Tweaking the student loans system to boost public finances is “essentially impossible” without hitting average-earning graduates harder than their high-earning peers, according to Institute for...
The decision to rebrand the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has been criticised by the sector, with one expert calling it a misstep.
Thanet District Council’s leader has requested central government support to improve governance at the authority, following disciplinary issues and legal disputes.
Durham County Council has approved plans to fund the expansion of a local science and technology centre, which will be funded through its own resources.
Local authorities will require a centralised strategy to ensure that net zero commitments are met, and councils are not forced to “go it alone”, according to a senior peer.
Sheffield City Council expects social care pressures to make up more than 70% of a £43m funding gap this year, with further government support needed to ensure medium-term viability.
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned that the social care sector will not get as much money as it needs under the new health and social care levy.
Tight funding settlements will leave Welsh authorities with difficult decisions on which services to prioritise, as the nation recovers from Covid-19, according to its spending watchdog.
Scottish National Party members have supported a motion calling for local authorities to be allowed a more permissive environment to raise revenues to help fund services.
The level of scrutiny and financial management placed on the government’s £37bn Test and Trace programme was “disappointing”, according to a senior Treasury official.
Local authorities in the UK will receive additional funding to help with the cost of resettling Afghan refugees, following the recent coup in the nation.
Healthcare services in England will likely require multi-billion-pound top-ups over the medium term if they are to avoid spending reductions, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Central government has no understanding of the scale and funding challenges facing local authorities in implementing net zero objectives, senior councillors have told MPs.
Cambridgeshire County Council will need to establish a clear strategy on council tax after missing out on much-needed income in recent years, according to the Local Government Association.
The London Borough of Merton is set to relinquish property sale income on a £1.2bn joint-venture, after a funding gap emerged in the project last year.
The £1.5bn Green Homes Grant was approved by a senior civil servant, despite an internal committee rejecting its business case, according to the National Audit Office.
Spending available to “unprotected” government departments will be tight over the next three years, and could lead to some areas receiving cuts, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The new levy to help fund social care reforms will only provide one sixth of the expected £36bn income for care, “short-changing” the sector, according to experts.
