But what is accountability?

Abstract

The genesis of this book originally derives from a report for the National Audit Office. This examined the government’s ability to demonstrate the quality of service delivery in locally delivered public services in England, a responsibility, previously overseen by the former Audit Commission, between the 2010 and 2015 general elections. The Audit Commission formally closed on 31st March 2015 and part of its role transferred to the NAO. The report to the NAO provided a ‘state of play’ evaluation for the four areas of Local Government, Health and Social Care, the Police, and Fire and Rescue Services. It identified, adapted, and tested some of the dominant concepts of financial, service, and organisational accountability that had been applied and used in the contemporary UK context.