Finance Settlement
The waiting game
The challenge for national Government is how funding can be moved across to the local government sector and councils in Norfolk have presented their case and are waiting for the settlement announcement, says Jill Penn
EXCLUSIVE: Future of new homes bonus cast in doubt
The future of the £7bn New Homes Bonus is in doubt, after Treasury ministers revealed they believe the policy has failed.
Leading the charge
As the sector prepares to make its case with Whitehall about the future of local services at the forthcoming Society of Local Authority Chief Executives’ annual Summit next month, Dr Martin Reeves puts forward his vision for the future.
What to expect from the Spending Review
Next year’s Spending Review is likely to be one of the toughest since it was first introduced in 1998. In its first critical study of the review process, Whitehall-watcher the Institute for Government, suggests the approach the Treasury should adopt. Michael Burton reports on its conclusions.
Essex councils clash over business rates retention pilot
A bid by Essex’s local authorities to pilot a business rates retention project worth up to £20m could be torpedoed by Thurrock Council.
MHCLG consults on proposals to resolve negative RSG
Marsham Street has come up with plans to plug a £153m financial hole faced by councils next year.
Government announces business rates review
Communities secretary Sajid Javid has announced a review of the business rates system will be led by Andrew Hudson.
Javid orders review after second finance mistake
The Government has ordered a review after being forced to admit a second mistake in as many months in the way it calculates council payments.
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.
Sunak: Northamptonshire an exception
No other councils have contacted Whitehall with financial concerns on the scale of Northamptonshire CC, the local government minister has confirmed.
Gwynne calls for answers on 'fiasco' settlement
Andrew Gwynne has written to the Cabinet Office’s permanent secretary claiming Whitehall officials broke the civil service code ahead of the provisional finance settlement.
Rural-London clash over fair funding
London Councils is expected to clash with rural authorities over the upcoming fair funding review.
Honesty is still the best policy
Heather Jameson says those involved in the provisional local government finance settlement cover-up seemed to be more interested in remaining ‘blame free’ than resolving the matter.
EXCLUSIVE: Finance cover-up exposed
Key Whitehall departments involved in attempt to bury changes to provisional finance settlement data.
Councils ‘close to collapse’ despite extra cash offer
Councils remain ‘perilously close’ to financial collapse despite an additional £166m to support social care and rural services, the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Conservative chairman has warned.
Javid and Gwynne clash over finance settlement
Communities secretary Sajid Javid clashed today with his Labour rival Andrew Gwynne over errors in the provisional settlement as he saw off a threatened rebellion.
Is this cash injection too little too late?
In the aftermath of the first Section 114 notice in nearly 20 years, and a meagre increase in the finance finance settlement, Heather Jameson considers the state of local government finance
Gwynne demands Javid resignation for 'misleading' House of Commons
Shadow local government secretary Andrew Gwynne has demanded the resignation of his counterpart Sajid Javid after the minister admitted he knew the data behind the provisional finance settlement was wrong.
Javid finds extra £166m in final settlement
Local government secretary Sajid Javid has found an additional £166m to ease spending pressures in social care and rural areas in the final 2018/19 settlement.
May could be defeated on council finance
Tory MPs have warned the Government they are willing to mount a rebellion over the finance settlement for councils.