Think tank
Councils ‘resistant’ to repurposing empty commercial space
A think-tank has accused local authorities of being ‘resistant’ to measures that could see empty retail spaces repurposed for housing.
Social care reform depends on market overhaul
Social care reform will ‘fail’ without addressing weaknesses in the provider market, a think-tank has warned.
Think-tank calls for reform of 'regressive' council tax in Scotland
Council tax in Scotland should be increased to the same levels as the rest of the UK, a think-tank has argued today.
Public backs more city devolution
More than eight in 10 people support more devolution to England’s largest cities, a new poll has revealed.
Budget should give more cash to councils, claims IFS
Next month’s Budget should allocate more funding for local government, health and education while a revamped and higher council tax should replace stamp duty, says a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Think-tank launches levelling up Big Bang theory
The Government should launch a Northern Big Bang to ‘unleash a torrent of investment into the Northern economy’ says a report from a Conservative think-tank.
Councils face £1.3bn shortfall on council tax, says IFS
Councils face a £1.3bn shortfall in the council tax they were expecting for 2020/21, finance think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has calculated.
Treasury in property tax rethink
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is believed to be rethinking property taxes – including council tax and business rates – in a bid to balance the books post-COVID.
Public health cuts biggest in North East
The Midlands and the North have suffered the biggest public health cuts in England, new analysis has revealed.
Ministers urged to turbo-charge levelling up agenda
Ministers have been urged to turbo-charge their ‘levelling up’ agenda after latest figures show the North of England economically slipping further behind the rest of the country.
Remove 'adversarial' funding to level up regions
Removing competition from local authority funding is needed to level up the country, a think-tank has concluded in a new report.
Think-tank issues warning on Brexit readiness
Local authorities and the devolved nations risk being overwhelmed by Brexit as they are trying to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, a think tank has claimed.
Government needs a plan to tackle public service backlog, says IfG
The Government needs a plan to address backlogs in public services caused by the coronavirus crisis, a new report has claimed.
Think tank proposes 10-point plan to reform business rates
The valuation of business rates should be devolved to local government, under proposals published by the Centre for Cities.
Think tank calls for rates reform
Council tax and business rates should be reformed as part of a major overhaul of the UK’s tax system says a new study from the free market think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies.
Streamline local government under plans to save £30bn a year, think-tank argues
Streamlining local government and selling off high-value council properties could save billions every year, according to a think-tank.
Levelling up would add £242bn to economy each year, research finds
Successfully delivering on the levelling up agenda would boost the economy by £242bn a year, new research has found.
Think-tank proposes axing hundreds of councils
England’s 349 councils should be replaced with 69 unitary authorities, a think-tank has argued.
IFS issues warning over EU funding
Funding from Brussels for the UK’s poorest regions may have to roll over another year if the Government continues to prevaricate over its replacement post-Brexit, warns a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Think tank calls for £200bn rescue package from Sunak
Chancellor Rishi Sunak should announce a targeted £200bn fiscal stimulus package in his statement tomorrow equal to 10% of GDP to aid the economic recovery says think-tank the Resolution Foundation.
