The elephant in the budget
12/03/2024 The budget provided support to strengthen growth, but bolder action is required to tackle finances, says Amanda Kelly, local government lead at PA Consulting. |
Right to Buy lobbying fails as temporary boost ended
08/03/2024 The Treasury has confirmed councils will no longer keep 100% of Right to Buy (RTB) receipts after the current financial year despite lobbying by the sector. |
Gove urged to ‘listen’ to Cambridge on housing plans
07/03/2024 Communities need ‘far more detail’ and to have their say on government plans for a major expansion of housing around Cambridge, local leaders have said. |
Budget: Boost for preventative services
06/03/2024 Funding for preventative services has been announced as part of the Spring Budget in an attempt to relieve local government’s demand pressures. |
Budget: West Midlands to get £15m culture funding boost
06/03/2024 West Midlands Combined Authority is to get a £15m boost in funding for culture, heritage and investment projects in the region, the chancellor has announced. |
Budget: What does it mean for local government?
06/03/2024 Jonathan Werran, chief executive, Localis looks at what the Spring budget means for local government. |
Budget: Chancellor launches productivity push
06/03/2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled a Budget with little respite for local government but demands for increased public sector productivity. |
Budget: Trailblazer devo deal for North East
06/03/2024 The North East has secured a trailblazer devolution deal that could provide a package of new funding potentially worth more than £100m, chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced in his Budget. |
'Scorched earth' Budget likely to offer little for local government
06/03/2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to unveil a ‘scorched earth’ Budget today, slashing National Insurance and leaving little left for public services. |
Councils in crisis: time to stop the cycle of decline
04/03/2024 Claire Ward, partner and local government sector specialist at Anthony Collins, discusses the state of local government finances ahead of the Spring Budget. |
A ‘united local government’ calls for Spring Budget funding boost
04/03/2024 Local government associations across the UK have taken the ‘unprecedented’ step of penning a joint letter to the chancellor with a plea for additional funding. |
Call for ‘emergency action’ over rough sleeping spike
29/02/2024 A homelessness charity has called for ‘emergency action’ over ‘out of control’ levels of rough sleeping in England. |
Chancellor urged to provide funding certainty for urban transport
27/02/2024 Transport authorities have called on the Government to prioritise long-term funding certainty for public transport and active travel in city regions in next week’s Spring Budget. |
Majority on Universal Credit cannot afford enough food
20/02/2024 New research reveals the ‘devastating’ consequences of the inadequate Universal Credit system, according to anti-poverty charity The Trussell Trust. |
Warning over suicide prevention fund end
19/02/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) is urging the Government to extend funding for suicide prevention projects in the Spring Budget. |
Finance chiefs join Household Support Fund plea
14/02/2024 Senior finance officers across London have urged the Government to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) into the 2024-25 financial year. |
Right to Buy must reform, council bosses warn
13/02/2024 The Right to Buy scheme is causing the significant loss of social housing and cannot continue in its current form, the Local Government Association has said today. |
Council leaders call for housing subsidy uplift
07/02/2024 District council leaders have called on the Chancellor to increase the amount local authorities can claim for temporary accommodation. |
Bradford increases request for support by £22m
31/01/2024 Bradford Council has increased its request for financial help from the Government by £22m as it struggles to avoid declaring effective bankruptcy. |
Havering warns of S114 after ‘minuscule’ funding boost
26/01/2024 Havering Council will be forced to declare effective bankruptcy ‘by the end of February’ if the Government fails to provide more funding, leader warns. |
Pupils leaving RAAC schools, heads warn
25/01/2024 Students are increasingly being taken out of schools that are affected by a crumbly form of concrete, headteachers have warned. |
Oxfordshire CC budget proposals ‘£900,000 short’
19/01/2024 Oxfordshire County Council has published proposals to save over £9.8m but is still £900,000 short of what is required for a balanced budget. |
Middlesbrough to ask for more support to avoid S114
12/01/2024 Middlesbrough Council is the latest local authority to consider requesting extra financial support as it tries to avoid having to issue a Section 114. |
Somerset Council warns of ‘heart-breaking’ cuts
08/01/2024 Public toilets, theatres, and leisure services in Somerset are set to be hit by cuts as the unitary authority attempts to bridge a £100m budget gap. |
Cash-strapped Derbyshire council to move from historic HQ
04/01/2024 Derbyshire County Council is planning to move from its headquarters in Matlock to a smaller office in a bid to tackle a £33m overspend. |
