councils are running out of reserves as the national audit office explained to us. fice explained to us. i ask the conservative chancellor, will he listen to conservative council leaders, like his own in surrey, who said, and i quote, we are facing the most difficult financial crisis in our history. the government cannot stand idly by while rome burns. i ask him, how many more children have to go into care? how many more councils have to go bust? how many have to run have to go bust? how many have to ru n after have to go bust? how many have to run after reserves before he wakes up to this crisis and acts? this statement could have been a genuine turning point today but it is depressingly another missed opportunity. people know now that austerity was a political choice, not an economic necessity. heckling. the conservatives chose to cut taxes for the super—rich into operation with the bankers and it was paid for by the rest of us in society. they even cut the levy on bankers in last month's finance act. we were never all of this together, as they claimed, never. they

the national audit office calculates that the money local authorities receive from central governmentearly 50% since 2010. alison holt reports. it's lunch time at this day centre in surrey. here, people with brain injuries and other conditions can socialise and take part in activities. many have their care paid for by the county council. we like its legs. lovely. the legs are brilliant. the report says local authorities now spend more than half of their budgets on providing social care. sue, who has multiple sclerosis, describes the centre as a lifeline. i come here only twice a week. i would come more if there was the funding for it. but apart from that, it's amazing. councils like surrey have a statutory duty to support people who are older and disabled as well as providing children's services. and across the board, demand is increasing. but the national audit office report says since 2010 the money english councils have got from central government has been cut by nearly 50%. services like bin collections and roads and libraries have had funding reduced by nearly a third over the sa

given the national audit office and the local government chronicles assessments the other councils willars, what assessment is the secretary of state making and what resource is he going to make available to ensure that does not happen? because this is what happens when a government has created a 5.8 oh yen pound gap in local government funding. what everyone is saying that social care is on its knees and went children services need an additional £2 billion. look out government cannot be allowed to collapse on this government swatch. ——local government. i have to say i don't think is listened to a word in my statement. he appears once again to have come to this despatch box with a preprepared statement and in fact was clear is i think he has been very disappointed by the report. he's disappointed indeed by the report because it's not what he wanted. what he wanted was a rapport he could use for party political purposes so he could play his favourite game, political football, a game that has no respect for the people of northamptonshire. the transport secretary came to the commons to upd

that and they can do, because the charter doesn't require them, i think we should ask the national audit office parliament. the expansion of netflix, amazon, apple tv... the bbc is in a big fight here, for the best ideas, the best talent. if we are going to really make it difficult for the independents to come and work for the bbc by subjecting all the people who work on it to the same level of scrutiny that our existing stars are, then i don't think that we're going to be producing the best programmes. 0n the current battle over equal pay, the bbc points to an independent report which found there was no gender bias in on air pay decisions at the corporation. but that won't protect them from possible legal action and potentially big bills. do you think the bbc have acted illegally in your case. yes. will you take legal action? that's a very hard question because... i don't want any money. the bbc is short of money. the bbc still has time to do the right thing. all i'm asking of the bbc is that it concede that for the four years that i was china editor, my work was of equal value to that of my m

the national audit office says funding for local authorities from central government has fallen by nearly care — for the elderly, children and disabled people — means that many councils face running out of cash. alison holt reports. do you want to do something different? an afternoon art class is a chance for people with learning disabilities and other conditions to develop their skills and socialise. for most here, the support is paid for by the county council. but today's report says with local authorities facing such major cuts from central government, they're struggling to cope. you like its legs? sue, who has multiple sclerosis, describes this centre as a lifeline. i come here only twice a week. i would come more if there was the funding for it. councils like surrey have a statutory duty to support people who are older and disabled as well as providing children's services and across the board demand is increasing. today's report calculates that on average councils in england pay 54% of their budgets on social care for children and adults. many other services have been cut. since 2010

the national audit office calculates that the money local authorities receive from central governmentlunch time at think day centre in surrey. here, people with brain injuries and other conditions can socialise and take part in activities. many have their care paid for by the county down till. —— council. we like its legs. the legs are brilliant. the report says local authorities now spend more than half of their budgets on providing social care. sue, who has multiple sclerosis, describes the centre as a lifeline. i come here only twice a week. i would come more if there was the funding for it. but apart from that, it is amazing. councils like surrey have duty to support people who are older and disabled as well as providing children's services. across the board, demand is increasing. but the national audit 0ffice report says 2010 the money english councils have got from central government has been cut by nearly 50%. services like bin collections and roads and libraries have had funding reduced by nearly a third over the same time. and with councils using their savings to balance the

