Autumn Budget: Council chiefs warn against ‘disastrous’ cuts
13/09/2024 Council leaders have urged the Government not to make any further cuts in the Autumn Budget, warning that councils face ‘systemic financial failure’. |
Pension funds told to report annually on pooling progress
17/05/2024 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds should report annually on progress against pooling and private equity investments, fresh guidance has said. |
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. |
DWP fails to commit to continuing Household Support Fund
08/01/2024 The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has failed to commit to making the Household Support Fund (HSF) available to councils in 2024-25. |
One in five councils report bankruptcy fears
06/12/2023 A poll of council leaders and chief executives has revealed that one in five think it likely that their chief finance officer will need to issue a Section 114. |
Lincolnshire consults on devolution plan
05/12/2023 Residents across Greater Lincolnshire are being consulted on a devolution proposal for the region. |
Brighton’s finances in ‘perilous position’
04/12/2023 Brighton & Hove City Council’s finances are in an ‘extremely perilous position’, the local authority’s leader has warned. |
Councils welcome PWLB rate extension
27/11/2023 Councils have welcomed Jeremy Hunt’s decision to extend preferential Public Works Loan Board borrowing rates for Housing Revenue Account (HRA) expenditure. |
Can local government take much more?
27/11/2023 Dr Andrew Walker, head of Research, LGIU reflects on the Autumn Statement and asks: what might it take for the Government to pay attention to local authorities? |
How the Autumn Statement failed children’s services
24/11/2023 Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton, chair of Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA), looks at what the Autumn Statement meant for children’s services. |
Autumn Statement: Hull and East Yorkshire leaders welcome devolution deal
23/11/2023 Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council have welcomed the announcement of a proposed devolution deal for Hull and East Yorkshire. |
Autumn Statement: Councils remain ‘chronically underfunded’
23/11/2023 Support for private renters, devolution, and planning departments is welcome but councils remain ‘chronically underfunded’, council chiefs tell Chancellor. |
Autumn Statement: Hunt announces surprise LGPS plan
22/11/2023 The Chancellor has announced a surprise target to ensure all Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds are invested in asset pools of £200bn or more. |
Autumn Statement: Unprotected departments face further cuts
22/11/2023 So-called ‘unprotected’ Whitehall departments face further budget tightening despite a pledge in the Autumn Statement to increase public sector productivity. |
Autumn Statement: Living Wage hike places council budgets under pressure
22/11/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed the biggest-ever hike in the UK minimum wage – but the move places strained council finances under fresh pressure. |
Autumn Statement: Business rates measures to be fully funded
22/11/2023 Plans to extend business rates relief will be fully funded for local authorities, the small print of the Autumn Statement has confirmed. |
Autumn Statement: Councils to be able to recover planning costs
22/11/2023 Councils will be able to recover the costs of business planning applications in return for being required to meet faster timelines, Chancellor says. |
Gove hints at autumn statement gifts
21/11/2023 Levelling up secretary Michael Gove hinted Christmas may come early for councils when Jeremy Hunt unveils his autumn statement this week. |
Britain faces 'highest tax raising parliament in history', CCN told
21/11/2023 Britain currently has the ‘highest tax raising parliament in history’, a leading economist has pointed out. |
Councils ‘pushed to the brink’ by children’s social care pressures
20/11/2023 A ‘perfect storm’ of financial pressures and rising numbers of children needing support are putting local authorities at risk of bankruptcy, councils warn. |
Councils call for emergency school transport funding
20/11/2023 ‘Spiralling’ transport costs for children with special educational needs are threatening the financial stability of England’s largest councils, according to a report. |
Hull’s finances ‘reaching the end of the road’
17/11/2023 The leader of Hull City Council has warned the Government that it will not be able to set a balanced budget in 2025-26 without intervention. |
LGA calls for Healthy Start uplift
13/11/2023 The value of the Healthy Start scheme should be increased by 20% to compensate for food inflation, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said. |
Homelessness warning over LHA freeze
09/11/2023 A maintained freeze on local housing allowance (LHA) rates could push 60,000 Londoners into homelessness over the next six years, according to new analysis. |
Chancellor urged to tackle audit backlog
06/11/2023 The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has called on the Government to ‘tackle the crisis’ in local authority financial reporting and audit. |
DCN writes to Hunt over temporary accommodation pressures
01/11/2023 Following a summit attended by 158 councils, the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has warned chancellor Jeremy Hunt about ‘unprecedented’ numbers of people turning to councils in the face of homelessness. |
Emergency summit held amid temporary accommodation warnings
31/10/2023 More than 150 councils this week attended an emergency summit as the cost of temporary accommodation to local authorities increases rapidly. |
EXCLUSIVE: Nightmare before Christmas?
