Budgets

• Nine out of ten councils have maintained services in past year

  Nine out of ten councils said they have maintained service quality in the last year, but only one in six councils think this will continue over the next five years, new research has found.

  

• Councils should have right to more cash in wake of DUP deal, finds survey

  Local authorities should have the right to ask for more funding in their own region following the government’s £1bn DUP deal, a new survey has revealed.

  

• Councils best placed to set school budgets, council chiefs tell Whitehall

  Council chiefs have called on the Government to allow councils and schools to retain an element of flexibility over how schools funding is distributed.

  

• Bristol Council unveils new austerity proposals

  Bristol City Council has unveiled plans to save £4.7m by closing libraries and street toilets, cutting school patrols and making changes to services for people with disabilities.

  

• Watchdog warns Welsh councils at risk from 'over-ambitious' targets

  Most councils in Wales have improved their medium-term financial plans and their ability to forecast the savings they need to make, according to financial watchdogs.

  

• Tory manifesto proposals could see school budgets cut, think tank says

  School spending plans outlined in the Conservative Party manifesto could see school budgets cut by 7%, financial experts say.

  

• Liverpool feeling council cuts harder than other big cities, says survey

  Liverpudlians are more likely to be aware of local council cuts than residents in three other major cities, a new survey has revealed.

  

• Scottish councils slash spending by 11%

  Scottish councils have slashed their spending by 11% over five years, new figures have shown.

  

• Scotland’s Budget ‘simply’ reduced local gov cut, councils say

  Scottish councils have criticised new Budget as ‘simply a reduction’ in the local government cuts that were already planned.

  

• Scottish councils warn of crisis despite £160m 'climb down'

  Council leaders have warned of a funding crisis despite a last-minute announcement to hand back £160m to local authorities.