The team of public servants who ensured the success of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games were among the recipients of the latest round of honours
The Local Government Finance Settlement heralds a ‘very challenging’ phase in the austerity programme, CIPFA has warned, while the Local Government Association called it ‘bad news for services’.
Councils in England will have their spending power cut by an average 1.7% next year, in a finance settlement billed a ‘bargain for local authorities’ by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.
Almost 25,000 extra nursery places will be required in London next year to meet a pledge by the deputy prime minister to provide free part-time early-years education for the poorest 20% of two-year-...
Is it right to spend public money on major sporting events, such as the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup, at a time of financial austerity? Public Finance and Northern Trust recently hosted a debate...
Investing public money in major sports events has many benefits for the wider community, town hall chiefs agreed at a PF/Northern Trust Scottish dinner debate
Audit Commission head Marcine Waterman has said the watchdog’s annual review of all local authority accounts is vital work that must continue after its abolition.
Local authorities have been urged to develop more sophisticated relationships with contractors to ensure that they benefit from any savings and improvements made in outsourced council services.
Councils see mutual organisations as a ‘credible’ way of providing public services, the head of the Cabinet Office’s Mutual Support Programme has told Public Finance.
The government’s plans for public spending cuts over the next five years are beginning to look ‘close to inconceivable’, with further tax rises or benefits cuts likely, the Institute for Fiscal...
Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has accused some councils of scaremongering about funding cuts after it was revealed that town hall reserves have risen by more than a third in the past five...
English councils have coped well with shrinking budgets so far but some are worried about whether they will be able to sustain their financial performance in the medium term, accountancy firm Grant...
