Finance
Sunak's defence spending could hit council budgets, says IFS
The Prime Minister’s announcement of extra defence cash could hit public sector budgets further, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Productivity matters
Nicole Wood says the sector 'can and should bring our corporate, digital, people and commercial capability together to answer whether we are delivering productivity and what opportunity there is to do more'.
NAO warning over childcare reforms
Just one in 10 councils predict they will meet the deadline to create 85,000 Government-funded childcare places by autumn 2025, spending watchdogs have warned.
'No appetite' for Scottish equal pay unit
Scottish Government ministers are unlikely to establish a national equal pay unit despite calls from the trade union that led strikes over the snowballing issue.
UK first as council approves stake in low-carbon firm
Shropshire Council is to become joint owner of a firm producing low-carbon materials worth an estimated £133,333 annually to the authority.
Blow to council hopes for cash boost
The prospect of extra cash for councils has faded further with the latest public finance figures showing the UK borrowed more than expected last month.
Whiteman criticises lack of prevention focus in productivity demands
Some ministerial productivity demands are ‘populist nonsense’ more likely to appear in election campaigns than ‘plug material gaps’ in council finances, an expert has warned.
On the road to improvement
Northumberland Council’s peer review, following a hard-hitting review of governance, shows the local authority has come a very long way in a short time, says Helen Paterson.
There’s real value in our arts
Council support for arts and culture is at serious risk amid the latest funding crisis. But we must find a way to sustain the arts as a remedy to our deepest challenges, says Alison Mckenzie-Folan.
Peers call for action on private ownership of children’s homes
Peers have called for action to tackle private companies’ dominance of the children’s homes market.
LGA lobbied over income tax devolution amid White Paper preparations
The Local Government Association’s (LGA) White Paper should make the case for councils to receive a share of income tax, sector experts have urged.
Wirral assurance panel ‘no longer required’
Wirral MBC’s Independent Assurance Panel (IAP) has officially stood down after declaring it was ‘no longer required’.
Watchdog tells Falkirk to confront 'difficult decisions'
Falkirk Council faces ‘difficult decisions’ to bridge a budget gap of tens of millions, according to Audit Scotland.
Councils hit with new productivity demands
Ministers have demanded councils improve their productivity in the same week as the Government quietly published a report revealing Whitehall makes the sector less efficient.
We need to measure prevention spend
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy will seek to answer how much are we currently spending on prevention, says chief executive Rob Whiteman.
The will to win in Wilts
Wiltshire Council was the setting for the latest round of the Local Government Challenge, which focused on ways to support residents through the cost of living crisis. Viola Owembabazi reports.
Struggles continue for scandal-hit council contractor
A council contractor previously at the centre of a residential care abuse scandal has continued to struggle since it closed the sites.
Oflog should be handed audit oversight, MPs told
The Office for Local Government (Oflog) should be handed oversight of England’s broken audit regime – a role earmarked for the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) - accounting experts have told MPs.
Putting finance on the devolution to-do list
Seeking real fiscal autonomy for local government at times feels as elusive as the end of a rainbow, says Alison Griffin.
Transforming social housing: The task ahead for council teams
Now that the new social housing regulatory regime is in place, housing teams are embracing the challenge as an opportunity for positive change despite the immense pressure councils face, says Caroline Green.