Scottish budget ‘missed opportunity’ for reform
03/01/2024 The Scottish budget is a ‘missed opportunity’ for delivering on public service reform, local authority leaders in Scotland have told Holyrood. |
Council tax freeze to cost £156m
02/01/2024 Scottish councils face a real terms cut of up to £156m next year as a result of the council tax freeze, new research has found. |
Scottish councils get £14bn boost
19/12/2023 Local government in Scotland is set to benefit from a £14bn boost but council tax will be frozen despite criticisms of the plan by local authority leaders. |
‘Very difficult year ahead’ for Welsh councils
19/12/2023 Council bosses say local authorities in Wales face a 'considerable' funding gap despite the devolved nation’s planned cuts in other departments to protect local services. |
Council tax freeze costs Scottish Government £300m
15/12/2023 Fully funding local authorities for Scotland’s council tax freeze contributes significantly to the £1.5bn shortfall facing Holyrood, experts have warned. |
COSLA ramps up Budget lobbying
04/12/2023 Well-funded councils are the key to unlocking the potential within Scotland’s communities, town hall leaders have claimed ahead of the country’s budget. |
Autumn Statement: Level 4 devolution unveiled
22/11/2023 More powers will be offered to areas with a level 3 devolution deal, the Government has announced as part of the Autumn Statement. |
Sector unites in plea to chancellor
22/11/2023 The local government sector in England has put out a call to Jeremy Hunt to ‘address the significant financial challenges faced by councils’. |
WMCA trailblazer devolution deal ratified
16/10/2023 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has ratified a ‘deeper devolution deal’ worth an estimated £1.5bn. |
Council suspends social media comments to stop ‘abuse’ after facility closures
03/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has suspended Twitter users’ ability to comment on its posts and said people’s anger over a decision to close 39 facilities ‘does not entitle them to post abuse’. |
Council to shut 39 facilities
02/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has decided to close 39 community facilities in response to its financial shortfall. |
Council injects £6m into former mining village after failed funding bid
20/09/2023 Durham County Council will spend £6m as part of plans to regenerate the village of Horden, where homes are on the market for just £5,000. |
Derbyshire faces £46m overspend
15/09/2023 Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet is set to consider a report that estimates the local authority’s overspend to be over £46m this financial year. |
‘Levelling up? my a**e’: HS2 faces new axe threat
15/09/2023 Contractors have reacted furiously to reports that ministers are considering cancelling the second phase of HS2, which is due to take the high speed rail line to Manchester. |
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. |
LGA: Section 114s show system is 'broken'
11/09/2023 The Local Government Association (LGA) will cite the number of section 114 notices issued by councils as evidence of a ‘broken’ system. |
Suffolk’s essential service funding ‘not sustainable’
06/09/2023 Suffolk County Council has forecast it will spend £22.3m over its budget this year, with the costs of school transport and looking after children in care making up two thirds of the overspend. |
Union issues safety warning as Glasgow ‘slashes’ number of CCTV staff
01/09/2023 Glasgow City Council has halved the number of staff it employs to monitor CCTV cameras in order to cut costs. |
Guildford halts recruitment after S114 warning
01/09/2023 Guildford Borough Council has stopped hiring until at least October as it attempts to cover a multi-million pound financial shortfall. |
BCP Council in bankruptcy warning
14/08/2023 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has warned tough budget decisions are needed if the council is to avoid bankruptcy. |
Scottish councils reach participatory budgets target
12/07/2023 Scottish councils have achieved a target of spending 1% of their budgets through the participatory budgeting process. |
Cash-strapped Thurrock to hike charges
08/06/2023 Beleaguered Thurrock Council is set to increase charges for its services to help deal with its cash crisis. |
BREAKING: Woking's 'astonishing' financial crisis risks hitting Government borrowing
02/06/2023 Calamity-struck Woking BC may need to write off up to £1bn after a series of disastrous investments – a debt so big it would impact on Government borrowing. |
County council chiefs issue ‘bleak’ finance warning
23/03/2023 County councils need to make £1bn worth of savings in order to cope with ‘unprecedented’ financial pressures, county council chiefs say. |
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. |
Record £14bn needed to fix pothole-ridden local roads
21/03/2023 A record £14bn is now needed for local authorities to tackle the local roads maintenance backlog, according to the annual ALARM survey. |
Mayors welcome devolution plans
16/03/2023 The mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands Combined Authority welcome major devolution plans following the Spring Budget. |
Budget’s lack of social care support ‘disappointing’
