Councils deliver a host of critical services to local communities, while under increasing scrutiny of their finances. ICAEW examines the work of local authority finance teams and explains how income is raised.

In the second of two articles exploring the work of local authority finance teams, ICAEW takes a look at how councils are spending their funds.

The mounting backlog in the publication of audited council accounts has shone the spotlight on external audit processes in local government.

Local authority finance teams must embed risk management in decision-making processes and financial planning, as well as create a risk-aware culture across the organisation.

Finance professionals are pivotal in ensuring local authority decisions on service delivery are grounded in robust data analysis. CIPFA’s Iain Murray outlines the role of finance teams in ensuring data-led decision-making and the skills required for success.

With local government budgets under pressure and more councils adopting commercialisation strategies, key stakeholders must have a strong grasp of financial information to aid sound decision-making.

Finance business partners play a vital bridging role between the finance team and the wider organisation.

A quarter of councils in England say they are likely to have to apply for emergency government bailout agreements to stave off bankruptcy in the next two financial years, a Local Government Association survey finds.

King’s Honours: former chartered accountant Chris White has been active in district politics since 1998.

Chartered accountants possess many of the skills required to be an effective NED in the public sector. We explain what the role entails, how interested members can find vacancies and why they are so desperately needed.

The National Audit Office chief highlights areas of opportunity for government, but warns savings could only come from more innovation, better data and tighter governance.