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23 Jun 22
The UK government’s debt interest payments in May were among the highest it has ever made, largely because of high inflation.
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23 Mar 22
High inflation is set to push the cost of servicing government debt to twice the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast in October, the fiscal watchdog said in its outlook accompanying the...
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14 Dec 21
The UK’s “rapid” economic recovery after lockdowns and the government’s efforts to cut the deficit following the large Covid-19 support schemes have led to rating agency Fitch affirming its judgement...
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21 Sep 21
The UK government borrowed more than expected in August, while inflation pushed up interest payments.
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20 Nov 20
The government borrowed a record £214bn between April and October – although the figure was £77bn less than projections by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
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21 Oct 20
Public sector net borrowing reached the highest level ever recorded in the first half of the fiscal year as the government tried to deal with the health and economic consequences of Covid-19.
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16 Oct 20
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.
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30 Jul 20
Kirklees Council has agreed to underwrite up to £4m of losses to ensure the medium and long-term future of its leisure services provider Kirklees Active Leisure.
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21 Jul 20
Local authority borrowing continued to rise in June to £3bn, £100m more than in May, and ten times higher than the figure for June 2019, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
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16 Jul 20
The Treasury has announced a further round of gilt sales, taking the planned 2020-21 total to £385m – more than double the amount anticipated in March’s Budget.
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14 Jul 20
The government may need to rethink its fiscal policy strategy to account for economic shocks happening more frequently than previously assumed, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
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5 Jun 20
With government borrowing set to soar to the highest annual level since the Second World War, what is the outlook for public finances?
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5 Jun 20
An economic standstill left the government with no choice, but what are the long-term implications of Covid-19-related debt for public finances?
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22 May 20
Public sector borrowing hit a record £62.1bn in April 2020, during the first full month of Covid-19 lockdown measures, according to the Office for National Statistics.
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17 Apr 20
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has agreed an action plan with finance ministers of the G20 countries to help some of the world’s poorest nations.
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3 Apr 20
Amid a wave of government announcements around support packages for the NHS during its fight against the coronavirus outbreak, Public Finance rounds up some of the key financial measures being put in...
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14 May 19
Brexit money, cash for the Windrush generation and puppy smuggling. All in May’s edition of Numbers Game.
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28 Feb 19
Welsh councils should ensure they take “early intervention” to stop more households falling into debt as they look to increase council tax next year, a think-tank has said.
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8 Oct 18
Health boards in Scotland are to have their debts written off as part of a new, more flexible three-year financial framework.
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6 Sep 18
Personal debt is costing the UK economy £900m every year, the public spending watchdog has warned today.
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17 Jul 18
Councils will take Barclays bank to court over controversial LOBO loans amid accusations of fraud, it has been revealed.
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4 May 18
Local authorities are struggling to repay loans as a result of a “pernicious” rule change by the Public Works Loan Board, a financial risk analysis website has said.
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4 May 16
Charities have called on local authorities to end the use of bailiffs against vulnerable residents after finding that council tax arrears have hit record levels.
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16 Mar 16
The government will add £1 to every £4 saved using the new ‘Lifetime ISA’ announced by chancellor George Osborne in his Budget speech today.
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30 Oct 15
The Office for National Statistics has today classified housing associations as part of the public sector, leading to an estimated £60bn increase in public sector net debt.