The government has announced measures to ensure local public services are meeting clear expectations tailored to what local people need, which it described as part of a wider drive to shift power...
The Financial Resilience Index provides data so finance leaders can assess risk and, it is hoped, bring about long-term financial sustainability, writes CIPFA senior policy manager Joanne Pitt.
The Financial Resilience Index shone a light on the deepening issues facing English local government. It contained major findings on debt, reserves and spending pressures.
The £1.5bn of exceptional financial support announced for a record 35 councils in the coming financial year has prompted concerns over the sector’s capacity to cope with demand.
English councils’ first multi-year finance settlement in a decade has been laid out, with the government claiming it is the most significant step yet to make the sector more sustainable, delivering...
CIPFA has welcomed the significant increase in funding for local government outlined in the local government finance settlement but is urging the government to push ahead with reform if medium term...
Funding formula changes represent a rough deal for England’s rural councils compared with their urban counterparts, the affected authorities have claimed, with several having spoken out against the...
The government’s provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026/27 fails to offer enough clarity to councils about how rising demand and existing deficits will be funded, CIPFA has warned.
The government has promised to end the “outdated” council funding system, but the rejig will create winners and losers in the sector, and so has won a mixed reaction.
Councils outside of London anticipate being forced to raise council tax to cover the spiralling costs of adult and children’s social care, including SEND, while rising homelessness and a lack of...
Simrin Rahman looks at what needs to happen alongside the Business Rates Retention Scheme reset to take advantage of the opportunity to deliver public value.
Will the Fair Funding Review 2.0 finally ease pressure on finances? Or will English local authorities still be expected to adapt service delivery in line with reduced funding?
Soaring social care demand, unsustainable borrowing and weak governance of commercial ventures are the main pressures that have forced councils to seek government bailouts, according to research by...
Inner London boroughs will be the biggest losers under plans to shake up the distribution of local government funding, with the worst hit facing real-terms cuts of up to 12% over the next three years...
The link between taxation and council services is broken, fuelling dissatisfaction and undermining trust in local democracy, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.
Nottingham City Council has said it is on track to balance its books without government bailouts after new budget figures showed a brightening financial picture.
Reforms to Nottingham City Council’s day-to-day operations are “bearing fruit” but need to become embedded to achieve a lasting impact, according to government-appointed commissioners.
The government has launched a consultation into the “long overdue” resetting of the business rates retention system to ensure funding is targeted at areas of greatest need.
The legislation relating to Section 114 notices for councils in financial distress is no longer fit for purpose and in some cases has left authorities worse off, MPs have been told.
Simplifying local authority accounts could ease the audit crisis, but they must still retain meaning, writes CIPFA’s director of public financial management Iain Murray.
A record number of councils asked the government for exceptional financial support for 2025-26, and 30 requests have been approved – but CIPFA has expressed serious worries about the system.
