CIPFA
Slipping through the cracks
CIPFA and Xantura have set up a data partnership to support the local authority fight against COVID-19.The key aim is to find and protect those in immediate need, say Rob Whiteman and Wajid Shafiq.
EXCLUSIVE: Four months before action taken on second business rates error
Senior Whitehall officials were not told about a second major error in the administration of business rate pilots until four months after it was flagged, The MJ has learnt.
EXCLUSIVE: No bail outs for commercial investments
Plans to bail out councils struggling with their finances could vary between authorities - but they will not cover commercial investments, The MJ understands.
EXCLUSIVE: New rules would see councils warn ministers before a s114
Finance directors would need to warn the government before they issued a Section 114 notice during the coronavirus pandemic, if new rules get the go-ahead.
EXCLUSIVE: Districts braced for lost income
Woking, South Norfolk and Craven DCs are likely to be the hardest hit when it comes to lost income.
Treasury criticised for 'attack' on council sovereignty
A Treasury crackdown on local authorities using cheap finance to buy commercial property for rental income is an ‘attack on the sovereignty of councils,’ a senior councillor has said.
Facing down an uncertain future
Already cash-strapped following a decade of austerity, councils now face fighting a national crisis on a basic budget with their financial futures left in the balance. Heather Jameson reports.
Warning over coronavirus and commercial investment cocktail
Worried finance chiefs have warned some councils that invested in commercial property have been put at increased risk by the coronavirus pandemic.
Questioning the quantum
The ‘business as usual’ funding envelope is not enough in a time of emergency. Rob Whiteman advocates a rethink of the planned fair funding review.
We must take stock
Sir Bob Neill says that in the ‘grown-up public discussion’ that he hopes will take place after the pandemic has subsided, ‘we should give serious thought to what is expected of local government’
CIPFA: 17 years to work through council housing waiting list
It could take up to 17 years to re-house individuals and families on the waiting list for council housing, data analysis by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has revealed.
CIPFA releases new deficits guidance
Councils will not be required to put aside money from their general reserves to support future funding of any dedicated schools grant (DSG) deficit, new guidance has confirmed.
Crisis has exposed council finances, Whiteman tells MPs
The coronavirus crisis has exposed just how far public services have been cut, finance expert Rob Whiteman has told MPs.
Councils urged to help struggling care providers
Care minister Helen Whately has urged local authorities to use government funding to help any providers who are struggling.
Looking beyond the lockdown
We may be in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, but what will happen to public finances when we come out the other side, asks Michael Burton
Coronavirus cash allocations are 'out of date', says IFS
Out of date spending assessments mean councils may not be getting their fair share of cash to deal with the coronavirus crisis, latest figures from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) have revealed.
Bid to relax accountancy codes rejected
Plans to streamline the preparation of last year’s local authority accounts to reduce the burden on finance departments struggling with the impact of the coronavirus have been scrapped after regulators objected.
Coronavirus cash is not enough to cover costs of crisis
The Government is looking at a ‘package of measures’ to financially support councils hit by soaring costs and plummeting income amid the coronavirus crisis.
Council staff warn fraud is a major risk for local government
Two-thirds of local government professionals think fraud is a major risk for councils, a new survey has revealed.
Fraud in times of crisis
As CIPFA publishes research showing local government professionals believe fraud is a major risk, Marc McAuley says we must learn from past mistakes.
