A committee of MPs has called on the government to scrap the so-called bedroom tax after finding that the reform had placed a ‘cruel burden’ on vulnerable people.
Ed Miliband today hit out at some councils for blocking development in neighbouring authorities, and pledged that a future Labour government would give town halls a ‘right to grow’.
More than a third of public sector organisations fear they do not have effective mechanisms in place to manage risk, which could leave them vulnerable to major financial and operational failures,...
The government has reached City Deal agreements with five city regions, taking the total number of pacts signed in the second phase of the programme to eight.
The Department for Communities and Local Government must do more to measure the cumulative impact of cuts on councils to ensure that town halls are able to manage the reductions, the National Audit...
Scotland’s council tax freeze will continue for a seventh year after Finance Secretary John Swinney announced that the funding given to councils for 2014/15 would be increased in cash terms.
Councils have continued to improve their financial reporting, with only one local authority – Manchester City Council – receiving a qualified audit opinion on its 2012/13 accounts, the Audit...
Soaring rents are forcing more working people to rely on Housing Benefit, with the number of employed claimants more than doubling since 2009, the National Housing Federation has warned.
The rate of UK public library closures slowed last year, with 74 libraries shutting compared to 201 in 2011/12, CIPFA’s latest library survey has revealed.
The public sector employment outlook has deteriorated in the last three months, with employers now unlikely to hire extra staff, a poll by recruiters Manpower has found.
Lurking under treacherous public spending waters is an iceberg of off-balance sheet costs and other hidden debts. Future generations will have to pick up the tab
Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has confirmed that the government will meet the costs of the business rate reliefs set out in the Autumn Statement.
Government policies to support local economic growth such as the creation of local enterprise partnerships and City Deals may not be value for money, the National Audit Office has warned.
Chancellor George Osborne has announced that the cap limiting the amount councils can borrow to build new homes will be increased by £300m, with the allocation to be distributed through local...
A majority of councils fear that financial pressures will reach a ‘tipping point’ within the next four years when they will not be able to meet some statutory responsibilities to deliver a range of...
CIPFA’s chief executive has called on George Osborne to empower local authorities and live up to the coalition’s initial commitment to localism and devolution.
A Municipal Bond Agency would free up local authorities to invest in housing and other services, without adding to government debt. But some key reforms to the borrowing rules will be needed
Councils could face bankruptcy if Chancellor George Osborne announces more cuts to local authority funding in Thursday’s Autumn Statement, trade union Unison has warned
Councils have been warned they will need to set out details of their long-term borrowing plans if a proposed municipal bonds agency is to successfully provide town halls with cheaper finance.
Councils should be encouraged to make ‘aggressive’ use of compulsory purchase orders to help bring about an urban regeneration, the Distressed Town Centre Property Taskforce has recommended.
