Councils have warned that they will remain under “severe financial pressure” despite a more generous than expected settlement that will see core spending power rise by 2.6% from next year.
CIPFA chief executive Owen Mapley believes the Spending Review contained positive steps, but worries that some public services still face more questions than answers.
Pressure to increase health and defence spending will make cuts to other public services hard to avoid in the Spending Review, according to a leading think-tank.
The deadline to pool assets under the Local Government Pension Scheme may be unrealistic, while concerns over potential conflicts of interest under the new arrangements have not been fully addressed...
Councils may be able to borrow or make flexible use of capital receipts to foot the bill for local government reorganisation, the government has confirmed.
Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund have joined together in a partnership that aims to deliver affordable homes across the city.
“Threats and ultimatums” issued in a bid to root out wasteful council spending would jeopardise the relationship between officers and members on which local government relies, the chief...
The government faces a warning that the Spending Review will “make or break” council budgets with three-fifths of counties and rural unitaries fearing they will be unable to balance the books next...
Asset pooling under the Local Government Pension scheme must be completed by next March, with “limited flexibility” for funds still thrashing out new arrangements, the government has confirmed.
The effectiveness of the Household Support Fund has been hampered by “chaotic and declining” funding which must now be put on a firmer footing, according to a think-tank.
Scottish councils face a budget shortfall of £647m this year as they grapple with surging cost pressures and intensifying demand for social care, the nation’s spending watchdog has warned.
Reforms to Nottingham City Council’s day-to-day operations are “bearing fruit” but need to become embedded to achieve a lasting impact, according to government-appointed commissioners.
The struggle faced by domestic abuse survivors to access local support has been seriously underestimated by the government, according to a critical new report.
Four commissioners have been appointed to a Surrey local authority struggling with more than £1bn in debts to deliver value for money and financial sustainability.
Plans to roll out strategic authorities across England, sweeping away dozens of district councils and years of careful incremental change, have sparked a flurry of activity across the sector as...
Plans to roll out mayoral authorities across the country must be accompanied by beefed up scrutiny arrangements to hold powerful mayors to account, a think-tank has said.
An end to the “public shaming” of councils in financial distress has been critical to reducing the number of S114 notices issued across the sector, according to local government minister Jim McMahon.
