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...
The recent Section 114 at Nottingham City Council was due to “13 years of Conservative decline and failure” and not poor leadership, the authority’s leader has said following criticism from levelling...
Approval of a new combined authority in the East Midlands will give power over £4bn of funding and “bring lasting benefits” to the region, local leaders have said.
The continued expectation that councils will simply use their declining reserves to balance their budgets shows the government does not understand why authorities hold them, a finance director has...
The financial fallout from an equal pay dispute and the botched implementation of an IT system will lead Birmingham City Council to ask the government for permission to hike council tax above the...
Some councils have been overstating their financial woes, levelling up secretary Michael Gove has claimed, as authorities deal with rising demand and high costs.
Suspected fraud relating to a housing maintenance contract led Guildford Borough Council to uncover widespread governance issues in its housing service, and the authority is now carrying out a review.
