Search Results for "jonathan carr-west"
Carving out a financial solution
With local government currently in the spotlight in General Election year, Dr Jonathan Carr-West looks at ways councils can capitalise to make their case for funding reforms.
Government agrees £2.5bn of capitalisation directions
A total of 19 councils have agreed in-principle capitalisation directions worth almost £2.5bn with the Government.
14 councils ‘likely’ to issue s114s next year
More than half of councils are likely to issue a section 114 notice within the next Parliament unless funding is reformed, senior local authority figures have warned.
‘Back off Gove!’
Secretary of state under fire from councils over ‘micromanagement’ of their finances.
No promise of extra funding from Rayner
Shadow levelling up secretary Angela Rayner has avoided committing Labour to providing local government with additional funding if the party wins the impending General Election.
Freedom to be and to do
Local government needs a multi-year sustainable funding settlement; central government needs to trust its local counterpart to do its job and councils need to win back the trust of the people they serve, writes Jonathan Carr-West.
Scottish finance settlement 'is not enough'
The Scottish Government has said councils will receive the equivalent of a 5% council tax increase next year.
Call for MPs' help over ‘inadequate’ settlement
Councils are to turn to MPs to make the case to the Government following the announcement of an ‘inadequate’ £64bn finance settlement.
One in four Scottish councils have doubts over budgets
One in four Scottish councils fear they will be unable to balance their 2024-25 budgets, a new Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) Scotland survey has found.
One in five councils 'likely' to issue section 114
Almost one in five councils believe bankruptcy is likely within two years, while doubt hangs over next years’ budgets for 70% of counties, according to new surveys.
Nottingham issues s114 notice
Nottingham City Council has issued a section 114 notice after failing to deliver a balanced budget for the current financial year.
Autumn Statement: Hunt devolves but councils face new costs
The chancellor has unfrozen housing benefits and announced positive devolution news in his Autumn Statement, but signalled tighter public spending despite raising the National Living Wage.
Councils at ‘significant legal risk’ over issues facing monitoring officers
A report has called for the creation of a professional body for monitoring officers and a review of council structures to ensure their position within the ‘top tier of governance’.
Lessons still to learn
It looks like Scotland’s Verity House agreement has fallen at the first hurdle, but in England we should not consign it to the dustbin of failed experiments, says Dr Jonathan Carr-West.
Predictable shock stories...but where is the vision?
Birmingham's s114 notice was expected but that didn't make it less eye-popping, says Heather Jameson. Angela Rayner's appointment as the new shadow secretary of state was also unsurprising. 'But the big question will be: what is her vision for local government?'
Shocked… but not surprised
Dr Jonathan Carr-West remains shocked at the state of local government finance, but it is no longer a revelation. The real surprise would be a solution.
Optimistic nihilism
It feels like local government is close to breaking point, but it doesn’t have to be this way, says Dr Jonathan Carr-West.
The truth about council failures
As the sorry saga of financial failures at the likes of Woking BC and Thurrock Council continues to emerge, Paul Marinko explores the likely consequences and remedies for local government.
An out-of-the-ordinary election
Jonathan Carr-West says successive administrations have weakened local government: starving it of power and resources. With less weight and less agency, it is more exposed to the national political weather.
Big losses for Conservative councils
The Conservatives have lost seats in the North, South and Midlands, with Labour and the Lib Dems scooping up victories.