This House of Lords Library briefing provides information in support of the House of Lords second reading of the Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill (HL Bill 115 of 2016–17) on 6 April 2017.
Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill (152 KB , PDF)
The Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill is a House of Commons private member’s bill introduced by Wendy Morton (Conservative MP for Aldridge-Brownhills) and sponsored in the House of Lords by Baroness Eaton (Conservative). The Bill has completed all stages in the House of Commons and is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 6 April 2017. The Bill is backed by the Government, who have drafted the Explanatory Notes which accompany it.
The Bill seeks to extend public access to certain local audit documents under section 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 established new arrangements for the audit and accountability of local public bodies (as listed in schedule 2 of the Act). At each audit of accounts held under the Act, section 26(1) allows “any persons interested” to inspect the accounting records for the financial year. The Bill seeks to amend section 26(1) to add “or any journalist”.
This briefing provides information on the background to the Bill and an overview of its purpose. It also provides a brief summary of its passage through the House of Commons.
Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill (152 KB , PDF)
Public services productivity in the UK fell sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic and is yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The Conservative government pledged new investment in an attempt to boost the effectiveness of public services prior to the general election. The new Labour government has also placed emphasis on this issue and has indicated further measures will be set out in the forthcoming budget statement.
A recent paper about UK foreign policy called for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to “modernise the working environment to set a future oriented culture”. It described the FCDO’s physical surroundings as “somewhat elitist and rooted in the past”. This briefing looks back at Lords Hansard to chart the House’s response to more radical plans in the 1960s that proposed a new foreign office building, which later formed part of a wider scheme for the redevelopment of Whitehall.
In light of the UK government’s recent proposals to reform the House of Lords, this briefing presents facts and figures comparing the House of Lords with other second chambers around the world.