16/03/2023 Council leaders welcomed the new funding in yesterday's budget but were disappointed by absence of investment in social care, health and children’s services. |
Hunt stumps up tens of billions for infrastructure
15/03/2023 The chancellor has announced 'up to' £20bn for carbon capture and storage, alongside a new round of funding for city regions and £1bn for Levelling up. |
Budget 2023: Over £60m swimming pool fund confirmed
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed a multi-million-pound package to support publicly-owned leisure centres with pools. |
Budget 2023: Hunt confirms £200m for 'potholes curse'
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed a further £200m in 2023-24 to tackle what he described as ‘the curse of potholes’. |
Budget 2023: Hunt sounds the death knell for LEPs
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled a Budget which has sounded the death knell for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), but revived the levelling up agenda. |
Budget 2023: LEPs to be scrapped
15/03/2023 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are to be effectively abolished within a year, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in the Budget. |
Budget 2023: Hunt confirms investment zone cash
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed in the spring budget plans to go ahead with 12 investment zones, each backed by a multi-million-pound injection of cash. |
Budget 2023: Hunt to boost mayors' financial autonomy
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced the Government will ‘boost mayors’ financial autonomy’ in his Budget. |
Think tank criticises ‘crisis-cash-repeat’ social care funding
14/03/2023 A think tank has warned that the Government’s short-term approach to funding adult social care will not deliver the level of service expected by the public. |
Chancellor to announce investment zones backed by £80m
14/03/2023 Twelve investment zones, each backed by £80m, will be announced tomorrow as part of the effort to boost local growth and level up left behind areas. |
Hunt set to restore £200m of local roads cash
13/03/2023 Ministers are set to announce an extra £200m for local road maintenance. |
Increase UC childcare cost cap, council chiefs say
13/03/2023 Working parents should be helped with childcare costs by raising the cap on what they can claim back under Universal Credit, local government leaders say. |
Councils should become primary provider of childcare, survey finds
06/03/2023 Councils should become the primary provider of state-subsidised childcare designed to get parents back to work and boost productivity, a new survey has found. |
Councils benefit from Holyrood windfall
22/02/2023 Scottish authorities are to receive an extra £100m funding in a last-minute addition to Holyrood’s Budget. |
Autumn Statement: More mayors announced
17/11/2022 Four new mayoral authorities are in the pipeline with ‘advanced discussions’ under way, the chancellor has announced. |
Autumn Statement: Northern Powerhouse Rail to be 'core' only
17/11/2022 The chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed hopes for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) to be completed in full have been dashed. |
Holyrood announces £35m of extra funding
03/11/2022 The Scottish government has announced £35m of funding to help tackle budget pressures caused by rising inflation and economic uncertainty. |
Abolition of social care levy survives Budget bonfire
17/10/2022 The abolition of the health and care levy is now the only major part of the discredited mini-Budget to survive after new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt today junked most of the other tax cuts in a dramatic announcement. |
Welsh councils warn of 'serious harm' to budgets
03/10/2022 Welsh local authority leaders have warned the Government that market turmoil is causing ‘serious harm’ to council budgets. |
Mini-Budget: Kwarteng's plans to boost economic growth
23/09/2022 New Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has unveiled a mini-Budget aimed at boosting the economy and growing his way out of the country’s financial woes. |
Mini-Budget: Universal Credit sanctions tightened
23/09/2022 Tens of thousands of people on Universal Credit face sanctions and reductions if they do not show up at jobcentres, under plans unveiled by the chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. |
Mini-Budget: Government in 'early discussions' on Investment Zones
23/09/2022 The Government is in ‘early discussions with nearly 40 places’ including Tees Valley and the West Midlands about creating new Investment Zones offering tax cuts for businesses, the chancellor has confirmed. |
London boroughs call for COVID-style level of support
22/09/2022 Local authorities in London have called for a package of financial support that is similar to the one that helped councils through the worst of the pandemic. |
Scottish council with £14m budget gap warns of cuts
03/08/2022 West Dunbartonshire Council leader Martin Rooney has warned of impending public service cuts due to the local authority’s £14m budget gap. |
Spring Statement: Household support fund to ‘double’ to £1bn
23/03/2022 Local authorities set to benefit from a multi-million-pound boost to the household support fund to support hard-pressed residents, says Chancellor. |
Nottingham council to cut 63 jobs in ‘toughest year yet’
