Only around a quarter of councils’ usable reserves can be used to shore up services and meet demand, despite government figures suggesting larger sums might be available, experts have said.
A “completely broken” local government funding system has put 21 councils at risk of issuing Section 114 notices this year and next, the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities has warned.
Rising interest rates and government restrictions on commercial developments have prompted Mid Devon District Council to begin winding down a housing subsidiary.
Falling council reserves are pushing many towards issuing a Section 114 notice, but people in central government often misunderstand their importance – making the issue “challenging”, an expert has...
Spending controls are needed to help Kent County Council meet a forecast £44m budget gap this year, as it works to cut overspends in adult social care and children’s services in the long term,...
Rising care demands and tightening budgets risk reducing the quality of Welsh care and ministers must have honest conversations over the future of healthcare, a service leader has said.
Now-defunct districts relying on short-term borrowing to finance commercial investments have left Somerset Council exposed to higher interest rates and with assets currently losing money, its finance...
More local authorities will be on the brink of issuing Section 114 notices this year if the government does not release additional funding to stabilise the sector, a chief executive has warned.
Transferring Local Enterprise Partnerships powers to councils will give them a bigger role in developing their economies and avoid duplicating work, the government has said.
An overly optimistic reform plan has left Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’s financial stability at risk, according to an expert the government asked to assess the council.
The High Court has rejected a hospital trust’s request for a judicial review of three councils’ refusal to make a developer pay nearly £2m to offset increased demand for services.
Reducing borrowing restrictions and removing limits on reserve use will give the Scottish Government more flexibility to respond to challenges arising from forecasting mistakes.
Dwindling reserves and a forecast £17m gap in Medway Council’s budget this year have put the authority’s finances at risk and led to calls for more funding for the sector.
Urgent spending cuts are needed to avoid a section 114 notice at Hastings Borough Council this year because of ballooning temporary housing costs and near-exhausted reserves, the Local Government...
Rising service demand combined with high inflation and rising interest rates has made delivering a balanced budget “very difficult to achieve” without further government support, a councillor at...
Failing to deliver £86m of cuts and effectively manage spending would put Kent County Council in a “perilous financial position” on the brink of issuing a section 114 notice, its external auditors...
The government will need to adopt permanent tax hikes or spending cuts to avoid debt soaring to more than 300% of GDP by the 2070s, the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned.
Rising service demand and debt costs have led two borough councils to warn they risk issuing section 114 notices, with one perhaps coming as soon as October.
