Failing to consult early during policymaking processes with local government brings “a high risk of waste and optimism bias that can result in the failure of programmes,” the NAO warns.
It adds that some consultations are “rushed”, and that in two-thirds of the consultations it analysed departments allowed less than the 60 days set out in their guidelines.
Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “Only when these issues are addressed can the knowledge of both central and local government be used to best effect to achieve the joined-up services that local communities need.”