World leaders are spending on a scale not seen since the 1970s to avert multiple crises. Is it a new era of ‘big government’ – and, if so, who pays for it?
Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has confirmed councils in England will receive two-year funding settlements from next year to help them plan with “a greater degree of confidence”.
In December, MP Margaret Hodge announced that she will not stand for parliament at the next general election. The former Public Accounts Committee chair speaks to PF about her worry that the UK is in...
The allocation of the local government settlement, steering more funding to deprived councils, is a signal of the government’s intentions on 'levelling up', according to experts.
Local authorities are set to receive a share of a one-off £822m services grant in 2022-23, to help meet service demands, as part of a single-year provisional local government settlement announced on...
Councils still face a funding gap of more than £600m this financial year due to Covid-19, despite huge government support for the sector, the National Audit Office has found.
The communities secretary has accused opposition MPs of “unnecessary scaremongering” over suggestions that the fair funding formula will see cash diverted from metropolitan councils to shire counties...
The launch of the third local authority counter-fraud strategy, Fighting Fraud and Corruption Locally, shows how it is standing the test of time against ever-evolving threats, writes Rachael Tiffen.
Local authorities in England face a £19bn deficit over the next five years despite the vast majority hiking council tax rates in this year, analysis has found.
If the prime minister wishes to rebalance the relationship between North and South, he might want to start with local government spending, argues Graham Chapman, councillor at Nottingham City Council...
The government must produce a provisional local government finance settlement “immediately” to avoid adding to uncertainty for councils caused by a lack of social care plans, the shadow communities...
As more and more councils recognise the severity of the climate crisis and devise ways to tackle it with support from residents, cost becomes a pivotal issue. Neil Merrick reports.
MPs are calling on the government to tackle the £5bn funding gap faced by local authorities, warning that services will continue to decline until it does so.
There was a time when local markets were stalling, but local councils are starting to recognise that they could offer a way to boost a local economy and reverse high street decline. Kim Thomas...
