The government has given contradictory messages on the use of public interest reports issued by auditors after the Audit Commission is disbanded, the chair of the local government select committee...
The Spending Review confirmed deep cuts in councils' funding along with greater freedoms to mitigate their losses. But while ministers might believe innovation will bridge the gap, the truth is...
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned MPs that changes to Council Tax Benefit, outlined in last month’s Comprehensive Spending Review, mean that local authorities have both an incentive and a...
Norfolk and Norwich Millennium library is the country's most visited, according to CIPFA's latest annual survey of library use. It had 1.5m visitors in 2009/10, issuing 1.15m books and other items.
Public sector graduate recruitment has remained buoyant in the recession, but spending cuts could trigger a crisis in the next few years, a careers service study has shown.
The government misjudged the opposition from Conservative London councils to its social housing cuts, a leading public policy expert has told Public Finance.
Concern is mounting that the government’s new measures to boost local economic growth will not be an adequate replacement for regional development agencies.
Eight councils in the west of Scotland are likely to begin sharing services in an arrangement that could save them up to £70m over five years, it emerged today.
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...
