Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Whole of Government Accounts 2022-23

Status: Closed Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 May 2025 4 recommendations 29 conclusions 1 report

The Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) consolidates the accounts of over 10,000 public organisations, including central government departments, local authorities, devolved administrations, the NHS, academy schools and public corporations, to provide the most complete and accurate picture of the UK’s public finances. The Committee’s scrutiny of the WGA 2021-22 warned of an unprecedented increase in … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
16th Report - Whole of Government Accounts 2022-23 HC 367 19 Mar 2025 33 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
13 Conclusion 16th Report - Whole of Government Accou… Rejected

Treasury provides £45 million for local authority audit services, considering continued future funding

The Treasury told us that it was providing £45 million of funding to MHCLG to support local authorities in purchasing audit services. It confirmed that such funding was to address where audit costs have risen faster than fees paid.27 We challenged the Treasury and MHCLG about whether it would need … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government rejects the committee's perceived conclusion that it has taken too long to put plans in place for local audit, despite the committee's observation about funding for audit services. It outlines actions taken to clear the backlog, including statutory backstop dates and a strategy …
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HM Treasury
14 Conclusion 16th Report - Whole of Government Accou… Rejected

MHCLG plans to simplify local authority financial reporting to resolve audit issues

The Treasury and MHCLG also described other measures that they think will resolve the local authority audit issues. Beyond the backstop and additional funding, MHCLG said it is working to simplify the financial reporting requirements for local authorities, as the current level of complexity is, in MHCLG’s view, a barrier … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government rejects the committee's perceived conclusion that it has taken too long to put plans in place for resolving local authority audit issues. It details its decisive actions, including announcing statutory backstop dates and launching a strategy to overhaul local audit.
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HM Treasury
16 Conclusion 16th Report - Whole of Government Accou… Rejected

Insufficient audited accounts undermine local authority transparency and financial health.

We questioned MHCLG as to whether it has sufficient oversight over local government to foresee financial issues and intervene where appropriate. The lack of audited accounts being published leads to a lack of transparency over local authority matters during a time of worsening financial health for those same local authorities … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government disagrees that MHCLG lacks sufficient oversight of local government, stating that MHCLG uses existing modelling and financial information to understand the sector's resilience.
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HM Treasury
17 Conclusion 16th Report - Whole of Government Accou… Rejected

Treasury and MHCLG claim alternative methods monitor local authority financial health.

The Treasury believes that it and MHCLG do know what is going on in the local authority area, and that there are other ways, beyond audited accounts, for them to check the financial health of a local authority.37 MHCLG added that, while accounts are important, they are not the only … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government disagrees with the premise that MHCLG lacks sufficient oversight of local government, stating that MHCLG uses modelling and other financial information to understand the sector's resilience.
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HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
23 Jan 2025 Andrew Cartner · HM Treasury, Conrad Smewing · HM Treasury, James Bowler CB · HM Treasury, Rosie Seymour · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Will Garton · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Will Garton · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities View ↗

Who gave evidence

6 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Andrew Cartner · Deputy Head of the Government Finance Function HM Treasury 1
Conrad Smewing · Director General Public Spending and Head of the … HM Treasury 1
James Bowler CB · Permanent Secretary HM Treasury 1
Rosie Seymour · Deputy Director, Local Audit Reform Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 1
Will Garton · Director General for Local Government, Growth and… Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 1
Will Garton · Director General for Levelling Up Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 1

Correspondence

2 letters
DateDirectionTitle
19 May 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and…
12 May 2025 To cttee Letter from the Director General Public Spending at HM Treasury relating to the…