26/10/2023 The provisional local government finance settlement will be published just before Christmas, council chiefs have been told. |
Concern over state of roads hits record high
20/10/2023 Half of drivers say the state of local roads is their top motoring concern – a record high since the RAC began asking for motorists' views on road conditions. |
Housing allowance freeze forcing more into homelessness, Government told
13/10/2023 More people will be forced into homelessness unless a three-year freeze on housing rental benefits is ended, the Government has been warned. |
Over £8bn needed to stop care ‘deteriorating’
25/09/2023 Sustainable planning for the care sector must replace short-term cash injections, the Health Foundation said as it published projected costs for adult social care. |
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. |
Cuts see ‘children’s services run like A&E’, charities warn
14/09/2023 Councils are spending more on crisis intervention in children’s services, a group of leading charities has warned today. |
DLUHC: No more section 114 notices expected
10/01/2023 Whitehall officials are not expecting councils to issue further section 114 notices in the coming weeks, crediting the sector’s ‘positive’ settlement. |
Stark Solace survey gives thumbs down to Autumn Statement
21/11/2022 Nine in 10 council managers believe the Autumn Statement will impact negatively on residents, with many frontline services expected to be axed. |
Autumn Statement: Hunt confirms council tax rises of 5%
17/11/2022 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced a likely 5% hike in council tax, as well as swinging public spending cuts, as part of a dramatic Autumn Statement. |
Autumn statement: Investment zones ‘refocus’ in Autumn Statement
17/11/2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has binned ‘existing expressions of interest’ from councils to set up investment zones as the Government moves to ‘refocus’ the programme. |
Autumn Statement: Hunt shores up public services
17/11/2022 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled an Autumn Statement aimed at stabilising the economy in the aftermath of his predecessor’s catastrophic mini Budget in September. |
Autumn Statement: £1bn extension to Household Support Fund
17/11/2022 Local authorities will receive £1bn of funding to ensure vulnerable households are supported through the cost of living crisis, the chancellor has announced today. |
Autumn Statement: Social housing rent rise capped at 7%
17/11/2022 Social landlords could see losses of £4.9bn in rental income over the next five years after the chancellor confirmed rents will be capped at 7% next year in his Autumn Statement. |
Rural services 'may be lost' without funding formula
16/11/2022 Ministers should implement the 2013-14 funding formula which promised to improve rural finances before measures were dampened or risk losing key countryside services, experts have argued. |
Chancellor warned local services ‘on a cliff-edge’
01/11/2022 Local authority leaders have urged the PM ahead of the upcoming autumn statement to ensure that councils have the funding necessary to protect services. |
Councils need 'clarity' on highways funding allocations
29/11/2016 A leading motorists' organisation has demanded clarity from transport secretary Chris Grayling over plans for spending on roads. |
‘How the hell are we going to pay for social care?’
