The UK Infrastructure Bank has partnered with public bodies in Scotland and Wales to accelerate the development of major transport projects – building on its advisory function for councils.
Funding given to care homes in the first year of the pandemic led to a sharp rise in dividend payments in some large companies while staff in the sector struggled with low pay and high workloads,...
High inflation and reliance on imported energy mean the UK is set for the slowest GDP growth among large developed countries, the International Monetary Fund has said.
A further delay to adopting local authority reporting regulations relating to investments is welcome, but the rules need to come into force at some point to avoid undermining transparency, CIPFA has...
Rising construction and labour costs have caused “slippages” and budget gaps in projects linked to a £1.3bn investment deal in south Wales, senior council officers have said.
Rising demand and an over-reliance on reserves have put the financial sustainability of Scottish care boards at risk without significant reforms, the national watchdog has warned.
New gloomy predictions of long-term economic growth suggest pensions promised to public sector workers will be more costly than anticipated, economists at the Institute for Fiscal Studies have warned.
The government has briefed that allowing councils to keep 100% of their right to buy receipts for two years will help increase social housing stock by thousands – but it could fail without other...
Scottish council leaders have claimed the latest local government pay offer is fair and recognises the importance of the workforce, despite opposition from unions.
The lack of political leadership in Northern Ireland risks politicising the role of civil servants, and UK ministers should intervene to oversee spending, a body representing senior officers has...
Delays in allocating post-European Union funding to Northern Irish departments have had “serious consequences” for organisations reliant on the funding, senior civil servants have warned.
Plans to halve proposed funding to revitalise the social care workforce show the government is not serious about improving and investing in the sector, experts have said.
The economy would benefit by billions of pounds per year if healthcare waiting lists are reduced in line with government plans, but doing so will be impossible without investment in the social care...
The lack of skills within local authorities to manage soaring children’s care costs is a “worry” and the government should intervene, a senior official has said.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has pledged to use a “proper” windfall tax to fund council tax freezes for households in England next year if the party is elected.
Reported fraud nearly quadrupling in the wake of Covid-19, and the fact that the government looks unlikely to recover most of the money, could lead to fraud and corruption becoming more accepted, the...
Scotland spent less than it might have done in the first two years of Covid-19, and the nation’s spending watchdog has urged public bodies to use the lessons learned from the pandemic to help plan...
Big overspends this year will lead to sharp real-terms cuts for Northern Irish departments next year, the devolved nation’s financial forecaster has warned.
The news agenda moves fast. Stay on top of some key stories from around the sector, including on pay, the UK Infrastructure Bank and the SNP leadership.
Plans to allocate £2.5bn of funding to improve school and college buildings and support more school places fall well short of the sector’s needs after a decade of underinvestment, leaders have said.
Delivering the Euston terminus of HS2 will cost almost double its budget despite changes to the scheme aimed at reducing costs, the National Audit Office has said.
