Our background

The Audit Commission was set up as an independent body in 1983 to keep track of how and where public money is spent.

Public services have never been under greater scrutiny than they are today. Both local government and the health service are undergoing major change. With such vast budgets, it is only right that there is a growing focus on improving the quality of those services and providing users with the best possible value for money.

The Audit Commission has a big part to play in both these areas. Working with the people who run public services, as well as other regulatory bodies and the public themselves, our aim is to make sure the taxpayer is getting the best return in the shape of high-quality local and national services.

What does the Audit Commission do?

• We appoint independent auditors to local government, health and criminal justice organisations, and regulate the work they do. Most of these auditors come from our own Operations Directorate. The rest come from private firms.
• We also inspect public services and report back to the public on the results. Through inspections of local services we assess their quality and cost effectiveness, and help local authorities to continually improve.
• We publish performance information on how council services, including housing, are performing against measures in a number of specific areas set down by Government.
• We assess the overall performance of every council in England, through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) initiative.
• We conduct national value-for-money studies. These look at local services from the user's perspective, compare performance, and identify and promote good practice.
• We also run a research programme covering a whole range of services including health, housing, social care, police, fire and education.