners and losers in a Spending Review. It's important that the chancellor considers how these victors - or otherwise - can still acheive long-term value for money. Our eight lessons, and recommendations, are designed to support the government with this shift to a focus on long-term value for money and improved accountability to Parliament. Read our lessons learned: https://lnkd.in/ezDcuYXf #GovernmentSpending #Budget2024 #Transparency

Become an NAO insider! 🕵♀️ https://lnkd.in/exfkBAGm   Subscribe to our emails to receive:   • value for money reports - with independent and rigorous analysis on the way public money has been spent to achieve government objectives • financial audit reports – with audit opinions on accounts across the public sector • insights - we identify good practice and lessons learned across government • government department overviews - factual information about government departments, functions, sectors and services   Be the first to explore all the latest work from the UK’s independent public spending watchdog.   Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/exfkBAGm

We're hiring a new Press Officer. https://lnkd.in/eg4qYaHH We're looking for a strong communicator with a good knowledge of the UK media landscape. You should have exceptional writing skills and be able to translate complex & sensitive information into simple language. In the role you'll be responsible for writing press notices, pitching to journalists, and assisting auditors with writing articles. You will also engage with stakeholders to help promote NAO reports. Does this sound like you? Then apply now: https://lnkd.in/eg4qYaHH Applications close 10 November. #PressJobs #PressOfficer #MediaOfficer

The Home Office spent £28 billion in 2023-24. https://lnkd.in/es2vfA7g We’ve produced an overview of its work to help Parliament and the public understand what taxpayers' money was spent on. Our overview includes information on: • how the Home Office is structured • what the Home Office’s key priorities are • where it spends its money, including information regarding major programmes and staffing arrangements • risks identified through our audits • challenges facing the Home Office this Parliament • where to find more information about the Home Office Read our report 👇 https://lnkd.in/es2vfA7g #HomeOffice

England’s special educational needs (SEN) system is not delivering for children and young people. It is financially unsustainable and in urgent need of reform. https://lnkd.in/dVkmNYyX Despite increased annual investment the special educational needs system has not delivered better outcomes for children with SEN, and local authorities are still facing serious financial risk. Our latest report found that local authorities dedicated schools grant deficits could reach £4.6 billion by March 2026. This leaves two-fifths of local authorities at risk of issuing a section 114 notice, meaning they could effectively be bankrupt once the accounting arrangement protecting their reserves ends. The Department for Education (DfE) committed to improving the system in the Improvement Plan 2023 created by the previous government. There is no evidence these will fully address challenges facing the system. We recommend government: • urgently share plans with local authorities facing financial risk after March 2026 • considers whole system reform • decides how current investment can be better spent • develops a vision and long-term plan for inclusivity across mainstream education Report director, Emma Willson, provides an overview 👇 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dVkmNYyX

Concerns over project management, the pace of delivery and staffing at Sellafield, which is being decommissioned, mean it is not yet achieving value for money. https://lnkd.in/eCVPZTkQ The UK’s most complex and challenging nuclear site, Sellafield is a wholly owned subsidiary of the British state. Over its history, Sellafield has generated electricity from nuclear reactors and produced plutonium for nuclear weapons. But now Sellafield is being decommissioned, targeted for 2125 with a remaining price tag of £136 billion. Our latest report looks at the risks that need to be managed as Sellafield is decommissioned. Here’s what we found:  • Performance against short-term targets is inconsistent with longer-term targets. Our work highlights that deadlines to empty deteriorating waste ponds and storage silos have fallen behind by between 6 and 13 years since 2018. Separately, deadlines of four major projects that were underway when we last reported in 2018 have been pushed back between nearly 5 and 11 years. They will now cost £1.15 billion more.  • There are signs of improvement, but one major project vital to the effective running of the site has been paused as it wouldn't have been ready in time to support another major project. This involves replacing Sellafield’s scientific analysis facilities, which test samples of waste and are in poor condition. Sellafield is developing a new approach, but doesn't know yet if this will work, or be finished any sooner.  • Staffing challenges remain an issue for Sellafield, which is developing a workforce plan to address them. In October 2023, Sellafield reversed commitments it made to the Treasury to reduce its workforce, prioritising the serious concerns its safety team flagged as a result of falling staff numbers. The head of the NAO, Gareth Davies, concludes that “continued underperformance [at Sellafield] will mean the cost of decommissioning will increase considerably, and ‘intolerable risks’ will persist for longer.” Report director, Charles Nancarrow, provides an overview 👇 You can read more of our findings in our report: https://lnkd.in/eCVPZTkQ