The current system, rather than building in checks and balances, has built a bank of spectators unable or unwilling to intervene until the vehicle has crashed, says councillor Graham Chapman.
Proposed changes to governance for police and fire services present risks but also an opportunity for greater economies of scale, says CIPFA police adviser Alison Dewhirst.
The procurement challenges ushered in by Covid-19 will not go away even if lower infection rates allow society to get back to some degree of normality, says Mohamed Hans.
New guidance provides more certainty over the process allowing an employer to exit the Local Government Pension Scheme, says Richard Warden partner and actuary at pension advisors Hymans Robertson.
The New Homes Bonus needs reform – but government proposals would be better combined with a systematic shake-up of council finances, says Tracy Bingham.
The government's recent procurement green paper can help authorities become more energy efficient, says Richard Hallewell, chief executive of CIPFA's Technology Procurement Association.
Valuing pensions and property, plant and equipment has emerged as one of the biggest issues for local authorities in a CIPFA survey of the impact of Covid-19 on council workloads.
Recent controversies over Covid-19 contract awards are only the tip of an iceberg – 2002 rule changes raise troubling questions over UK MPs’ relationship with private companies, according to academic...
The UK government’s health and social care white paper promises radical reforms. But who will check they meet the aim of delivering better value for money?
Rebecca Richards, director of NHS Wales Finance Academy talks explains how her organisation has adapted to training and recruiting staff in the wake of Covid-19.
Despite significant support from central government, the outlook for local authority finances is uncertain, says National Audit Office director Aileen Murphie.
Levels of waste recycling have a direct impact on local authorities’ balance sheets – and reforms to the system are expected to provide a welcome boost
The first year of full compliance with the Financial Management Code is upon us – but authorities have flexibility to interpret it to fit their circumstances
Ahead of the first full year of compliance with the Financial Management Code, Joanna Pitt, local government policy manager at CIPFA, gives a run down of the new guidance.
Despite some significant gaps, the 2021 Budget provides a good balance between growth and resilience – and crucially allows leeway for further fiscal intervention later this year, says Jeffrey Matsu.
Covid-19 has reversed the normal fiscal cycle between elections, bringing a spending splurge at the beginning of this Parliament – Dan Corry wonders whether announcements on future tax rises in the...
Tax fraud costs the public purse around ten times as much as benefit fraud. So why does the government employ three times as many people to tackle the latter, asks TaxWatch’s George Turner.
Issues with external audit are not confined to local government – the NHS system is also not working, says Emma Knowles, director of policy and research at the Healthcare Financial Management...
Sedgemoor District Council leader Duncan McGinty makes the case for a two-unitary solution to Somerset’s upcoming reorganisation of local government structures.