and barring service, the dbs, is not going well in the view of the spending watchdog, the national audit officeeau. the poor progress of the modernisation programme has now been scrutinised by the commons public accounts committee. if your view is that this contract is still recoverable or deliverable, my words rather than yours, but you understand where i'm going, at what point — where does this contract have to get in order for you to recommend stopping or pausing? because i see a contract that is 46 months behind schedule, plus and growing, a contract that's 200 million in part, or in part £200 million over cost. so how many millions more does a contract have to be over cost or how much longer does the contract have to be undelivered before somebody goes "that's it, we can't do it"? in terms of the functionalities required for the remainder of the lease, a large part of the functionalities have been developed. there is very little that is required to be built into the system. there is going to be a lot more testing that is required to take place, so i don't believe that this contract require

the national audit office says funding from central government has fallen by nearly a half since 2010cost of social care, and the nao is warning that one in ten could completely run out of money within three years. here's alison holt. do you want to do something different? an afternoon art class at the nexus day centre in surrey is a chance for people with learning disabilities, brain injuries and other conditions to develop their skills and socialise. for most here, the support is paid for by the county council, but today's report says with local authorities facing such major cuts to their money from central government, they are struggling to cope. do you like its legs? i think they're lovely! i think its legs are brilliant... sue, who has multiple sclerosis, describes this centre as a lifeline. i come here only twice a week. i would come more if there was the funding for it. councils like surrey have a statutory duty to provide support for people who are older and disabled as well as providing children's services, and across the board demand is increasing. today's report calculates

they will also get the national audit office to look and see if the bbc is doing the thing it shouldto the bbc and how much is down to the tax authorities changing the rules. and they say they want an industry wide examination of the system to see if this is the right way to continue. david sillito. a six—year—old boy with epilepsy is to deliver a petition to downing street today — calling for him to be granted a special licence to use medical cannabis. alfie dingley has a very rare form of the illness that causes up to 150 seizures per month. his mother, hannah deacon, told bbc breakfast recently she wants the government to let alfie use cannabis oil — which is banned in the uk, to help with his symptoms. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour. first, the headlines on bbc newsroom live: the information commissioner is seeking a warrant to search the offices of a political consultancy, accused of using the data of millions of facebook users to influence the us presidential election. russian diplomats move out of their embassy in london — after theresa may ordered the ex

the national audit office says the mistakes in how the government applied changes have been known aboutthe issue last year. michael buchanan reports. lucy marsh lives at home with her parents. the 28—year—old has learning disabilities and though she does voluntary work, she relies on benefits for any income. when she was moved from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in 2013, officials miscalculated what she was due. she has now been repaid thousands of pounds. just in time for her to move in to herfirst home. what it means is that in monetary terms, it is a payment ofjust short of £2000. which obviously would be very useful to lucy in the context of her moving into this new supported accommodation. it will help quite substantially with the furnishings and things for the new flat. many other claimants will get much more money says today's report. the average repayment will be £5,000 per head. though some could get as much as £20,000. in total 70,000 people are due a backdated payment. the whole debacle could cost the department for work and pensions as much as £830 mi

the national audit office says many are now relying on reserves, which will eventually run out.ty of councils to provide social care services safely be under threat? with us in the studio, nadra ahmed, chair of the national care association, which represents small to medium sized independent care homes, and john fuller, the conservative leader of south norfolk council and vice chairman of the local government association's resources board. how do you react to the nao's findings? well, councils have been saying this for a long time, saying that we are facing a triple whammy, the amount of support from government is falling, the demand for services is increasing, and inflationary pressures and councils are higher than ever. we would say that, wouldn't we? than ever. we would say that, wouldn't we ? but than ever. we would say that, wouldn't we? but the nao has shone a spotlight on some of the real issues, funding pressures we are facing, and adult social care is one of those. is the government listening to you? let's face it, the general election and the conservative manifesto got

the national audit office says local authorities now spend more than half of their budgets on providing woman has multiple sclerosis. it is vital. and children. this woman has multiple sclerosis. it is vitalli come here twice a week. i would come 01’ come here twice a week. i would come or if there was funding for it. but, umm, apartfrom or if there was funding for it. but, umm, apart from that, it is amazing. the nao says since 2010, the money central authorities got from london has been cut by 50%. despite council tax rises, services like bin collections, roads, and libraries, have had their money reduced by a third. with councils using savings to balance the books, it warns one in ten will have exhausted their reserves within three years. we are calling for a plan for a long—term sustainable plant. —— plan. we need to make funding available. alongside that, social care needs a funding solution as well. the government says a new funding settlement has an approved for councils to help pay for the services that keep communities running, and that will meana communities running, and that

