Whitehall
LGPS expenditure rises
The total expenditure of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in England and Wales was £12.7bn in 2017/18, newly-published statistics have shown.
SOLACE Summit: Commercialisation crackdown warning
A senior civil servant has warned councils the Government could crack down if commercialisation trends continue.
SOLACE: 'Don't screw it up' on housing
Dame Louise Casey gave council chiefs a stark warning when it comes to the push for new housing: ‘Don’t screw it up.’
SOLACE: 'It's no way to run a country,' says Miller
The current state of public finances are ‘no way to run a country,’ SOLACE president Jo Miller told council chiefs at their annual conference.
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.
SOLACE Summit: Councils are at back of austerity queue
Councils are at the ‘end of the queue’ when it comes to receiving funding from the Treasury, the chief executive of Brighton & Hove Council has said.
EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs warning to May if austerity not lifted
More councils face scaling back services to a minimum statutory offer if prime minister Theresa May reneges on her promise of ‘better times ahead,’ local authority chief executives have warned.
Dilnot in hypothecated tax warning
The solution to the social care funding crisis should emerge from general taxation and means-testing reforms instead of hypothecated taxes, Sir Andrew Dilnot has warned.
EXCLUSIVE: LGA improvement cash could be slashed
Smith Square’s top-slice funding could be slashed under plans being considered by Whitehall over fears the sector-led improvement regime is not delivering good value.
Casey: Involve councils in sorting Universal Credit
Whitehall must use the expertise of councils to sort out Universal Credit (UC), a former senior Government adviser has told The MJ.
McVey: Some people will be worse off under Universal Credit
Work and pensions secretary Esther McVey has admitted that some people will be worse off as a result of the introduction of Universal Credit (UC).
Conference hears tourist tax call
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) has used its annual conference to call for fiscal devolution, including a tourist tax.
Barking & Dagenham first council to sign May's race charter
Barking & Dagenham LBC has become the first council to sign up to the Race at Work Charter announced by prime minister Theresa May.
Bradley praises council efforts in 'challenging landscape'
Northern Ireland’s secretary of state today emphasised her commitment to restoring devolution and praised the effort made by local government in drawing up City Deals.
MHCLG rejects performance call
Marsham Street has rejected MPs’ call to publish a regular breakdown of council performance across a range of services.
Northamptonshire seeks to stabilise finances
Cash-strapped Northamptonshire CC has agreed a stabilisation plan to help deal with an in-year forecast revenue overspend of more than £20m.
Strictly housing
Theresa May has lifted the cap on how much councils can borrow against their Housing Revenue Account assets – but more problems lie ahead, says Heather Jameson
Brokenshire writes: Lifting the barriers to building
Councils are the ‘sleeping giant’ of our housing system, as James Brokenshire explains, and now is the time to remove the barriers preventing them from delivering the homes their communities need.
Delay to apprenticeship scheme
Plans for a child and family social worker apprenticeship have been hit by delays.
London Councils calls for cross-departmental look at pressures
The Government should heed the advice of other departments beyond the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) when it comes to making spending decisions, London Councils has argued.