An Audit Commission report has praised councils for increasing their efforts to uncover fraud, but warned that they are still uncovering only the ‘tip of a huge iceberg’ of taxpayer cash lost to...
Prime Minister David Cameron today launched the government's National Infrastructure Plan, which sets out the country's infrastructure priorities and the scale of investment needed to meet them
Councils have condemned changes to the Carbon Reduction Commitment energy efficiency scheme announced in last week's Comprehensive Spending Review, which could land them with tax bills of up to £1m a...
Ministers have stated their intention to implement 'community budgets' across England by 2013/14, and set out in more detail how the initial schemes, beginning next year, will work
The decision by three West London boroughs to merge services does not amount to a 'super council' as has been reported, the local authorities have said
The radical reform of Council Tax Benefit set out in the Comprehensive Spending Review has ‘many downsides’ and would penalise poorer households, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned
Councils' treasury management is 'improving', but problems highlighted by the Icelandic banks fiasco have not yet been fully resolved, according to the chair of the communities and local government...
For those battling with increasing demand and shrinking budgets, raising productivity seems to be one of the least painless solutions around. But how to achieve it? The Local Government Group is on...
The lack of a firm commitment to place-based budgeting in yesterday’s Comprehensive Spending Review was because it has failed to gain cross-departmental support, local government select committee...
Local authorities are preparing for profound changes in the way they provide services and run themselves after council spending emerged as one of the worst-hit areas in this week's Comprehensive...
The Housing Benefit bill is likely to soar after Chancellor George Osborne confirmed that rents for new social housing tenants will rise to 80% of the market rate, Public Finance has learnt
Proposals for directly elected police commissioners are at odds with plans for area-based budgeting, due to be revealed in tomorrow’s Comprehensive Spending Review, MPs were told today.
Cutting bureaucracy through improving efficiency, sharing services and introducing place-based budgeting will not be enough to make the savings required from councils, local government groups have...
Councils have urged the European Union to adopt a ‘Total Place’ approach to grant allocations, arguing that simpler funding arrangements can cut waste and encourage more effective local spending
A new relationship between central government and local delivery bodies in Scotland would lead to better and cheaper public services, a think-tank says today
Local government groups have welcomed the abolition of Local Area Agreements but warned that there must be a commitment to a new relationship between Whitehall and councils
