CIPFA Scotland participates in Holyrood finance inquiry 
CIPFA Scotland has given evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Finance Committee as part of its enquiry into strategic budget scrutiny. The evidence focused on the challenges which all elements of financial management face as a result of the current financial context and drew attention to the need for strong leadership from the finance function in order to help organisations change their financial culture. The importance of appropriate financial skills and training for officers and elected and non-executive members was stressed.

Treasury efficiency report highlights need for CIPFA benchmarking 
CIPFA benchmarking services are highlighted in HM Treasury's Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) report, published last week. The report recommends public sector bodies publish value for money (VfM) indicators for their back office functions and that all NHS organisations use VfM indicators to benchmark themselves. CIPFA Benchmarking, working with KPMG, is one of the organisations approved by the audit agencies to provide benchmarking services. It currently benchmarks VfM indicators for 130 organisations across the public services.  

This week in Public Finance: Performance anxieties 
With the Budget emphasising the need for efficiency savings, performance measurement is going to play a crucial role in coming years. In association with Oracle, PF convened a round table of experts to discuss the public sector's approach and where it can be improved.  Vivienne Russell reports. 

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