What really caused the council funding crisis?
Max Mosley, NIESR, explores the origins of the local government funding crisis and warns the next government will have to act quickly to address it.
Blow to council hopes for cash boost
23/04/2024 The prospect of extra cash for councils has faded further with the latest public finance figures showing the UK borrowed more than expected last month. |
Oflog should be handed audit oversight, MPs told
16/04/2024 Oflog should be handed oversight of England’s broken audit regime – a role earmarked for the Financial Reporting Council - accounting experts have told MPs. |
Clark: Tories and Labour unwilling to address SEND crisis
15/04/2024 Labour and the Conservatives have been accused of an ‘unwillingness’ to confront the crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services. |
Five million could be disenfranchised by voter ID, polling finds
11/04/2024 Five million voters could be disenfranchised by the Government’s new voter ID rules at the General Election, first-of-its-kind polling has suggested. |
'Business as usual' for Lancashire councillors despite resignations
02/04/2024 Councillors in Lancashire have insisted it will be ‘business as usual’ despite 20 resignations in protest at the leadership of the national Labour party. |
Voter ID legal challenge launched
19/02/2024 A legal challenge has been mounted against the Government over voter ID requirements for elections. |
Rayner floats three-year pay deal
14/02/2024 An incoming Labour Government could throw its weight behind a longer-term pay deal for the sector to avoid the embarrassment of strikes, well-placed sources have suggested. |
Minister shrugs off election concerns
06/12/2023 Fears that pressures on elections officials will leave them overwhelmed at the next election have been dismissed by local government minister Simon Hoare. |
Current climate making it ‘impossible’ for councils to carry on
15/11/2023 Soaring demand, rising pay bills and inflationary costs are making it ‘virtually impossible’ to keep councils going, a senior chief executive has said. |
Housing minister among casualties of Sunak reshuffle
13/11/2023 The UK will have its 16th housing minister in 12 years after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s sweeping reshuffle affected the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. |
Labour regeneration plans will fail 'without radical action'
31/10/2023 An incoming Labour government’s regeneration plans will fail without radical action to devolve financial decision-making, researchers have warned. |
Council leaders create roadmap for a Starmer government
26/09/2023 A plan for a future Labour administration to ‘reform public services and rebuild trust’ has been drawn out by local authority leaders. |
Bentley insists level two devolution 'best option' for county
21/09/2023 Essex CC’s Conservative leader Kevin Bentley has insisted that a level two devolution deal is the ‘best option’ for the county. |
Rayner takes levelling up role as Starmer shuffles his pack
04/09/2023 Labour leader Keir Starmer has appointed his deputy Angela Rayner as the party’s new shadow levelling up secretary. |
South East Councils to consider devolution of vehicle excise duty
01/09/2023 The devolution of vehicle excise duty (VED) will be among the options expected to be considered by a London Finance Commission-style investigation. |
Local government funding system has 'broken down'
15/08/2023 The funding system for local government has ‘broken down’ and what councils currently receive from Whitehall and council tax barely reflects need, a think-tank has warned. |
Fresh LGA drive to influence MPs over skills
07/08/2023 The Local Government Association has proposed to establish a skills and employment working group as it seeks to influence MPs ahead of the election. |
Risk of 'major electoral failure,' officers warn
26/06/2023 Pressure on council teams running elections will only be recognised in the event of a ‘major electoral failure,’ a new report has warned. |
Pension changes could ease recruitment pressure
21/03/2023 Changes to the pension rules could ease the pressure on senior recruitment in local government, sector figures have suggested. |
Devolution White Paper to be replaced by levelling up proposals
04/05/2021 A levelling up White Paper will replace the long-awaited policy document on devolution and local recovery. |
Jenrick hails 'biggest multi-billion pound spending increase in a decade'
20/12/2019 Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed what he describes as the ‘biggest multi-billion pound spending increase for councils in a decade’. |
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In a nutshell: What the election result means for local government
13/12/2019 With the Conservative party securing its biggest majority since the 1980s, what does this mean for local government? |
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Hundreds of Cardiff students 'unable to vote'
13/12/2019 Around 200 students in Cardiff were left unable to vote yesterday after failing to register correctly. |
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Software glitch means some people wrongly told they can vote
11/12/2019 Councils have been urgently checking their electoral registers after being told to install a last-minute software release. |
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Bed delays to hit 2.5m days since last election
04/12/2019 More than 2.5m bed days will have been lost in the NHS due to a lack of social care since the last General Election, new analysis has concluded. |
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Voters face 'stark choice' on public spending - IFS
29/11/2019 The choice could not be clearer on public spending plans by the main political parties according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. |
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Lib Dems unveil plans to tackle homelessness
28/11/2019 The Liberal Democrats have set out a raft of plans to end rough sleeping if they won the General Election. |
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'Huge' increase in voter registration
27/11/2019 The number of people registering to vote as increased by 31% compared to the 2017 general election, new figures reveal. |
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No parties would reduce child poverty, warns think tank
26/11/2019 None of the party manifestos would reduce levels of child poverty, new research from the Resolution Foundation has found. |
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Tories promise cash boost for infrastructure and skills
25/11/2019 A Conservative Government would deliver record investments in infrastructure, childcare and skills, according to the party’s manifesto. |
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Labour pledges to restore council spending to 2010 levels
21/11/2019 Council spending powers will be restored to 2010 levels over the next five years, if Labour wins the General Election. |
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Labour promises biggest council house building programme for decades
21/11/2019 Labour has pledged to create a 'housing revolution' with the biggest council house building programme since the Second World War. |
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Northants reorganisation stalled amid election
08/11/2019 Plans to reorganise cash-strapped Northamptonshire County Council have stalled amid the general election. |
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Cost of alternative polling stations to be funded by Whitehall
06/11/2019 Councils will be reimbursed for the cost of finding alternative polling stations in the upcoming General Election. |
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Getting creative to avoid voting problems
04/11/2019 The forthcoming general election comes at a busy time of year amid warnings of serious strains on the voting system. But the worries may be exaggerated, Mark Whitehead learned. |
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Queen's Speech 19: Voter ID requirement at elections to be rolled out
14/10/2019 The Queen’s Speech has set out the Government’s plans to require voters to show photographic ID at polling stations. |
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'Cracks' starting to show in electoral system
16/09/2019 Election administrators have warned of ‘cracks’ beginning to show in the electoral system with the prospect of another poll on the horizon. |
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Labour would create local government commission
11/02/2019 Labour would create a new commission that would allow councillors to influence every decision that affects local authorities if they won a General Election. |
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Chief executive suspended after elections review
27/11/2017 Newcastle-under-Lyme BC has suspended its chief executive and monitoring officer after an independent review into problems faced by voters at the General Election. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.
