Category Archives: News items

Why Budget Monitoring May Fail — Even When Reports Are Accurate

| April 23, 2026

Series 1 – Insight 02 Budget monitoring is not a tick box exercise. Most organisations produce budget monitoring reports of one kind or another. They may be directly from the accounting system or prepared on a spreadsheet. The reports should be designed to assist users and hence tailored to suit organisational needs. Regular budget monitoring should be fundamental to the role of any staff member with budget responsibilities. Budget monitoring actions are important routines and include: Training in each of the above will enhance budget monitoring and yield better results. Ultimately budgets need to be monitored to ensure the financial resources used are delivering the organisation’s objectives. If not, action needs to be taken. Managing the Devolved Budget is an easy read and provides even more insight. #PublicSectorFinance #BudgetManagement #NonProfitFinance #FinancialLeadership #BudgetHolders

Financial Management Insights for the public and nonprofit sectors

| April 15, 2026

Series 1: Insight 01 – How to set a budget HB Training and Publications International is releasing a series of insights to assist with financial management in the public and non profit sectors. We are well placed to share our experience and expertise in the field. One of the directors is currently completing her PhD in public sector financial management this year. These insights will take a topic, or part of a topic, and provide a sound bite for anyone interested in improving their skills and underpinning knowledge in the areas of budgeting, budget monitoring, and control. They are not meant to be comprehensive but should enable budget holders and managers consider the benefit of learning more about these topics. How to set a budget There are several budget setting techniques that can be applied to both expenditure and income budgets. They can be used independently or combined depending on the type of budget being set. The most popular techniques include: Each have their advantages and dis-advantages. It is worthwhile

6 Budget Setting Techniques – Explained

| March 17, 2026

Introduction The key to effective budgetary control is the budget setting process. Budgets should accurately reflect the service being provided and there are a number of budget setting techniques that can be applied to both expenditure and income budgets. They can be used independently or combined depending on the type of budget being set. The crucial techniques include: Incremental Budgeting This technique relies on using an historic base as a starting point for budget setting. This is often the budget or the actual figures for the previous year, or some combination of the two. The base is then used to formulate the budget for the following year by taking each budget heading and either adding or subtracting an inflation factor from the base figures and adjusting for other known factors such as savings or approved growth. Advantages Dis-Advantages Incremental budgeting is best used for certain items of expenditure which are unlikely to change from year to year. For example, when staffing remains constant, salaries can be budgeted for incrementally where the

WHAT BUDGET HOLDERS NEED TO KNOW

| March 12, 2026

Effective financial management, budgeting and control should underpin the operations of all public sector and nonprofit organisations. The reason being that they are responsible for public funds, and need to ensure value for money. In the current environment public sector budgets are being challenged to deliver more for less. This requires all those tasked with spending public funds to take ownership of their budgets and be accountable for their use. Many budget holders are skilled professionals in specific disciplines but may not have any knowledge or experience in being responsible for a budget. This increases the challenges faced in ensuring public funds are managed and controlled. Often training and development budgets face constraints which result in only “essential” training being funded and delivered. We consider that finance training should be in that category, but often it is not. There are many areas that we consider that anyone responsible for a budget at any level should be fully conversant with and form part of their underpinning knowledge. What Budget Holders Should

Practical Budgeting & Financial Management Training

| February 24, 2026

Are your managers under pressure to deliver services while also controlling budgets, forecasting spend, and explaining variances—without being finance specialists? Across local government, the NHS, housing, charities, and public bodies, financial pressures are intensifying. Rising costs, tighter funding, and increased scrutiny mean there is less room for error than ever. Yet in many organisations, budget responsibility sits with non-finance managers who have had little or no formal financial training. That’s where HB Training & Publications International can help. We are now taking bookings for our half-day virtual training courses designed specifically for budget holders, service managers, and non-finance leaders who need practical, usable financial skills—fast. What Your Team Will Gain Our training focuses on real-world challenges and delivers immediate impact. Participants will learn how to: This is jargon-free, practical training based on real public and non-profit sector experience—not generic private-sector theory. Proven, High-Impact Training Participants consistently rate our courses highly: “The content was brilliant – clear, practical and easy to follow.”“The exercises really helped bring the learning to life.”“The length

Key Financial Management Challenges

| February 16, 2026

Many public sector and nonprofit organisations continue to face key financial management challenges. Tight budgets, rising service demands, and greater scrutiny mean finance teams and budget holders must work more efficiently and confidently than ever. Below are some of the most common challenges we see across the sector: Issue Description Overspend Risk Budget pressures often arise from limited forecasting skills, delayed financial information, or lack of confidence among budget holders. Weak Internal Controls Inconsistent processes and unclear responsibilities increase the risk of errors, non‑compliance, and governance concerns. Audit Findings Recurring audit issues highlight deeper gaps in skills or processes, particularly around documentation, controls, and financial accuracy. Poor Budget Monitoring Many managers struggle to interpret financial reports, leading to reactive decisions and late identification of variances. Grant Reporting Issues Managing restricted funds and meeting funder requirements can be complex, especially when multiple grants are involved. Skills Gaps in Finance Teams Both finance and non‑finance staff often need support to build confidence in budgeting, financial management, and internal controls. These challenges are

Budget on Track

| February 12, 2026

Keep budgets under control and meet financial targets Budget on Track is our service to support budget holders, managers, and financial decision makers in the public and non-profit sector. If controlling budgets is important for your organisation, it requires all budget holders at every level to meet their targets, whether that be savings, or just not overspending. Sometimes they will need help. Budget on track is more flexible than a training course, but more cost effective than a personal consultant. It provides bespoke answers to questions when they are needed. Subscribers to Budget on Track are able to email their personal budget mentor (PBM), who is there to support them. It can be any kind of budget, revenue or capital or income. Our subscribers can ask simple or more difficult questions and receive some assistance. It may be help with financial planning, budget setting, variance analysis, budgetary control, more for less, statistical analysis, management reports, or something else. We are experts in delivering financial training courses, but often participants have

The 5 Step Budgetary Control Process

| February 12, 2026

To ensure effective budgetary control, budgets must be effectively monitored and managed. Although the difference between monitoring and managing budgets is not clearly defined, there are certain characteristics that set them apart.

Financial Management and Budgeting for the Public Sector

| February 12, 2026

This CPD course on budget setting, management and control will boost your budgeting skills and contribute to your ongoing professional development. For more details please contact us at info@hbpublications.com and we can send you a booking form or book online with https://www.eventbrite.com/e/budget-management-for-the-public-sector-cpd-course-tickets-39875319153

Robust Financial Management (RFM) for the Public Sector

| April 26, 2023

Robust Financial Management in the Public Sector (RFM) A necessity not a choice  What is robust financial management ? Firstly, we can define “robust” as follows: “Robustness is a characteristic describing a system’s ability to perform effectively while its variables or assumptions are altered. In general, a system is robust if it can handle variability and remain effective” (Investopedia) Public financial management refers to “the collection, management, and expenditure of public finances throughout an economy. The core objective of public financial management is to improve citizens’ lives through better management of public money.” (International Federation of Accounting) Combining these definitions, we can state that robust financial management in the public sector should be focusing on achieving the 4Es – Economy, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Equity in the use of public funds. This is in line with New Public Management (NPM) theories. NPM seeks to improve public sector management generally, including increased flexibility and transparency. This can be a challenging objective when public funds are limited, and the demands are high. Therefore,