Rob Whiteman CBE
Retrograde is no way to fund financial recovery
If councils call out the Government for glossing over the facts, they must ensure terms such as balancing the budget and capitalisation are not matters of ‘spin’, says Rob Whiteman.
Selling the family silver is a mistake
The Government is Incentivising councils to sell off publicly-owned assets, 'but these flexibilities should not become business as usual and they are not a sufficient substitute for a reform of our broken funding system', warns Rob Whiteman.
Fundamental reform of council funding will require a cross-party initiative
If the next Government sticks to current commitments, performance in services will deteriorate further, says Rob Whiteman.
Section 114s: where are we headed next?
After a spate of councils issuing section 114 notices, Rob Whiteman looks at what has been done so far in response and details the further reforms he wants.
A proper fair funding review is needed for levelling up to make a difference
More than seven years ago the Government launched a call for evidence on the needs and redistribution of local government funding, which has been consistently pushed down the priority list, says Rob Whiteman.
Council tax rises are set to continue
Given the economic outlook, even councils where tax has risen may still need to use reserves to bridge a funding gap caused by inflationary cost pressures, says Rob Whiteman.
It will be the service user who risks losing the most from delayed audits
As the NAO report concludes, delays in local audit accounts pose a risk to the Whole of Government Accounts, says Rob Whiteman - while missing data affects the quality and makes them less useful.
The £250m for winter pressures will not alleviate the underlying cause
A longer-term strategic style of service delivery must emerge as a platform for reform of health and social care, argues Rob Whiteman. 'Without certainty of funding and long-term investment all public services can do is firefight.'
Autumn Statement: The coming years will be extraordinarily difficult
The chancellor hopes for growth by balancing tax rises and spending restraint, but the statement does little to address the serious underlying economic issues, says Rob Whiteman.
There is little local government fat left to trim
Rob Whiteman is worried the chancellor will look on an already-stretched local government sector as easy pickings to help pay for his £43bn tax cuts. 'Local authorities need to prepare for the worst.'
What can the new PM do on the cost of living crisis?
The Government will need to do more to support people through the winter – not just those on the lowest incomes, says Rob Whiteman. 'The cost of doing nothing will be too great to bear.'
What lies ahead for the flagship agendas?
'Securing long-term funding was always needlessly tricky for local authorities, but will become even more challenging in the months ahead with the revolving doors to the Treasury and No10 about to come off their hinges', says Rob Whiteman.
Examining internal audit's vital role
A new report from CIPFA makes the case for effective and impactful internal audit in the UK public sector and has found that although there are areas where it is working well, there is scope for improvement, says Rob Whiteman.
Good financial management is the secret to successful integration
Adopting a whole-systems approach will be key to the success of Integrated Care Systems. However, to be effective this must be driven by all partners at all levels of leadership, says Rob Whiteman.