CIPFA
Coronavirus leads to scrapping of three-year Spending Review
Plans to create a three-year settlement for public spending have been abandoned as latest figures show the havoc coronavirus is wreaking on the public finances.
Fears over growing data regulation
Finance chiefs warn public sector will suffer due to misuse of data by private firms.
Hammond: COVID has sealed the fate of centralism
The COVID crisis has ‘sealed the fate’ of centralised public services in the UK, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has warned.
Whiteman criticises 'reckless' council
A council has been criticised for making the first dive into the swaps market decades after a scandal involving Hammersmith & Fulham LBC.
Battle rages for multi-year settlement
A battle for a multi-year settlement for local government is unfolding ahead of the Government’s Spending Review.
Government urged to increase children's services funding
The Spending Review marks a crucial moment for a system of children’s social care that is reaching ‘breaking point,' an event heard this week.
Facing down the pandemic
A line-up of 13 top speakers delivered The MJ’s first virtual Future Forum on lessons learned from the pandemic and the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. Michael Burton and Heather Jameson report on the conclusions.
Whiteman: Audit appointment system not independent enough
The system of appointing auditors needs to be independent and not driven by a politically-led organisation, finance expert Rob Whiteman has argued.
Call for multi-year funding
Ministers have been urged to commit to multi-year settlements for local government by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
Future Forum: Business rates retention is doomed
Moves to fund local government using the proceeds from business rates are ‘doomed,’ according to a financial expert.
Social homes are not a quick fix issue
CIPFA's David Ayre considers if councils will have the capacity and resilience to be able to respond to the call for more social homes, and says radical change is needed that will take time to implement.
EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall draws up early warning system
The Government is plotting to create an early warning system alerting Whitehall to councils that may be in trouble, The MJ can reveal.
New oversight body 'dead in the water' without legislation
Sir Tony Redmond’s proposals for a new audit oversight body are ‘dead in the water’ unless the Government devotes some legislative time, a former Section 151 officer has warned.
Croydon would have issued s114 'in normal circumstances'
Croydon LBC’s £49m total net forecast general fund overspend means it would have had to have issued a Section 114 notice in ‘normal circumstances,’ senior councillors have heard.
We share the Redmond Review's key aims
CIPFA supports the key objective of the Redmond Review to ensure the statutory framework for local government financial reporting aids transparency and accountability, and its focus on longer-term sustainability is vital, says Rob Whiteman.
No going back on audit
Heather Jameson talks to the author of The Redmond Review Sir Tony Redmond about the flaws in local government audit, the need for a new body to manage, oversee and regulate – and what will happen if his recommendations aren’t implemented quickly.
Taxing questions on a flawed system
The Treasury announced a call for evidence on business rates. Martin Ford speaks to experts about the system’s flaws, and whether the Government can enact radical change in a time of coronavirus and Brexit.
LGA code of conduct under fire
A model code of conduct for councillors put forward by the Local Government Association (LGA) lacks teeth, according to bodies representing officers.
IFS finds £2bn budget black hole
Councils face a budget black hole of £2bn this year due to unfunded coronavirus costs, a new study has found.
Birmingham improvement model could be used elsewhere
An improvement model that has helped turn around Birmingham City Council could be rolled out to other struggling local authorities.