the national audit office says funding for local authorities from central government has fallen by nearlyldren and disabled people — means that many councils face running out of cash. alison holt reports. do you want to do something different? an afternoon art class is a chance for people with learning disabilities and other conditions to develop their skills and socialise. for most here, the support is paid for by the county council. but today's report says with local authorities facing such major cuts from central government, they're struggling to cope. you like its legs? sue, who has multiple sclerosis, describes this centre as a lifeline. i come here only twice a week. i would come more if there was the funding for it. councils like surrey have a statutory duty to support for people who are older and disabled as well as providing children's services and across the board demand is increasing. today's report calculates that on average councils in england pay 54% of their budgets on social care for children and adults. many other services have been cut. since 2010, more than 33% fewer ho

the national audit office says local authorities now spend more than half of their budgets on providingr it. but, umm, apart from that, it is amazing. the nao says since 2010, the money local authorities in england have got from government has been cut by 50%. despite council tax rises, services like bin collections, roads, and libraries, have had their money reduced by nearly a third over the same time. and, with councils using savings to balance the books, it warns one in ten will have exhausted their reserves within three years. what we are calling for is a plan for the long—term sustainability of the sector. what is it they want local government to do and then make funding available. alongside that, social care needs a funding solution as well. the government says a new funding settlement has been approved for councils to help pay for the services that keep communities running, and that will mean a real—terms increase in resources, allowing for greater freedom, fairness and value for money. alison holt, bbc news. another area of council spending under pressure is funding to keep the

the national audit office says mistakes have been known since around 2013 but the minister has only startednd support allowance in 2013, officials miscalculated what she was due. she has now been repaid thousands of pounds. just in time for her to shortly move in to herfirst home. what it means is that in monetary terms, it is a payment ofjust short of £2000. which obviously will be very useful to lucy in the context of her moving into this new supported accommodation. it will help quite substantially with the furnishings and things for the new flat. many other claimants will get much more money, says today‘s report. the average repayment will be £5,000 per head. though some could get as much as £20,000. in total, 70,000 people are due a backdated payment. the whole debacle could cost the department for work and pensions as much as £830 million in repayments and higher benefit awards. ministers say they are committed to correcting the mistakes and are aiming to repay everyone affected by april of next year. but while the errors started in 2011, they‘ll only backdate payments to 2014, claimi

but the national audit office says the true cost could be as £830 million.d take actions to make sure they take a systematic approach to make sure people are paid exactly what they are entitled to. president trump is rumoured to have ignored warnings from his advisers not to congratulate vladimir putin on his re—election. mr trump went against his advisers and was given a briefing note with the words, "do not congratulate" in capital letters. it's been a 25—year wait — but later today the first polar bear born in the uk for over two decades public from today. born in december it has yet to be named as keepers try to determine its sex. the cub has spent the last four months in the maternity den with its mother victoria at the royal zoological society's highland wildlife park in scotland. he had done some research about this. i was researching about how you sex a polar bear. they can't determine if it is mail orfemale. there is a level of anatomical detail. there is a lot of in the area where you would need to investigate. therefore, it's hard to find out whet

ambitious vision border fence, but the you set out an ambitious vision borderfence, but the national audit officegoing to come from all this ambitious vision. we are from all this ambitious vision. we a re fortu nate from all this ambitious vision. we are fortunate that we have a rising budget in defence and we have one of the strongest commitments and times of our future the strongest commitments and times of ourfuture equipment the strongest commitments and times of our future equipment programme. as any good organisation, we always carry contingency. as part of this programme, we will not make judgments at the start, we will look at the capabilities we need to deal with threats and when we reach conclusions, that is when we have do have the national discussion and debate about how we take our defence forward and ensure we have the capabilities to deal with the threat this nation faces. russia has been kind of marking us in the face of theresa may's announcement, the russian embassy feed saying —23 degrees. what do you say to that response? is britain thinking about potentially invoking article

the national audit office will look into see whether or not the bbc are doing what they should be doinghood for services to charity and music. 52 years after he received an mbe. our correspondent is at buckingham palace. it means a lot. musically and in life. i was really pleased to accept this award. where does it rank compared to your other career achievements? you mean our first number one? it is way up there. and it's going to close the box. this is not the first time you have been to buckingham palace. in 1965 uk for an mbe. compare and contrast today with that. that was a long time ago. for lads straight out of liverpool. we have seen a bit of the world since then and this is another honour. we had a lot of fun because there were four of us. apparently in 1965 uso nervous, you snuck off to the toilet and had a cigarette. who said that? i don't know. i'm not keeping that rumour going. you also where you are on the cover of sergeant pepper ‘s. brea kfast. on the cover of sergeant pepper ‘s. breakfast. one more question. on the cover of sergeant pepper ‘s. breakfast. one more questio

