Local government funding is “not fit for purpose” and council-run public finance scrutiny bodies are needed, the shadow communities secretary has told the Labour conference.
CIPFA’s proposed financial resilience index is too simplistic and will not provide a “meaningful assessment” of an authority’s financial health, local government chief executives have said.
Most councils will not be able to provide discretionary services such as libraries and park maintenance in five years time, according to a survey of council leaders and chief executives.
The value of local government outsourcing contracts in the UK dropped considerably in the first half of this year compared to same period in 2017, analysis has revealed.
The third phase of business rate retention pilots will go ahead with just a 75% retention and the ‘no detriment’ clause scrapped, the government has announced.
Politicians need to grapple with questions of taxation and user charging if public services are to be funded sustainably, former home secretary Charles Clarke told the CIPFA conference yesterday.
Local authorities across Britain have shelled out at least £6.8m in three years on plane tickets, according to research released today by a campaign group.
Digital transformation in government will require “ongoing investment” and next year’s spending review offers an opportunity to realise its financial potential, according to digital and public...
Now the dust has settled - two weeks after the local elections - the Institute for Government’s Graham Atkins gives some advice for newly-elected councillors on five challenges they need to address....
The collapse of Carillion at the start of this year was “almost inevitable” given the model of outsourced service delivery pursued by successive governments, MPs said today.
Councils own a huge number and variety of buildings. Their condition should be surveyed regularly to ensure they remain fit for purpose, says CIPFA’s David Brindley.
Councils should make the effort to pay suppliers early, as this can generate income and make their area attractive to business, chief executive of Oxygen Finance Ben Jackson says.
A diverse group of public service experts attended a CIPFA round table discussion to consider how outsourcing can be made to work better. Vivienne Russell reports.
The chancellor was right to celebrate a rosier economic outlook in the Spring Statement but must make spending on public services his priority going forward, says Reform's Alexander Hitchcock. ...
The government will find it hard to increase spending on public services even if it wishes to do so, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned after yesterday’s Spring Statement.
This year's Spring Statement was a ‘non-event’ and showed the chancellor is still trapped in a ‘reactive spending cycle’ - next year's Spending Review is his chance to change all that, says the...
