A £3.3bn funding package that led to Stormont being recalled will not provide long-term stability to services or public finances, new first minister Michelle O’Neill has said.
Birmingham City Council has delayed its meeting to approve spending plans as it waits for a government decision it said is key to setting a balanced budget for 2024-25.
An outdated funding model has pushed councils into a financial crisis and requires fundamental reform – not simply increasing the reliance on a regressive council tax system – a group of MPs has said.
Falling student levels risk worsening financial pressures for council-funded schools in the capital as authorities face widening education deficits, London Councils has warned.
Government spending cuts have restricted resources in local government and are a factor in the rising number of children in care, a senior judge has said.
An above-inflation increase in council spending power for 2024-25 shows “the government stands behind councils”, levelling up secretary Michael Gove has insisted despite warnings from the sector that...
An inadequate funding settlement means councils face “serious challenges” including further cuts to balance their 2024-25 budgets, the Local Government Association has said.
A quarter of English councils could deplete their reserves to levels that threaten their financial sustainability in the next two years amid soaring service demand, Grant Thornton has warned.
Middlesbrough Council has become the latest authority to request additional government support to balance its 2024-25 budget and avoid a Section 114 notice.
Encouraging councils to use reserves as a one-off quick fix during the funding crisis is “misguided and unhelpful” and could put more authorities at risk of Section 114 notice, a finance director has...
The government should focus on the “fundamental problems” facing councils, the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities has said after a Treasury minister raised concerns over community assets...
A county council will issue a Section 114 notice unless the government grants its requests for extra flexibility, officers have warned as they work on the authority’s upcoming budget.
Mitigating a £120m “structural funding gap” at Bradford Council will be impossible without cuts, redundancies and exceptional financial support from the government, its finance chief has warned.
Higher-than-expected public sector pay and meeting spending commitments will create a £1.5bn gap in Scotland’s 2024-25 budget, the Fraser of Allander Institute has warned.
Rising children’s care costs have contributed to a forecast £73m overspend this year and £104m funding gap next year, both of which Bradford Council said it will be unable to meet without exceptional...
A fair and funded pay rise for council workers would help to alleviate some of the financial strain on authorities and improve recruitment and retention, a senior union official has said.
Concerns over the financial stability of Nottingham City Council following its Section 114 notice has prompted levelling up secretary Michael Gove to propose appointing commissioners.
A widening budget gap at Slough Borough Council means it must make “significant reductions” to avoid exceeding its exceptional government support this year, its finance director has warned.
A forecast £57m gap in 2025-26 has forced Hampshire County Council to look at making huge cuts – even ones that “do not necessarily make sense” – to ensure the authority passes the “commissioner test...
