Displaying 1-10 of 688 results
More local government bodies receive disclaimed audit opinions
- Article
- 25 Mar 2026
Auditors were unable to provide substantive assurance on the accounts of more than 180 local government bodies for the 2024/25 financial year, as work continues to build back assurance across local government.
Public budget overrun in February pales compared with what is coming
- Article
- 23 Mar 2026
The year-to-date budget overrun jumped to £21bn in February, an unhelpful development for a Chancellor trying to calculate just how much extra she might be able to borrow to bail out households facing large rises in their energy bills.
Chart of the week: public investment
- Article
- 20 Mar 2026
Our chart this week looks at how public investment in assets is expected to increase over the next couple of years as the government seeks to stimulate the economy and “build build build”.
Chart of the week: educational decline
- Article
- 13 Mar 2026
Our chart this week looks at how school rolls in England are projected to decline by 7% in state nurseries and primaries and 3% in state secondaries over the next five years, and what that means for school closures and mergers across the country.
Chart of the week: Spring Forecast 2026
- Article
- 06 Mar 2026
Our chart this week looks at how the Chancellor’s fiscal headroom increased by £2bn to £24bn in the latest fiscal forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Chancellor holds the line in first ever ‘non-fiscal’ fiscal event
- Article
- 05 Mar 2026
Rachel Reeves benefited from some relatively small revisions to the OBR’s fiscal forecasts, allowing her to avoid having to announce any new tax or spending decisions on the day.
HMRC’s large business directorate sets benchmark for taxpayer engagement
- Article
- 05 Mar 2026
The National Audit Office (NAO) has labelled HMRC’s large business directorate a success, finding that it has nearly doubled compliance yield while establishing co-operative and effective relationships with businesses.
Spring Forecast: despite optimistic tone, nothing has changed
- Article
- 04 Mar 2026
The Chancellor pointed to falling government debt and a slight revising up of forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility as reasons to be more cheerful, but the immediate picture still looks muted.
Chart of the week: student loans
- Article
- 27 Feb 2026
Our chart this week looks at how the Department for Education has impaired 40% of the value of its student loans outstanding as at 31 March 2025.
2026: how data is the key to restoring public services
- Article
- 23 Feb 2026
From increasing demand for services to tightening finances, there are big challenges facing the public sector in 2026, but big opportunities too, according to Henning Diederichs, Senior Technical Manager in the Public Sector Team at ICAEW.
Displaying 1-10 of 688 results