Council elections: A testing time for party alignments
Like it or not, the council elections will be dominated by an issue that has nothing to do with local government, says Mark Whitehead.
Birmingham to axe over 1,000 jobs due to ‘brutal’ Whitehall cuts
27/02/2019 Britain's biggest council says it is facing 'the most challenging period its history' after announcing a further round of huge cuts in its workforce. |
Northamptonshire approves 4.99% council tax rise
22/02/2019 Northamptonshire County Council has taken advantage of special freedom to increase council tax by 4.99% without needing to hold a referendum. |
MHCLG to make 'compelling case' for more funding
13/02/2019 Local government minister Rishi Sunak has vowed that his department will ‘make a compelling case’ for more funding ahead of this year’s Spending Review. |
Scottish council to cut 150 jobs
08/02/2019 Aberdeenshire Council is considering cutting up to 150 jobs over the next year in a bid to make savings. |
Northamptonshire budget process a ‘rollercoaster’
07/02/2019 The chief executive of Northamptonshire CC said the council’s budget was prepared with the speed of a rollercoaster. |
Scottish council chiefs ‘disappointed’ by Holyrood cuts
13/12/2018 Council chiefs in Scotland are ‘disappointed’ that the value of local services was not recognised by the Scottish government in yesterday’s budget. |
Council reduces workforce by 138 to balance budget
26/11/2018 Over 130 Bath and North East Somerset Council workers have been made redundant at a cost to the council of £4.75m. |
Budget 2018: Hammond praises local government
29/10/2018 In a Budget billed as the end of austerity, chancellor Phillip Hammond praised local government’s contribution to rescuing public finances and doled out cash for adult social care, mental health, high streets and roads. |
Budget 2018: £800m cash injection for social care
29/10/2018 Social care has been given an £800m boost in today’s Budget after chancellor Philip Hammond said he recognised the ‘immediate pressures’ local authorities were facing. |
Budget 2018: Google and Amazon to be hit by new tax
29/10/2018 A new UK digital services tax aimed at giants such as Google and Amazon will be narrowly targeted on UK-generated revenues from April 2020. |
Budget 2018: Cash for care could be swallowed up by rates relief
28/10/2018 Chancellor Phillip Hammond is expected to announce nearly a billion pounds for social care in an austerity-busting budget later today. |
Surge in child protection plans pushing services to ‘tipping point’
25/10/2018 Children’s services are approaching the point of crisis following a jump in demand, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Whitehall must spend £19bn annually to end austerity
16/10/2018 Theresa May’s promise to bring an ‘end to austerity’ is incompatible with the chancellor’s aim of balancing the books by the mid-2020s, financial experts say. |
Northants confirms £65m cuts package
10/10/2018 Crisis-hit Northamptonshire County Council has confirmed a £65m cuts package aimed at tackling a huge shortfall in its finances. |
Up to 130 jobs at risk at Somerset Council
04/09/2018 Staff will be forced to take two days unpaid leave, up to 130 jobs could be lost, winter gritting will be cut and a park-and-ride service suspended under a package of proposals by Somerset County Council to save £13m. |
Equal pay claims will put 'unprecedented' pressure on council, warns watchdog
23/08/2018 The cost of resolving equal pay claims could put 'unprecedented financial pressure' on council services in Glasgow, the spending watchdog has warned. |
Northamptonshire CC plan to save £70m ‘very tall order’
10/08/2018 Northamptonshire CC may face serious hurdles making savings by renegotiating contracts with third-party suppliers, public sector procurement expert warns. |
Fresh finance warning for Northamptonshire County Council
18/06/2018 Northamptonshire CC’s finance director has issued an early warning the county already risks missing key savings targets that enabled it to agree a legal budget. |
Crisis-hit county manages to balance its books
09/05/2018 Northamptonshire County Council has balanced the books for 2017/2018 and end the financial year without using all of its reserves. |
Councils need ‘decisive’ leadership to manage budget cuts