28/11/2016 William Eichler talks to chief executive of the LGiU, Jonathan Carr-West, to find out more about what the Autumn Statement didn't say. |
Local government 'worried' about what wasn't in Autumn Statement
24/11/2016 The chancellor has been blasted for what he failed to mention in yesterday’s Autumn Statement, including funding for social care and devolution beyond the major cities. |
Autumn Statement Overview: No 'respite' to local authority finances
23/11/2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond has unveiled an Autumn Statement which has given no real respite to local authority finances. |
Autumn Statement: Devolution at 'heart' of Government's approach to growth
23/11/2016 Devolution remains ‘at the heart’ of the Government’s approach to supporting local growth, chancellor Philip Hammond insisted in his Autumn Statement today. |
Autumn Statement: £1.4bn affordable housing investment ‘drop in the ocean’
23/11/2016 The Government has announced it is investing £1.4bn in an effort to deliver tens of thousands of affordable new homes. |
Autumn Statement: Councils facing £337m costs over new living wage
23/11/2016 Councils are expecting to fork out an extra £337m a year after the minimum wage was increased to £7.50 an hour in today’s Autumn Statement. |
Autumn Statement: Hammond ‘reinforces’ Universal Credit with benefit tweaks
23/11/2016 Phillip Hammond has announced an overhaul of the speed at which benefits are withdrawn under Universal Credit. |
Autumn Statement: Councillors 'furious' at failure to address social care funding crisis
23/11/2016 Local government has reacted with fury after the chancellor failed to address cross-sector calls to plug the soaring social care funding gap. |
Autumn Statement: 'Billions' released for road and rail
23/11/2016 Philip Hammond continued the Government policy of investing in transport to lay a foundation for growth, with billions being released for road and rail. |
Autumn Statement: Hammond to borrow £23bn for infrastructure
23/11/2016 Philip Hammond has said he will borrow to provide £23bn of ‘highly targeted’ funding for innovation and infrastructure. |
Government borrowing falls ahead of Autumn Statement
22/11/2016 Government borrowing fell by £1.6bn to £4.8bn last month compared to October 2015, thanks to better than expected tax revenues. |
Communities ‘can take no more pain’, councillors warn
22/11/2016 Local government is at a ‘defining moment’ and communities ‘can take no more pain’, Scottish council chiefs warn. |
£2.4bn in unallocated business rates could 'ease social care crisis'
16/11/2016 Councils should be given the £2.4bn in unallocated business rates to support social care services, a trade union has argued today. |
Whitehall should ‘reverse’ £600m education cut
15/11/2016 The Government should reverse the £600m proposed reduction to the Education Services Grant (ESG), council chiefs say. |
Social care system facing £1.9bn funding gap
08/11/2016 The publicly funded social care system faces a nearly £2bn funding gap next year - even if the majority of councils decide to levy the new precept on council tax. |
Cuts ‘terminal’ for frontline social care services
08/11/2016 Care funding cuts in county areas could soon be ‘terminal’, warns the County Councils Network (CCN) ahead of the Autumn Statement. |
Autumn Statement – Councils looking for chancellor to steady the ship
08/11/2016 All eyes will be on Philip Hammond on 23 November, when he makes his first Autumn Statement as chancellor of the exchequer. But what will council chiefs be hoping to hear in the Statement, and why? |
Business leaders call for £6bn increase in public investment
27/10/2016 The chancellor should use his forthcoming Autumn Statement to increase public spending by £6bn a year, boosting investment in local transport infrastructure, business leaders have said. |
London boroughs facing £2bn funding gap
13/10/2016 London boroughs are facing a ‘huge’ £2bn hole in their finances due to cuts in central Government funding. |
Business chiefs call for business rate review
23/02/2015 Business leaders have called on chancellor George Osborne to restate his commitment to reviewing business rates, amid fears an overhaul of commercial property charges could be kicked into the long grass. |
Capital winners from next Spending Review forecast
05/02/2015 Whitehall departments with large capital budgets are set to emerge as relative winners from the next full spending review, public finance experts have claimed. |
Scrapping of local welfare funding an ‘expensive mistake’, say councils
29/01/2015 Plans to scrap government support for local welfare assistance could put thousands at risk of homelessness and cost hundreds of millions of pounds, councils claim. |
The risk of cutting services
04/12/2014 As councils reduce services, will this expose them to new reputational, operational and financial risks? |
Public services still ‘at risk’ following Autumn Statement
04/12/2014 The chancellor’s Autumn Statement failed to show how public services can continue to be delivered under ongoing budget reductions, according to many local government experts. |
Autumn Statement: avoiding ‘breaking point’ for local government
03/12/2014 Today George Osborne has delivered the Autumn Statement, but how will it affect local authorities? |
Autumn Statement: Welfare cap still fit, OBR confirms
03/12/2014 Independent government economic forecasters have confirmed the Coalition remains on target to meeting its welfare cap commitment, chancellor George Osborne told MPs today. |
Autumn Statement: Little respite for local government
03/12/2014 The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, told local government his door was ‘open’ for more devolution as part of the Autumn Statement announced in Parliament today. |
