County Councils Network
CCN: Council cuts to reach £1bn
English county council spending and cuts to frontline services will amount to £1bn in the next financial year, research has found.
Councils overspend £800m on children's services
Councils in England overspent £816m on children’s services in 2017/18, according to official figures.
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.
Reforming two-tier arrangements
Reorganisation has proved controversial in many parts of the country. James Maker suggests pooling new and existing powers at the strategic level could offer a more politically attractive devolution agenda in county areas.
LEPs in Whitehall engagement warning
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have privately warned Whitehall departments they must improve their engagement if they are to deliver a post-Brexit boost to the UK, The MJ has learnt.
Councils warn of no deal Brexit risks
A no deal Brexit would leave councils struggling with new checks on EU imports and without access to billions of pounds, Smith Square has warned.
Ministers to 'review local government taxation'
Senior ministers have told the sector they are in favour of looking at local government taxation, The MJ understands.
Building the evidence base for a long-term settlement
James Maker says Northamptonshire CC’s mismanagement of austerity should not prevent us talking about the latter more openly.
Jamieson beats Simmonds to top Tory role
Central Bedfordshire Council leader James Jamieson has been elected the new leader of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Conservative Group.
Counties call for pre-Spending Review cash injection
Nearly one in five county council leaders are ‘not confident’ they can deliver a balanced budget next year without extra funding, a new survey has revealed.
Developing new housing solutions
Counties are taking matters into their own hands to deliver homes for their communities, with many enlisting the help of private sector firms. Cllr Philip Atkins looks at the progress so far
Social care green paper delayed - again
The long-awaited social care green paper has been further delayed until the autumn after repeated Whitehall insistencies it was on track.
In high need of a funding solution
Over the last few years, much progress has been made to highlight the growing pressures in both children’s services and schools funding for councils.
A time for leadership and reflection
As senior figures head to Dorset for the ACCE conference, three key participants discuss what areas they are looking to see the sector improve upon.
Government could intervene in tier splits row
The Government could be left to intervene to settle the thorny issue of business rates tier splits under 75% retention, The MJ understands.
Two-tier split issue to be decided
Work to thrash out how two-tier areas will split the cash from 75% business rates retention is expected to take place throughout the spring and summer.
Deprivation key to fair funding - Core Cities
Student numbers, deprivation, density and pollution should all be recognised by the Government when it draws up new spending formulas, the Core Cities have argued.
Timetable will plunge sector into 'crisis management'
Local government would be thrown into a period of ‘crisis management’ under the Government’s current fair funding timetable, Whitehall has been warned.
Over-85 numbers must be in new formula - CCN
County councils have said it is ‘crucial’ that the new funding formula is able to reflect the growing number of over-85s.
Districts committed to contest single unitary
Buckinghamshire districts have vowed to fight plans for a single unitary council for the county after they were backed by local government secretary Sajid Javid.