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24 Feb 21
The government is considering whether a “system leader” could oversee local government audit in the future, after it rejected the Redmond review’s proposal of a statutory body.
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23 Feb 21
Torbay Council has become the latest authority to shelve its planned commercial investment following PWLB rules changes – scrapping £68m of its planned programme.
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23 Feb 21
A rise in corporation tax and extensions to the Universal Credit uplift and furlough scheme are among potential government Budget moves being reported in the national press. PF rounds up the rumours.
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23 Feb 21
UK councils’ efforts to tackle grant fraud are being hampered by the reallocation of resources to support efforts to respond to Covid-19, according to analysis from CIPFA.
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22 Feb 21
Councils in England will be allowed to enter into strategic partnerships with government’s affordable housing quango Homes England for the first time.
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22 Feb 21
Experienced local government finance officer Chris Buss is joining London Borough of Croydon as director of finance on an interim basis, after the resignation of current post holder Lisa Taylor.
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22 Feb 21
The government has launched a consultation on extending the use of shared data collected by the National Fraud Initiative in a move it says could save the public sector £10m a year.
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22 Feb 21
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was unable to provide evidence that the value of flood barriers and other infrastructure was not misstated in its 2019-20 accounts, according to...
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19 Feb 21
Reserve levels at councils in England dropped during 2019-2020, prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to analysis from CIPFA.
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19 Feb 21
The University of Stirling is launching a major new research project examining how local authorities procured goods, works and services during Covid-19.
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19 Feb 21
Transport for the North has scrapped its proposed contactless payment scheme after a reduction in central government funding.
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19 Feb 21
The value of two retail investment properties purchased by North Somerset Council has dropped by more than £26m in the three years since they were purchased due to Covid-19.
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18 Feb 21
The National Audit Office has launched an inquiry into the timeliness of local authority audit in England last year, as sector audits continue to miss deadlines.
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18 Feb 21
Councils in England face setting aside an additional £2bn to help cover business rates appeals over the next two financial years due to Covid-19, unless central government support is forthcoming.
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18 Feb 21
Fraud hitting the public sector should be treated as a national security issue, a think tank has warned.
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18 Feb 21
North East public finance professional Peter Smith has died aged 84, following a long career in local government and the NHS.
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17 Feb 21
Reading Borough Council has scrapped plans to add to its commercial property portfolio due to Covid-19 and changes to Public Works Loan Board lending rules.
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17 Feb 21
The Scottish Government has will extend the 100% business rates holiday for the whole of the next financial year, following further UK government funding.
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16 Feb 21
The UK government might have to raise up to £60bn in taxes to offset Covid-19 expenses, though tax changes should be avoided in next month’s Budget, an economist has warned.
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16 Feb 21
Woking Borough Council will borrow an additional £130m to cover increased costs resulting from Covid-19 and Brexit on a flagship mixed-use regeneration project.
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16 Feb 21
New legalisation passed by Stormont will allow local authorities to set independent tax rates, giving councils the flexibility to tailor rates to local needs.
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15 Feb 21
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been given more than £2bn in additional funding from the UK government to help with Covid-19 spending.
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12 Feb 21
The Treasury has revoked regulations restricting public sector exit payments in England – on the eve of a deadline for it to submit its response to a legal challenge on the issue.
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12 Feb 21
The government does not know enough about the overall impact of environmental taxes on its carbon neutrality goals, according to the National Audit Office.
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12 Feb 21
UK GDP fell by 9.9% in 2020, the largest yearly drop in more than 300 years, following the impact of Covid-19.