Internal audit planning - Council services

We investigate the detail behind some of the pressures on council services – services that have been impacted by shrinking budgets, with considerations identified for the Internal Audit team as they prepare this year’s audit plan.

Housing and homelessness

A need for affordable new homes with a growing population, surging immigration, and rising incomes is raising the demand for housing in England. Homelessness continues to be a challenge, and the delivery of a Homelessness Prevention Strategy, which is a statutory responsibility, and a partnership approach to devising and delivering this strategy is now more relevant than ever before. More and more local authorities are looking for all internal services dealing with customers to come together to provide a joined-up service that looks at all of the customer’s needs.

Care homes and adult social care

There is ongoing pressure to close the adult social care funding gap. The increasing demand of a growing over 85+ population alongside a decreasing number of care homes is the backdrop to a sector needing significant reforms to enable the growth needed to meet the expected substantial increase in care needs.

Domestic violence and children’s social care

Covid-19 lockdowns had a significant impact on domestic violence. The National Domestic Abuse helpline calls volume was 49% higher than expected after three weeks into the lockdown. And with increasing demand and complexity of cases, against a backdrop of ever-tighter finances and workforce pressures, children’s social care services are under pressure.

Council staff – homeworking, capacity, and wellbeing

Flexible, remote, or hybrid working has increased following the pandemic. Covid-19 lockdowns immediately forced most local government staff into home working, except for some key front-line staff. Although staff have gradually returned to the office, most staff have adopted a hybrid working pattern between home and the office, with the majority of time still being worked at home.

Workforce

Since the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, there have been greater staffing demands with the upsurge in the economy. This upsurge, coupled with the fact many foreign nationals returned home during the pandemic, has contributed to skilled staff shortages. This is also a time of ‘Great Resignations’, with almost 1 in 4 workers looking at a job change.

In our report, we look at the challenges and opportunities in 2022, with considerations identified for each of the above topics as your Internal Audit team prepares this year’s audit plan.