Autumn Statement: Osborne announces transport tax boost
03/12/2014 Chancellor George Osborne has announced a few transport tax give-aways among major infrastructure plans designed for the next parliament including continuing the freeze in fuel duty. |
Autumn Statement: Experts question £15bn road investment
03/12/2014 At the heart of the infrastructure strategy for this Autumn Statement is a £15bn spending plan for the strategic road network, together with £5.8bn for local road maintenance, £2.3bn flood defence investment and a new cash boost for cycling. |
Autumn Statement: Unemployment rate to fall to 5.4% in 2015
03/12/2014 The UK’s unemployment rate will fall to 5.4% next year, according to figures published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). |
Autumn Statement: Property experts hail business rates review
03/12/2014 Property experts have hailed the chancellor for his pledge to hold a structural review of business rates in today’s Autumn Statement. |
Autumn Statement: Further devolution deals fail to materialise
03/12/2014 Chancellor George Osborne failed to announce any further devolution deals in today’s Autumn Statement. |
Autumn Statement: Osborne pushes through housing plan amid infrastructure drive
03/12/2014 Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed major reforms designed to speed up house building and the release of public sector land in his Autumn Statement. |
Autumn Statement: Local road funding reforms and allocations revealed
03/12/2014 The National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) 2014 published in tandem with the Autumn Statement today has confirmed regional roads cash allocations for the next parliament together with controversial reforms to the local capital maintenance funding. |
Autumn Statement: Osborne claims deficit reduction remains on track
03/12/2014 Chancellor George Osborne today told Parliament the deficit had been halved since 2010 and is falling, despite recent concerns the Treasury’s grip on retrenching public finances had been loosened. |
Osborne urged to put devolution at heart of Autumn Statement
03/12/2014 Chancellor George Osborne is under pressure to put devolution ‘at the heart’ of his final Autumn Statement of this parliament. |
New garden city planned for South East
02/12/2014 A new garden city in Oxfordshire is expected to be a central part of the Government’s bid to raise housing numbers in tomorrow’s Autumn Statement. |
Government unveils £15bn road investment plan
01/12/2014 A £15bn road investment plan unveiled today will see a 1.8mile road tunnel built under Stonehenge, among a raft of schemes designed to raise capacity. |
Leaders of 119 councils demand devolution and end to austerity
01/12/2014 The leaders of 119 councils in England have united to demand an end to austerity and greater power to match Scottish devolution commitments. |
Cameron announces £15bn 'roads revolution'
10/11/2014 Britain's worst traffic hotspots will be targeted in a £15bn roads makeover to be announced by prime minister David Cameron today. |
If the welfare cap fits, wear it
23/10/2014 Jonathan Werran on the countdown to chancellor George Osborne's quite wintry Autumn Statement on 3 December. |
Town hall chiefs call for place based funding
23/10/2014 Council leaders are lobbying the Government for immediate and greater financial freedoms. |
Think tank: Autumn Statement was curate's egg for cities
06/12/2013 George Osborne’s Autumn Statement was a 'curate's egg' for cities, a think tank has concluded. |
Pickles: Councils given ‘good deal’ in Autumn Statement
06/12/2013 Councils have been given a stable platform for house building in this year’s Autumn Statement, according to communities secretary Eric Pickles. |
AS2013: Local government safe from cuts, but Osborne expects council tax freeze
05/12/2013 Local government is expected to freeze council tax in return for protection from additional £2bn cuts to Whitehall budgets over the next two years, chancellor George Osborne warned in today’s Autumn Statement. |
AS2013: Osborne fails to remove housing borrowing cap
05/12/2013 Chancellor George Osborne announced an increase in the Housing Revenue Account borrowing limit in today’s Autumn Statement. |
AS2013: Government cuts green levies
05/12/2013 Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed the Government is rolling back energy levies and charges, in a move that will reduce the average household energy bill by £50 a year. |
AS2013: Chancellor announces further relief for motorists
05/12/2013 Chancellor George Osborne kept true to form in today’s Autumn Statement, with tax relief for motorists forming a central plank of the Government’s transport announcements. |
AS2013: Infrastructure ‘needs to be overhauled’
05/12/2013 The chancellor, George Osborne, has outlined his plans to invest in infrastructure as a central plank of the coalition government’s strategy for economic growth. |
AS2013: Free school meals receive £1bn in new funding
05/12/2013 Over £1bn of new funding will be allocated to provide free school meals for all infant school children and disadvantaged college students. |
AS2013: Public sector job losses offset by businesses
05/12/2013 Jobs lost in the public sector will be 'more than offset' by employment created by businesses, chancellor George Osborne has said. |
AS2013: Meet true cost of decent social care system, Age UK urges
05/12/2013 Charity Age UK has called on chancellor George Osborne to rescue the social care system in today’s Autumn Statement. |
AS2013: Further cuts would be disaster for councils, says Unison
05/12/2013 Further cuts to local government in today’s Autumn Statement would be a 'disaster' for councils, the general secretary of trade union Unison has said. |
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.