Auditor general takes swipe at Whitehall

摘要

Whitehall departments fail to understand the impact their spending decisions have on local government, putting key services at risk, the head of the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned.Speaking at The MJ's Future Forum in London, Sir Amyas Morse said that while the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's (MHCLG) understanding of the sector has 'improved significantly' in recent years, Whitehall's broader knowledge of how funding decisions affect local areas is less advanced.In a candid speech on 27 April, the comptroller and auditor general also said councils could not continue to manage the level of cuts faced in recent years, and had a 'compelling' case to make to the Treasury for sustained funding to cover the soaring cost of social care and children's services.