5 The centre of government plays a critical role developing the building blocks for transformation. In our reports on the centre of government, we outlined a range of ways for the centre to work with the rest of government, and showed how the centre's role constantly evolves in response to new demands.3
6 In particular, the centre has to achieve a difficult balance between supporting government departments and using more formal mechanisms to influence transformation. On the one hand, spending controls and strict standards can be blunt instruments; on the other hand, flexibility can sometimes be used as an excuse for poor control and coordination.
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3 Comptroller and Auditor General, The centre of government, Session 2014-15, HC 171, National Audit Office, June 2014; Comptroller and Auditor General, The centre of government: an update, Session 2014-15, HC 1031, National Audit Office, March 2015.