according to the national audit office, local councils have had theirfunding cut bya councils have had.8 billion. when is the prime as they going to wa ke when is the prime as they going to wake up to this crisis made in downing street? be talked about funding for local councils. we are seeing in the announcers made by the housing secretary more money going into local councils, but can i say that if he worries about what is happening at local council level, he ought to look at the figures that have come out today which showed very clearly that if you are living ina very clearly that if you are living in a council run by the labour party, you pay £100 more than under the conservatives. does the prime minister join the conservatives. does the prime ministerjoin me in welcoming recent figures showing that last year the number of first—time buyers buying a home has a ten year record high at 359,000? does she agree that last yea r‘s stamp duty 359,000? does she agree that last year's stamp duty cut and the extension of help to buy paid an important part in doing that, and does she agree tha

the national audit office says the true price could be more.ying everybody by april 20 19. vulnerable mental health patients are being let down because of serious failings in their treatment, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman has said. issues with some mental health trust could lead to some patients suffering harm. it also found mental health care staff can like the skills and training they need to do theirjob properly. the government is expanding service provision. a group of mps is warning of government complacency when it comes to security co—operation with the eu after brexit. the all—party home affairs committee says the transition period, which has recently been agreed, may need to be extended if public safety is not to be compromised. they say it's down to the complexity of issues such as data sharing, the european arrest warrant and europol membership. mark easton reports. membership of the eu means the uk enjoys access to valuable police data bases, the european arrest warrant scheme and the services of europol. the govern

absolutely, and what is frightening, the national audit office last week, commissioned a report which stand. we have ourjeremy corbyn your leader, saying today that all the evidence points to rush of being responsible for the salisbury attack. where do you stand on this? any chemical attack in our country should be condemned unreservedly. we do condemn it because it is an atrocious attack. what is clearly evidence points to russia either being responsible or culpable. we support the measures the prime minister has put in place. but we wa nt to minister has put in place. but we want to go further, we think there should be much stronger sanctions on financial transactions, making sure that russian money is stopped in this country and that we have tighter controls on all of those mechanisms. so we do condemn what has happened in salisbury. we support the government‘s measures but we want the government to go further. so he pointed the finger firmly at russia? the prime minister has said this, jeremy corbyn has said this himself... has he? he hasn‘t gone but strongly. said this himself...

office since may of 2017 and he departments efforts on budget matters. he spent his career in budget related national security positions including leading the budget audit process at the dhs and the george w. bush administration. the second witness this morning is mr. john gibson, the department of defense chief management officer who was reconfirmed as the chief management officer only weeks ago after serving as the deputy chief manager since last november. prior to the surface of the department of defense, he led several aerospace companies and previously served in a management reform position of thatthe pentagon during the geoe w. bush administration for information each witness will take up to five minutes to complicate his opening remarks all of which will be a part of the record followed by questions. we look forward to receiving your testimony. mr. norquist, you may begin first. >> ranking members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide an overview of the audit progress and plans. before i begin i would like to take a moment to thank you and the rest of the congress with bipartisan budget agreement of 2018, the agreement raised

secretary norquist has been an office -- since may of 2017 and leads the department's efforts on budget and audit matters. mr. norquist has spent his career in budget-related national security positions, including leaving the budget and audit process at dhs in the george w. bush administration. our second business this morning is mr. john gibson, the department of defense chief management officer, who was reconfirmed as chief management officer only weeks ago, after serving as deputy chief management officer since last november. prior to his service at the department of defense, mr. gibson led several aerospace companies and previously served in a management reform position at the pentagon during the george w. bush administration. for information of our colleagues, each of the witness will take up to five minutes to consolidate his opening remarks. all of which will be a part of the record. followed by questions. we look forward to receiving your testimony. mr. norquist, you can begin first. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for the opportunity to provide an overview of the department's financial statement audit progress and plans. before i begin, i'd like to t

it's a setback. those which will come in from june this year. this year. the national audit office towhen it comes out at the bottom. thank you. ball lets get the weather forecast. things are changing as we go into the weekend. the weekend. that for many parts it still dry and sunny. sunny. this is the isle of man a short time ago. not too bad on the beach. beach. temperatures up to about eight or 9 degrees. eight or 9 degrees. that is where we have rain at the moment. moment. 0vernight tonight that rain will continue to spread north. will continue to spread north. quite heavy at times. heavy at times. clear skies in the far north—east of scotland. far north—east of scotland. temperatures will drop down below freezing. elsewhere, way above freezing. freezing. be heavy rain around but equally some sunny spells coming through. some sunny spells coming through. temperatures getting up to 15 celsius. celsius. some cloud and a few showers but pretty mild. this is bbc news. attack on a former russian spy and his daughter. the country's leader. it's a move described by south korea as a "mile