A quarter of English councils could deplete their reserves to levels that threaten their financial sustainability in the next two years amid soaring service demand, Grant Thornton has warned.
Middlesbrough Council has become the latest authority to request additional government support to balance its 2024-25 budget and avoid a Section 114 notice.
Encouraging councils to use reserves as a one-off quick fix during the funding crisis is “misguided and unhelpful” and could put more authorities at risk of Section 114 notice, a finance director has...
Data collected by the Office for Local Government often lags behind that collected by councils and is currently not providing value for money, the Local Government Association has claimed.
The government should focus on the “fundamental problems” facing councils, the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities has said after a Treasury minister raised concerns over community assets...
A county council will issue a Section 114 notice unless the government grants its requests for extra flexibility, officers have warned as they work on the authority’s upcoming budget.
Mitigating a £120m “structural funding gap” at Bradford Council will be impossible without cuts, redundancies and exceptional financial support from the government, its finance chief has warned.
A real-terms increase in funding will not be enough for Scottish councils to run preventative services that help people out of poverty, local leaders have warned.
A city council facing government intervention has said ministers should not appoint commissioners, because the budget gap leading to its Section 114 notice was driven by “external pressures” rather...
Concerns over adherence with professional standards have prompted the Financial Reporting Council to launch an investigation into the conduct of an accountant at Thurrock Council following failed...
Higher investment returns across the Local Government Pension Scheme should not lead to reductions in employer contributions, despite sector-wide financial constraints, the Scheme Advisory Board has...
Michael Gove has announced the government’s English council funding package for next year, but the sector has warned it will not stop the expected wave of Section 114 notices in the coming months.
Rising children’s care costs have contributed to a forecast £73m overspend this year and £104m funding gap next year, both of which Bradford Council said it will be unable to meet without exceptional...
A fair and funded pay rise for council workers would help to alleviate some of the financial strain on authorities and improve recruitment and retention, a senior union official has said.
Concerns over the financial stability of Nottingham City Council following its Section 114 notice has prompted levelling up secretary Michael Gove to propose appointing commissioners.