05/04/2018 Decisive leadership is needed to ensure council services remain sustainable, the spending watchdog for Scotland has warned. |
County at ‘crisis point’ announces revised budget
28/02/2018 Northamptonshire County Council has announced revised budget savings after being warned by auditors to revise its spending plans. |
MPs call on Government to ‘take over’ Northamptonshire CC
06/02/2018 Northamptonshire’s MPs have all signed a statement saying they had ‘no confidence’ in the council’s leadership due to its ‘self-inflicted’ financial problems. |
Labour accuses Government of 'holding back' local government
29/01/2018 Labour MPs have urged ministers to provide ‘strategic vision’ for local government. |
Essex council claims it is on track to become UK's first self-sufficient unitary authority
08/01/2018 Thurrock Council in Essex is claiming be the first local authority of its size to become financially 'self-sufficient'. |
LGA attacks 'counter-productive' cut
21/12/2017 A cut to councils’ public health grants has been criticised by the Local Government Association (LGA) for being ‘short-sighted and extremely counter-productive’. |
Scots Budget reveals plan to increase income tax bands
14/12/2017 The Scottish Government has unveiled a draft budget which raises income tax in a bid to raise an extra £164m to pay for public services. |
Council funding could be cut in half in next two years
11/12/2017 Councils face a 'cliff edge' unless the government provides urgent extra funding, local authorities leaders have warned - with some services disappearing altogether. |
Budget 2017: Devolution and housing key planks in speech
22/11/2017 Philip Hammond’s first Autumn Budget has seen the chancellor unveil a raft of new devolution deals, measures to boost housing and changes to resolve issues with controversial Universal Credit. |
Budget 2017: New devo deals for WMCA and North of Tyne
22/11/2017 The chancellor has pledged to ‘back’ the Northern Powerhouse, the Midlands Engine and elected mayors as he announced a pack of new devolution deals. |
Budget 2017: £2.6bn for STPs
22/11/2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced £2.6bn for the NHS’ sustainability and transformation partnerships (STP) in today’s Budget. |
Budget 2017: Housing Revenue Account cap lifted for some
22/11/2017 The Housing Revenue Account cap will be lifted for councils in ‘high-demand areas’ and stamp duty will be scrapped for most first-time buyers, chancellor Philip Hammond announced in his Budget speech today. |
Budget 2017: London to retain all local business rate growth
22/11/2017 London local government will be able to keep all its business rates growth as part of a 100% retention pilot. |
Council work highlighted ahead of Budget
21/11/2017 Local authorities have used this year’s 24-hour tweet-a-thon as an opportunity to showcase the huge range of services they provide ahead of a crunch Budget. |
Council to cut workforce by 15% by 2020
16/11/2017 Around 300 full-time jobs will be lost at Bath & North East Somerset Council as it tries to find savings of £16m by 2020. |
County outlines savings of £27m
15/11/2017 Suffolk County Council is planning to increase council tax for the first time in seven years in its budget for the year ahead. |
Six in ten councils make progress on business rates relief
15/11/2017 More than 200 councils have now reissued business rates bills in accordance with the Government’s discretionary relief package, latest figures have shown. |
Newcastle warns of 40 potential job cuts
13/11/2017 Newcastle City Council has announced it will have to save more than £13m next year and raise council tax in order to set a balanced budget, leading to the loss of 40 full-time jobs. |
Rate rise adds 'insult to injury' for public sector workers
02/11/2017 The Bank of England's interest rate rise adds 'insult to injury' for public sector employees, union chief Dave Prentis has claimed. |
The March issue of Local Government News explores alternative funding channels that are available to councils beyond the Public Works Loan Board, what hurdles merging councils face in coming together, and how local government is handling GDPR.
This issue also has a special highways and street lighting section exploring how councils can use lighting to embark on their smart city journey and using IoT technology to weather the storm.
