The Audit Commission has launched an investigation into severance payments for senior council officers, and is appealing for local government workers to provide evidence
Planned capital funding is set to be halved. So how can public bodies break out of their silos, and make the most of the £21bn available? John Tizard and Robert Hill have some ideas
The government’s Total Place programme has a lot riding on it. But will scrutinising all public money spent in a location really lead to better but cheaper ways of providing services?
The severance payouts given to ‘boomerang bosses’ - ousted council chief executives who quickly find employment in other local authorities - will be reviewed by the Audit Commission
Compensation claims for accidents involving pavement trips have cost each council in England an average of £1m over the past five years, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats
All 12 local councils in Surrey have protested against the government’s capping of the police authority budget and the requirement to rebill their residents
A row has flared over Edinburgh’s controversial tramway plan after the city council entered into a formal legal dispute with the consortium building the £545m project
Local authorities’ borrowing from the government has fallen by more than a third in one year, while deposits with the Treasury’s Debt Management Office are rocketing after the Icelandic banking fiasco
On August 18, a new organisation to promote more council collaboration was born. David Williams asks its enthusiastic chief executive and finance director what the future holds
The Audit Commission has warned that unemployment could remain high for three years after the end of the recession despite positive initiatives from council leaders to mitigate the effects of the...
London Authorities’ Mutual Limited has pledged its support to the Local Government Association in its efforts to press the government to include legislation in the Queen’s Speech to allow mutuals to...
A city council that was the subject of a damning report by a local government watchdog has been commended for the ‘prompt and decisive action’ it has taken to resolve its problems
Social landlords are being encouraged to cross-check their records with one another as part of a government crackdown on the illegal subletting of homes
As the recession hits high streets across the country, the impact on local authorities’ revenue can only get worse. Councils need to take stock of the situation and keep calm under fire, argue David...
Leaders of Labour and Liberal Democrat local authorities have urged councils not to walk out of the national pay bargaining system, as Conservative councils backed away from the employers’ 1% offer
