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27 Nov 20
Making hard choices is the only way for London Borough of Croydon to bounce back from the financial brink, says the authority’s cabinet member for finances.
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27 Nov 20
A lack of clarity over who will direct place-investment through the proposed replacement for EU structural funding could cloud our hopes of economic recovery, argues Joe Fyans.
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27 Nov 20
City of Edinburgh Council’s use of its general fund reserves is unsustainable and will be unable to cover future economic shocks, Audit Scotland has warned.
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26 Nov 20
Councils in England will receive an additional £3bn to cover Covid-19 expenditure over the next year, alongside a lifting of social care precept for council tax, the government has confirmed.
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25 Nov 20
Nobody expected the 2020 Spending Review to slam the brakes on, but a prolonged period with no formal fiscal framework will start causing the chancellor new headaches, says Dan Corry.
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25 Nov 20
Catch up with the main spending announcements in today’s settlement, which chancellor Rishi Sunak says represents the fastest revenue spending growth for 15 years, even excluding the Covid-19...
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25 Nov 20
The government has reversed its October 2019 hike in the Public Works Loan Board borrowing rate and introduced a ‘ban’ on councils borrowing to raise revenue from commercial property.
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25 Nov 20
Croydon Council has been unable to set out more than £11.2m of in-year savings towards a £67m shortfall this year – saying the task is impossible without central government support.
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24 Nov 20
The government has been given until 10 December to respond to a legal challenge over local government exit payments tabled by two local authority groups, their lawyer has told PF.
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24 Nov 20
A council granted a capitalisation direction in March has warned it could be forced to deplete its usable reserves down to “unsustainable levels” to help meet an £11m funding gap.
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23 Nov 20
More than half of English councils could be at risk of financial failure by 2023 if the Spending Review merely maintains funding levels, a report from financial adviser Grant Thornton has found.
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18 Nov 20
Reports of the long-term death of the city centre might have been greatly exaggerated.
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18 Nov 20
London Borough of Bexley is in discussions with government over a possible application to use £15m of capital resources to fund revenue spending.
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18 Nov 20
Uncertainty surrounds Whitehall’s commitment to releasing its grip on spending levers. Rachel Wilcox reports.
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16 Nov 20
The Local Government Association has launched an investigation into whether disciplinary action should be taken in relation to senior management actions at financially-stricken London Borough of...
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16 Nov 20
Almost two-thirds of council asset managers think their organisation will be able to reduce office floorspace by more than a quarter when the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
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13 Nov 20
Ealing Council has approved plans to borrow more than £390m over 50 years to on-lend to its housing company to build more than 1,300 affordable homes over the next six years.
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13 Nov 20
Section 151 officers face a 'tipping point’ requiring tough decisions on whether to follow London Borough of Croydon in issuing a section 114 notice, CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman has told MPs.
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12 Nov 20
Around 80% of county and unitary authorities are expected to make cuts next year in order to set a balanced budget, according to a survey from the County Councils Network.
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12 Nov 20
The government has botched the introduction of the £95,000 exit cap for the Local Government Pension Scheme, says Ian Colvin.
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11 Nov 20
Croydon Council has issued a section 114 notice banning all non-essential spending, due to the “severe ongoing financial challenges” facing the authority.
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11 Nov 20
An investment strategy agreed by Cotswold District Council to borrow more than four times its annual budget has been labelled deeply concerning by its opposition leader.
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10 Nov 20
A 25% increase in audit fee variation rates for 2020-2021 is being proposed by the Public Sector Audit Appointments, following recommendations from the Redmond Review.
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9 Nov 20
Councils in England are set to receive an additional £170m in government funding following a government U-turn over additional support for low-income families this winter.
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6 Nov 20
Manchester City Council is set to fundamentally review its size and structure, warning that efficiency savings cannot not cover a forecast £135m funding gap next year.