09/03/2022 Nottingham City Council is set to cut the equivalent of 63 full-time posts in an effort to close a £28m budget gap. |
Scottish councils need extra £1bn to 'survive'
16/11/2021 Councils in Scotland need more than an extra £1bn a year just to survive, a new briefing has warned. |
IFS reveals scope of Universal Credit
08/11/2021 Budget changes to Universal Credit mean families with well above-average earnings and even paying 40% rates of tax could be entitled to the benefit, according to an Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report. |
Budget 2021: National Highways faces £3.4bn funding cut
27/10/2021 National Highways is facing a major funding cut of some £3.4bn after today’s Budget, with the total for the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS 2) dropping dramatically from the £27.4bn announced last year to £24bn. |
Budget 2021: Chancellor unveils Shared Prosperity Fund
27/10/2021 The chancellor Rishi Sunak has revealed the first details of the long-awaited UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). |
Budget 2021: Social care 'left out in cold'
27/10/2021 The Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing accusations he has left social care ‘out in the cold’ following his Autumn Budget speech. |
Budget 2021: £24bn multi-year housing settlement
27/10/2021 The chancellor has today announced £11.5bn to build up to 180,000 new affordable homes, calling it the largest cash injection in more than a decade. |
Bonanza Budget claims councils have the largest rise in a decade
27/10/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a Budget and spending review he claimed will deliver the high skill, high wage economy promised at the Conservative Party Conference. |
Budget 2021: More money for youth services and 'family hubs'
27/10/2021 A £560m cash injection for youth services and the funding of ‘family hubs’ in England to support children and parents have been confirmed in today’s Budget. |
Budget 2021: Business rate reform delayed again
27/10/2021 Business rates reform is set to be delayed again when the chancellor unveils his Budget and spending review, as the Treasury grapples with its mammoth issues around public spending. |
Chancellor has ‘little or no scope’ to increase local government funding
12/10/2021 The Chancellor is going to struggle to find money for cash-strapped local authorities despite planning to implement the biggest tax rises in 25 years, think tank says. |
Counties in council tax warning
07/10/2021 County leaders have warned council tax bills would have to rise by almost a quarter over three years to get close to eliminating their deficit. |
Budget 2021: Failure to fix 'broken' social care system
04/03/2021 The chancellor has faced criticism for failing to address the social care crisis in his Budget yesterday. |
Budget 2021: Leeds wins bank as infrastructure cash goes North
03/03/2021 The new National Infrastructure Bank will be based in Leeds, the chancellor revealed alongside other Budget announcements badged under the Government’s ‘leveling up’ agenda. |
Budget 2021: Eight new freeport sites named
03/03/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak closed his Budget speech today with a commitment to eight new 'freeport' sites - international gateways set to enjoy a raft of tax breaks from later this year. |
Budget 2021: OBR highlights post-war peak in public spending
03/03/2021 Total public spending is expected to rise by £256bn or 29% in 2020/21, the largest increase on record and the largest percentage rise since just after the oil price shock in 1974/75 according to the Office for Budget Responsibility. |
Budget 2021: Sunak vows to do 'whatever it takes' to help businesses
03/03/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has vowed to ‘do whatever it takes’ to support businesses as the country looks to a post-coronavirus future. |
Budget 2021: Sunak warns of pain to come
03/03/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a budget to protect ‘livelihood and jobs’ – with a warning of public finance pain to come. |
Budget 2021: Furlough scheme extended until autumn
03/03/2021 The chancellor has extended the furlough scheme and announced further funding for apprenticeships in a bid to soften the impact of COVID-19 on jobs. |
Budget 2021: Chancellor confirms £4.8bn ‘levelling up fund’
03/03/2021 Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the first round of the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund will be available to local areas to help tackle regional inequalities. |
Budget 2021: Sunak freezes VAT rate to support hospitality and tourism
03/03/2021 Support for hospitality and tourism businesses was underpinned in the Budget by a freezing of the current 5% rate of VAT for another six months until the end of September. |
Budget 2021: Stamp duty holiday extended and new mortgage guarantee scheme
03/03/2021 The chancellor has extended the stamp duty holiday and created a new mortgage guarantee scheme for people who can’t afford a big deposit to help boost the housing market in his Budget. |
Budget 2021: Universal credit boost extended for six months
03/03/2021 The £20 uplift to Universal Credit has been extended for a further six months, the chancellor has confirmed in his Budget today. |
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.