Scotland’s net fiscal balance has improved slightly on last year, with an increase in revenues outstripping a rise in public sector expenditure, according to the latest figures.
Confidence in UK public finances has taken a hit as the latest data revealed a smaller than expected budget surplus last month following a sharp rise in borrowing.
The one-year ‘Spending Review’ announced last night by chancellor of the exchequer Sajid Javid must make local government a “top priority”, according to bodies representing councils.
Auditors have warned that the financial sustainability of NHS Lothian remains a “significant risk”, with a budget gap of £26m this year expected to spiral beyond £80m by 2021-22.
Communities secretary James Brokenshire announced the government is to examine local authority financial reporting and auditing, as he gave a ministerial address at CIPFA’s annual conference today.
District councils are juggling a host of financial challenges as they face greater spending commitments at a time when funding is falling and when many of the challenges on the horizon are ‘unknowns’.
The fairer funding formula and Spending Review will allow us to build a stronger, sustainable future for local government, says communities secretary James Brokenshire.
CIPFA’s upcoming financial management code will set the scene - but organisations will benefit to a far greater extent when this is seen as part of a wider cultural shift towards collective...
Pivotal choices loom on local government funding but if we don’t address what we expect from our councils we risk a system that fails to meet needs, says the IFS’ David Phillips.
Northamptonshire County Council has reported a budget underspend - as the prime minister tells MPs she will seek to reorganise the local authority “as soon as practical”.
Ileana Steccolini, who is speaking at the CIPFA conference on 10 July, looks at whether organisational capacities make a difference to local government financial resilience.
A think-tank has warned most forms of Brexit will damage the UK economy - while the Office for National Statistics has predicted borrowing will increase this financial year.
