By Sir John Bourn

Drawing on 20 years experience as Comptroller and Auditor General, and head of the UK National Audit Office, Sir John Bourn gives his own account of the role and influence value for money auditing has in holding governments to account and in helping public bodies improve the ways in which they deliver services.

He describes why bureaucracies based on rules and staffed by life time career officials don’t work. He looks at the alternatives of privatisation and public private partnerships.

For the future he sees developments centred around closer relationships. These include greater collaboration between central, regional and local authorities together with more joint working between the public, private and third sectors. Charities have a particular role to play.

Published by Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-05722-3. 26.99 pounds