The government loans scheme for businesses struggling with finances due to the coronavirus pandemic has been revamped following criticism from industry bodies and unions.
The Debt Management Office is set to auction a record £45bn in gilts this month, in order to help finance the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Public sector net debt is forecast to rise by £125bn or 4.6% of GDP, as government embarks on the largest spending increase since 1992, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced plans to remove business rates for small businesses this year, as part of a £12bn package to tackle the economic impact of coronavirus.
The government has announced plans to cut the Public Works Loan Board interest rate - but only after it has introduced measures to ban councils borrowing to invest in commercial property.
Local authorities dived back into Public Works Loan Board borrowing this week after the interest rate on some loans dropped below 2% following the coronavirus outbreak.
The “high quality” of the local government sector made the Municipal Bonds Agency’s first bond issuance possible despite turbulent financial markets, the agency’s chairman has told PF.
Local authority investment in commercial property has increased fourteen-fold over three years as councils seek alternative sources of revenue amid cuts leaving them open to risk, the spending...
The maiden bond launched by the UK Municipal Bonds Agency is the first step in a sector-wide shift away from the Public Works Loan Board, local government finance figures have said.
A £30bn local government pension fund has threatened to halt investment in companies that fail to recognise the financial risks caused by climate change.
The Public Works Loan Board interest rate hike caused “dismay” among councils, according to Sarah Pickup deputy chief executive of the Local Government Association.
Kent County Council will have to wait a further 10 days before it receives its first payment from the stricken Woodford Equity Income Fund, it has been announced.
Treasury management takes a new turn as local authorities knit investment strategy with local growth, social and regeneration ambitions. Karen Day reports.
Peter Hetherington looks at whether county councils have missed a trick in failing to exploit agricultural land that could represent a solid, long-term investment.
Councils could be subject to greater regulation if the sector continues to make controversial commercial property investments, CIPFA’s chief executive has warned.