CIPFA
Burns faces possible redundancy
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s immediate past president, Andy Burns, is facing possible redundancy from his day job.
Hodge set to step down from Surrey
Surrey CC leader Cllr David Hodge will announce his departure from the crisis hit authority at a full council meeting tomorrow.
New ethics guidance for under-pressure officers
The organisation representing council finance officers has updated its ethics guidance as the pressure grows on public sector accountants.
Council hits back at 'illegitimate' claim
Newham LBC has denied claims that decisions to enter into controversial high-interest loans were illegitimate.
Lessons from ‘failure’
In the context of Northamptonshire’s failure and warnings of other councils on the edge of collapse, Ed Hammond argues local approaches are likely to work better than the formal intervention regime
SOLACE Summit: Commercialisation crackdown warning
A senior civil servant has warned councils the Government could crack down if commercialisation trends continue.
SOLACE Summit: CIPFA to seek compromise over resilience index
The controversial proposed financial resilience index is likely to be a ‘compromise’ between critics who believe it is unhelpful and supporters who welcome its timing, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) chief executive Rob Whiteman.
SOLACE Summit: Dawes rejects NHS cash grab idea
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) top civil servant has encouraged council chief executives to be bold in their asks from Whitehall.
A sticking plaster on social care?
Health secretary Matt Hancock’s social care cash announcement at the Conservative Party conference was overshadowed by the Prime Minister’s housing announcements, but Ann McGauran asks if it goes far enough
Brokenshire: 10,000 homes a year
Councils will be able to build up to 10,000 homes a year after prime minister Theresa May scrapped the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) borrowing cap, the housing secretary has said.
Is housing cash enough?
Prime Minister Theresa May’s announcement surrounding the £2bn long-term funding for social housing divided opinion within the sector. Some were positive, but many more cynical about what they thought were smoke and mirrors, says Rob Whiteman
Exploring a risk business
What started out as a conversation with his chief executive, resulted in a dissertation on the impact of commercialisation on local authorities. Robert Weaver delves into the aspects of non-financial risk and its implications
SOLACE: Peer reviews should be made mandatory and transparent
Council chief executives have suggested that the Local Government Association’s (LGA) peer reviews should be made ‘mandatory and transparent as they were originally intended to be’.
Whiteman urges STPs to set own agenda
Sustainability and transformation partnerships (STP) should seize the initiative to push forward with their own agenda, a senior sector figure has urged.
CIPFA faces member rebellion over traffic light index
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is facing opposition from its own members to its proposals for a traffic light-style resilience index, The MJ understands.
Critical thinking for critical times
CIPFA’s Rob Whiteman highlights the need for bold, detailed planning and decision-making to stem the tide as local authorities continue to provide services while lobbying for much needed resources from Government.
Council tax revaluation calls grow
Finance chiefs have said it is ‘untenable’ for local government to rely on the creaking council tax system without a politically-challenging revaluation of properties.
CIPFA guidance to strengthen finance officer LEP role
Moves to strengthen the role of Section 151 officers in local enterprise partnerships (LEP) have been made by the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
Whiteman: NHS will benefit most from Spending Review
Councils were this week warned not to expect a significant windfall in next spring’s Spending Review by the man who represents local government finance officers.
Evolution, not revolution
New CIPFA president Sarah Howard talks to Dan Peters about the recent financial problems facing the sector, the controversy over the proposed financial resilience index, and how transparency and trust are key to getting back on track.