Mid Ulster District Council has won a VAT case which could see councils in Northern Ireland receive up to £50m in rebates on admission charges to their leisure facilities.
Ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded the UK’s credit rating for the third time in eight years, citing factors including a deterioration in the quality of the government’s fiscal decision-making.
Plymouth City Council’s interest rate swap deal shows councils’ continued appetite for borrowing. David Moore examines the deal and other options available to authorities.
Reading Borough Council is to its delay planned commercial investment strategy, valued at £180m over the next three years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Liverpool City Region is to launch a £10m emergency fund in a bid to protect hospitality and leisure businesses from the economic impact of new Covid-19 restrictions.
The Welsh spending watchdog has warned councils of a significant increase in risk from fraud due to Covid-19, after uncovering £8m of fraud or overpayment over the past two years.
The UK local authority sector could see a future downgrade to its credit rating if a sustained recession leads to further spending cuts, according to ratings agency Standard and Poor’s.
Spelthorne Borough Council has denied that its property investment strategy is unlawful after reports that auditors have raised material concerns over some of its purchases.
Councils in England are set receive to an additional £30m to fund measures including Covid-19 marshals, to ensure the public and businesses follow coronavirus rules.
Plymouth City Council has become the first council to agree an interest rates swap deal since a High Court ruling killed off the practice 30 years ago.
Public sector organisations should look into how they plan to exit private finance initiatives or they could face disruption to services, says Ian Tasker.
Local authority expenditure on Covid-19 dropped in August to £567m, down from £594m in July, according to latest statistics from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Proposed restrictions on borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board should be dropped to allow district councils to develop new income streams in the wake of Covid-19, the District Councils Network...
A proposed additional statement on local authority accounts outlined in the Redmond Review could lead to additional work and extra costs for councils, Sir Tony Redmond said.
A London council is likely to have to issue a section 114 notice if a bid to use capital funds for revenue services is refused by central government, its section 151 officer has indicated.
More than 100 councils in England have reported fraudulent claims for Covid-19 grants since the introduction of the emergency measures, according to a report.
