A package of 16 commitments to reform the “fragmented and broken” English local audit system has been unveiled by local government minister Jim McMahon.
The government has launched a consultation into the “long overdue” resetting of the business rates retention system to ensure funding is targeted at areas of greatest need.
The Local Audit Office will not be able to force councils to amend their accounts in response to auditor concerns, the government has confirmed following fears over the body’s independence and...
The local authorities that will receive funding to help produce their local plans have been announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Councils have warned they face financial catastrophe in a year’s time unless the government takes action to remove “unmanageable” high-needs deficits from their balance sheets.
The English local audit crisis means the government is “flying blind” and failing to monitor the worsening financial health of local authorities, according to an influential group of MPs.
A borough council more than £1bn in debt is failing its Best Value duties, according to the government, meaning it could see commissioners sent in to oversee improvement.
Falling life expectancy can only be tackled by a greater emphasis on prevention and a strengthened role for local government in improving health outcomes, researchers have argued.
The legislation relating to Section 114 notices for councils in financial distress is no longer fit for purpose and in some cases has left authorities worse off, MPs have been told.
Council staff will be unable to make public transport accessible to disabled people without new funding, training and other support, writes Clive Gilbert, head of accessible transport at the Policy...
More than 20 local bodies have still failed to publish audited accounts more than two months after the first backstop deadline despite a last-minute flurry of activity.
