Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
The Department told the NAO that sharing information on the number of authorities interested in...
Conclusion
The Department told the NAO that sharing information on the number of authorities interested in exceptional financial support or at risk more generally would invite public speculation on the identity of the authorities affected. However, the information the Department does not share is valuable for assessing the level of financial stress in the sector and therefore how well the Department’s other measures have served to deal with the burdens the pandemic has placed on local authorities. This information is needed to support Parliamentary scrutiny: the NAO told us it was not possible for it to get a full picture of the financial stress in the sector or evaluate how effectively the Department had addressed any issues without knowing the level of demand for exceptional support or the Department’s view on financial risk more generally.39
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: October 2021 4.2 The department is mindful of the need for the National Audit Office (NAO) to receive information that will allow for them to make robust conclusions about the integrity and quality of the department’s work and to provide assurance on the department’s management of the accountability framework, as part of ongoing studies. 4.3 The department recognises the NAO’s legitimate statutory interest in these matters. At the same time, it is important that local authorities are able to engage with the department in confidence about their individual positions. The department has in the past shared material relating to our assessment of risks and challenges to support specific studies that recognises the confidentiality of conversations with individual local authorities. The department will continue to engage with NAO about how to meet their needs in this regard, in line with statutory responsibilities.