There is a “clear case” for devolution to English counties but the government’s insistence on a mayoral model could cut these areas off from additional powers, an Institute for...
Local government funding cuts could be a ‘silent killer’ for small charities and leave them unable to compete with national organisations, think-tank New Philanthropy Capital has warned.
There is little disagreement with the principle of government’s plans for devolution revolution in England. But now that the chancellor has begun putting his money where his mouth is, it looks like...
The Public Accounts Committee has called for greater clarity in the government’s flagship devolution agreements after raising concerns about accountability and scrutiny arrangements in the...
Former health secretary Stephen Dorrell has called for social care and public health funding to be protected in the forthcoming Spending Review, saying to cut these budgets while increasing NHS...
Local government will face a £16.5bn funding gap by the end of the decade if council funding is cut by 30% in this Spending Review, ministers have been warned.
Technology and big data offer the seductive promise of better solutions to social problems. But such tools should be devolved to citizens and communities, not kept in the hands of bureaucrats.
How well can you recall the year? From the Conservative general election victory to the closure of the Audit Commission, how many names and events can you remember from the past 12 months? Test your...
High performing grant maintained schools should be given additional powers to take over struggling schools, including academies, the Local Government Association said today.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has agreed to cut 30% from its budget over the next four years after reaching a provisional Spending Review deal with the Treasury.
Businesses should be able to self assess the value of their properties as part of further reforms to the business rate system, according to the Local Government Association.
The chancellor’s decision to fully localise business rates signals a shift to a mode of civic entrepreneurialism that will leave local authorities fending for themselves and at the mercy of...
There are signs that some fire authorities are beginning to face financial stress, with some warning their ability to respond to major incidents might be limited by further funding cuts, according to...
A leading police and crime commissioner has hit out at the Home Office efforts to change the police funding formula, saying the process is “flawed” and happening too fast.
Local public services remain confusing and frustrating for many citizens to access and must be reformed if the government’s devolution drive is to be a success, the Institute for Government has...
Councils have been forced to spend £450m covering the cost of planning applications in the last three years because of government caps on the fees they can charge, the Local Government...
City councils should focus development efforts in central areas to ensure local economies benefit from the boom in urban living among young people, a report has concluded today.
Plans to shake up the current business rates appeal process and protect councils from speculative appeals have been published for consultation by local government minister Marcus Jones.
Council adoption services are to be merged into regional bodies so children can be matched with potential adopters more quickly, David Cameron has announced today.
The government has been urged to create a new Controlled Migration Fund to provide additional support to areas that have experienced high levels of migration and to prepare areas that may take in...
The current system of support for young people leaving care is failing some of the country’s most vulnerable people, the Public Accounts Committee has concluded today.
Day-to-day running of the London borough of Tower Hamlets is to be returned to the authority’s mayor after local government secretary Greg Clark said there had been progress in improving how...
District councils have called for process by which local plans are adopted to be overhauled through improved scrutiny and the creation of a national list of development policies.
How business rates decentralisation will work needs clarifying – especially for high-need councils – and the chancellor should remember Robert Maxwell when reforming pensions
