Most councils will not be able to provide discretionary services such as libraries and park maintenance in five years time, according to a survey of council leaders and chief executives.
Lancashire County Council has delayed signing off its accounts for the last financial year after auditors raised concerns over the treatment of a £50m LOBO loan.
Local authorities are continuing with a legal challenge against the decision to expand Heathrow airport and have lodged a judicial review bid with the High Court.
Northern Ireland’s public services incurred the biggest spending per head in the UK in 2016-17, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.
Families rely more on food banks over the summer holidays because children do not have access to free school meals, according to an anti-poverty charity.
The value of local government outsourcing contracts in the UK dropped considerably in the first half of this year compared to same period in 2017, analysis has revealed.
Northamptonshire Council has proposed “radical service reductions” in areas including care for vulnerable people as a response to its second 114 notice.
The cost of the Scottish Government’s flagship free personal care policy has topped £500m for the first time, reflecting the trend towards looking after older people in their own homes.
Local authority borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board has reached a seven-year high as cash-strapped councils increasingly invest in capital projects.
Councils and other government bodies are “over-zealous” and “uncompromising” in the way they pursue financially vulnerable people over unpaid debt, MPs have said.
