Following the Brexit vote, the London Finance Commission has a unique opportunity to develop proposals for further fiscal devolution that create incentives to boost growth. But it must get the...
There should be a switch in how the government accounts for benefit spending as part of moves to introduce a “welfare earnback” for councils that can help people into work, a report has recommended.
Greg Clark has set out a “continuous devolution” plan to boost the role of local councils so they become equal partners with Westminster in the governance of the country.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has pledged that new rules governing business rate appeals will weed out speculative applications ahead of localisation to town halls.
Locals councils have a “historic opportunity” to shape their financial futures by contributing to a funding review as part of business rates localisation, the communities secretary Greg Clark said...
MPs on the Public Accounts Committee have stated they have little confidence in scrutiny arrangements being put in place around the government’s flagship devolution deals, and called for...
George Osborne’s plan to devolve business rates revenue to local authorities may fail because it does not provide enough incentive to poorer areas, an analysis has found.
Manchester’s city leaders are eager to show local people that devolution is making a difference by improving services. However, without quick results and a reasonably strong local economy, the...
Current government plans to boost the economies of cities across the north of England are “piecemeal, partial and parochial” and a new plan is needed to reinvigorate the Northern Powerhouse, a report...
Scotland’s seven cities have presented Holyrood with a shopping list of powers, including fiscal responsibilities, which they say are needed to compete with English and other cities that are getting...
Ministers have been warned that it will be “difficult” to create a council finance system to both incentivise growth and protect authorities with high levels of need once business rates...
The aims of the government’s devolution drive have multiplied, while the limits of centralised public finances are being exposed. More transparent ways of doing decentralisation are needed
IPPR North has called for a review of how transport projects are funded across the north of England in order to recognise the role of small and medium sized cities and towns in the government’s...
Labour has called for greater clarity on the impact of business rates localisation on council funding to allay fears about “back door cuts” under the plan.
Northern Powerhouse devolution plans should focus on boosting productivity, particularly improvements to skills and transport within cities, according to the Centre for Cities.
Councils need additional fiscal freedoms following devolution of business rates in order to mitigate the risk of making local services dependent on such a volatile source of income, a report has...
The Public Accounts Committee’s warning that devolution is hindering public spending scrutiny reveals a deeper challenge at the heart of the project: reform of Westminster itself
Concerns about the speed of the government's devolution agenda are understandable, but misplaced. It has been the speed and clear requirement for mayoral combined authorities that has helped deliver...
The National Audit Office has called on ministers to set out more details on how devolution in England can be implemented amid increasing risks to the financial sustainability of local public...