Editorial & Advertiser disclosure

Global Banking & Finance Review® is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.

Home > Top Stories > ACCA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER DELAYS IN WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTS PUBLICATION

ACCA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER DELAYS IN WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTS PUBLICATION

Published by Gbaf News

Posted on May 28, 2016

4 min read

Last updated: January 22, 2026

ACCA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER DELAYS IN WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTS PUBLICATION - Top Stories news and analysis from Global Banking & Finance Review

In the pre-recess rush to publish tardy reports, sixth UK Whole of Government Accounts may go unnoticed says ACCA.

Following the publication of the latest Whole of Government Accounts report this week, Anthony Walters, head of UK policy at ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has expressed his concern that such an important report risks sneaking out under the radar:

“This is one of the largest consolidated set of government accounts globally comprising of more than 5,500 government entities including local government, central government, health and education and public corporations. It’s therefore disappointing that the planned timescales to deliver the WGA have slipped and it has been pushed out in the pre-recess rush.”

Anthony Walters says the muted release is regrettable, given the usefulness of the data within. An example of which is that net expenditure reported in the WGA increased from £145.7 billion (2013-14 restated) to £152.0 billion (2014-15). This differs from the Government’s fiscal measure, as reported in the National Accounts, for the current deficit which reduced from £71.0 billion to £57.0 billion.

“There have been clear improvements in the quality of the data. This rich source of audited financial data provides an opportunity to assess the impact of Government policy on the nation’s finances.

“The challenge remains to encourage politicians, policy makers and all others with a stake in our public finances to make greater use of the WGA. We welcome the efforts made by the Government to make this data more accessible. But more needs to be done to raise awareness of the WGA and its contents and to ensure that the timescales for releasing the annual reports do not drift.

“It is vital that this important financial data does not get lost in the noise; it’s there to be used and to drive transparency and scrutiny in the way in which public finances are deployed and managed.”

In the pre-recess rush to publish tardy reports, sixth UK Whole of Government Accounts may go unnoticed says ACCA.

Following the publication of the latest Whole of Government Accounts report this week, Anthony Walters, head of UK policy at ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has expressed his concern that such an important report risks sneaking out under the radar:

“This is one of the largest consolidated set of government accounts globally comprising of more than 5,500 government entities including local government, central government, health and education and public corporations. It’s therefore disappointing that the planned timescales to deliver the WGA have slipped and it has been pushed out in the pre-recess rush.”

Anthony Walters says the muted release is regrettable, given the usefulness of the data within. An example of which is that net expenditure reported in the WGA increased from £145.7 billion (2013-14 restated) to £152.0 billion (2014-15). This differs from the Government’s fiscal measure, as reported in the National Accounts, for the current deficit which reduced from £71.0 billion to £57.0 billion.

“There have been clear improvements in the quality of the data. This rich source of audited financial data provides an opportunity to assess the impact of Government policy on the nation’s finances.

“The challenge remains to encourage politicians, policy makers and all others with a stake in our public finances to make greater use of the WGA. We welcome the efforts made by the Government to make this data more accessible. But more needs to be done to raise awareness of the WGA and its contents and to ensure that the timescales for releasing the annual reports do not drift.

“It is vital that this important financial data does not get lost in the noise; it’s there to be used and to drive transparency and scrutiny in the way in which public finances are deployed and managed.”