The fourth National Scrutiny Plan for Local Government has been published today. Prepared by the main organisations responsible for scrutinising Scotland’s 32 councils, the activity timetable shows strategic scrutiny work for 2013/14, looking at each council overall and its key services.
The plan is based on risk assessments of each council and agreed local and national priorities. It is not a measure of councils’ current performance.
Major changes called for two years ago to improve the management of roads maintenance have yet to result in significant improvement in road condition, says the Accounts Commission.
An Audit Scotland report published today, Managing early departures from the Scottish public sector, is designed to help public bodies improve their management and reporting of early release schemes.
The report says such schemes can provide significant savings, and public bodies generally follow good practice. But there are striking differences between the schemes and a marked inconsistency in how public bodies report the costs and expected savings. The report, for the Accounts Commission and the Auditor General, gives pointers on good practice, including:
The City of Edinburgh Council has improved services and the way it works but is facing a particularly challenging financial situation, says the Accounts Commission.
In its findings on the Best Value audit report on the council, the Commission welcomes improved performance in a number of areas including partnership working, children’s services, economic development and aspects of reducing inequalities. However, it says the council should give absolute priority to making sure planned savings are delivered.
We have published our annual report for the 2012/13 year.
During 2012/13, on behalf of the Auditor General and the Accounts Commission, Audit Scotland was responsible for the audit of 214 public bodies with a total spend of more than £40 billion a year.
In the past year we also:
The Accounts Commission has published its annual report, strategy and action plan for 2012/13.
It is in a new electronic format with interactive features. These provide pop-up graphics and one-click access to reports and other background information.
The report chronicles the Commission’s work in auditing the work of Scotland’s 32 councils in a very challenging period. It was also one of the busiest years for the Commission with much of its work closely involved in the arena of public sector reform.
Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government must improve their public reporting on major projects, says an Audit Scotland review of five key projects costing £3.8 billion in total to build.
An Audit Scotland report, Scotland key transport infrastructure projects, reviews the progress of the Forth Replacement Crossing, ‘Aberdeen bypass’ project, Edinburgh-Glasgow rail improvement project, ‘M8 bundle’ of motorway improvements, and Borders Railway.
The report says:
The Scottish Government will need to make sure its financial reporting is more comprehensive and transparent as it prepares for new tax and borrowing powers.
An Audit Scotland report, Developing financial reporting in Scotland, highlights why good financial reporting matters and is a contribution to preparations for new financial powers as the Scotland Act 2012 is implemented over the next three years.
The Scottish Government’s vision to provide an affordable home for all by 2020 is an ambitious one. The supply of housing is not keeping up with levels of need and the government needs to clarify how it will work with councils and other partners in the sector make sure its targets are met.
An Audit Scotland report, Housing in Scotland, says there are significant challenges ahead. The population is growing and Audit Scotland estimates it could be twenty years before enough new homes are being built to meet the projected increase in households.
The finances of Scotland's colleges continue to be generally sound. However, funding for colleges continues to fall, and further savings will be needed from the current programme of college mergers.
An Audit Scotland report, Scotland's colleges 2013, provides an update on the sector's financial standing and reviews recent progress towards the structural reform of colleges. The reforms are aimed at helping colleges better meet local needs for further education and make savings through increased efficiency.
The report says that in 2011-12:
