Who We Are
Who we are
We are the UK’s independent public spending watchdog
Our position is unique. We support Parliament in holding the government to account and we help improve public services through our high-quality audits.
Our Work In Numbers in 2024-25
- 414 audit certifications
- 60 value for money and wider assurance reports published
- 8 good practice guides and 7 lessons learned reports addressing cross-government challenges
- 22 departmental overviews
- 37 Committee of Public Accounts sessions supported
- Our work was referenced on average 6.1 times per Parliament sitting day
Highlights
- 93% of our recommendations to government were accepted or partially accepted
- 87% of MPs said we were effective at supporting Parliament to hold government to account and scrutinise public services
- 73% of senior officials in the bodies we audit agreed that our work leads to better outcomes
- 100% of our externally reviewed financial audits met required standards
This means we work for, and for the good of all citizens in our country. Our work is extraordinarily influential and impactful. We are independent of government and the civil service.
We help our economy and society work better – supporting and enabling improvements in financial management and the way in vital public services are delivered right across the public sector to millions of people every day. For you, this means challenging and varied work that has real benefit for the nation.
We work across a range of topics that affect public life — from health and social care, welfare, transport, and education, to defence, environmental sustainability, digital infrastructure, and risk and resilience. We also produce insights, overviews, good practice guides and recommendations aimed at helping public organisations improve.
Our mission is founded on independence, integrity, and impact. As a non-ministerial department, we operate impartially, reporting our findings directly to Parliament. We adhere to strict standards in auditing and financial reporting. Our role is not just to identify problems, but to support and encourage improvements in government operations.
Our Financial Impact
We identified financial impacts totalling £5.3 billion in 2024. For every £1 spent we delivered an impact of £53 through either reduced costs, improved service delivery or other benefits to people.
An example of financial impact we have made (£23 million) comes from our report Improving Broadband and the promotion of social tariffs (cheaper broadband and phone package offered to those claiming means-tested benefits) by the department responsible. The number of households claiming a fixed broadband social tariff increased from 55,000 in January 2022 to an estimated 491,000 in December 2024, saving these consumers an average of £224 per year.
Our investigation into HM Passport Office and the management of passport applications following the COVID-19 pandemic led to the better management of customer demand. The report was used to make the case to Home Office to develop its management information, enabling ‘live’ analysis of passport applications and their progress. In the first six months of 2024, it processed 99.8% of applications where no further information was required in three weeks.
Our report into the risks of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in school buildings gained a great deal of publicity and resulted in parliamentary debate and scrutiny around school building safety. Prior to the report, the Department for Education (DfE) had missing information from schools. Five months after our report, DfE received information for all those schools it assessed to be at greatest risk and used this to target visits. DfE has since addressed critical RAAC safety concerns in the 237 schools and colleges confirmed as having RAAC.
Click here to view our Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25