Benjamin Franklin might have had it right about the only certainties in life but that doesn’t mean the tax system can’t be improved, says CIPFA’s Rob Whiteman.
Significant sums of public money are at risk as financial controls within councils come under increasing strain, according to the public spending watchdog for Scottish local government.
We don’t consider how policy decisions affect women disproportionately, but giving councils fiscal flexibility can help to ease the pain, writes Bethanie Roughley.
Kate Forbes is clear it is time to ensure there is money to invest in public services, even though this will not be an easy task. The Scottish finance minister talks to Kerry Lorimer.
The Scottish Government has defended its allocation of resources to councils to help them prepare for Brexit, saying it was up to local government to quantify the additional costs it faced.
Public finance professionals have a vital role to play in building trust and resilience, the Scottish Government public finance minister has told CIPFA members.
Northamptonshire County Council’s finances “remain fragile” due to a lack of robust reserves and require savings of £40m, its finance commissioner Brian Roberts has told PF.
Labour is right to identify outsourcing failures but its new policy risks creating more problems than it addresses, argues Institute for Government’s Tom Sasse.
The Spring Statement gave a hint the chancellor may be rethinking fiscal objectives, says chief economist at the Institute for Government Gemma Tetlow.
The chancellor has announced that assuming a Brexit deal is agreed and “uncertainty lifted”, he will launch a “full three-year spending review” before the summer break.
The housing, communities and local government select committee has confirmed it will scrutinise council finance - after PF reported its plans last month.
The Scottish budget has passed its final parliamentary hurdle as MSPs backed measures that will see the tax gap widen between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
