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.
High service demand, rising costs and the large ringfencing of budgets could see 24% of Scottish councils issue Section 114 notices next year, the Local Government Information Unit has said.
A lack of auditor capacity and complex accounting requirements worsened the local audit crisis and meant the Financial Reporting Council could only inspect four financial statements in 2022-23.
A widening budget gap at Slough Borough Council means it must make “significant reductions” to avoid exceeding its exceptional government support this year, its finance director has warned.
A forecast £57m gap in 2025-26 has forced Hampshire County Council to look at making huge cuts – even ones that “do not necessarily make sense” – to ensure the authority passes the “commissioner test...
What’s the cost of sending a judge to Rwanda? We may know this week. The PM has Covid-19 questions to answer, a watchdog is under pressure and climate change is still with us.
The recent Section 114 at Nottingham City Council was due to “13 years of Conservative decline and failure” and not poor leadership, the authority’s leader has said following criticism from levelling...
Approval of a new combined authority in the East Midlands will give power over £4bn of funding and “bring lasting benefits” to the region, local leaders have said.
The continued expectation that councils will simply use their declining reserves to balance their budgets shows the government does not understand why authorities hold them, a finance director has...
The financial fallout from an equal pay dispute and the botched implementation of an IT system will lead Birmingham City Council to ask the government for permission to hike council tax above the...
Some councils have been overstating their financial woes, levelling up secretary Michael Gove has claimed, as authorities deal with rising demand and high costs.
