Core funding for councils in England is set to be 3% lower in real terms per head next year than in 2015-2016, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Councils in England will receive an additional £3bn to cover Covid-19 expenditure over the next year, alongside a lifting of social care precept for council tax, the government has confirmed.
Around 80% of county and unitary authorities are expected to make cuts next year in order to set a balanced budget, according to a survey from the County Councils Network.
Business rate income for local authorities halved in the first quarter, while council tax income stayed steady, according to the first official figures on the impact of Covid-19 on council income.
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has hinted that the government could introduce council tax and business rate reimbursement schemes to help local authorities deal with the financial...
Ministers have been called to temporarily relax the borrowing rules for local authorities to cover-day-day spending, according to a report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies.
Ralph Sangster, cabinet member for Resources and Performance at Hertfordshire County Council tells PF how the authority is coping with the challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and what it...
An annual survey revealed 57% of English local authorities are making the maximum allowable increase to council tax in an attempt to finance service demand. CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman...
Blanket deferrals or non-payment of council tax could have a “serious effect” on council funding in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the County Councils Network.
The government has confirmed the £500m hardship fund announced during the Budget will be used to fund council tax relief for vulnerable households affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
A reform of the council tax system could see a 50% decrease in payments for people in the most deprived regions of the country, says the Institute of Fiscal Studies.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak must either raise taxes or abandon the government’s fiscal rules if he wants to avoid continuing austerity, a leading think-tank has warned.
Local authorities’ biggest source of income also represents the largest area of identified fraud but recent initiatives are changing this, writes CIPFA’s Marc McAuley.
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.
A local income tax would be better than a tourist tax in raising revenue locally for councils, the Institute for Fiscal Studies associate director David Phillips said this morning.
Last month’s local elections in England showed a rise in popularity of independents addressing local issues - but what we need is top-down change, writes communities and regeneration writer...
