Sutton Council's IoT pilot project
David Grasty, head of digital strategy & portfolio for Kingston and Sutton Councils, outlines how in-home sensors have improved the safety of vulnerable residents living in social housing.
Government threatens borrowing cap return
29/07/2021 The Government has threatened to apply statutory borrowing caps on councils that continue to expose themselves to excessive risk. |
Councils 'broadly support' focus of Health and Care Bill
06/07/2021 Councils ‘broadly support’ the focus of the Health and Care Bill introduced into Parliament on improving the health and wellbeing of the population, says the Local Government Association (LGA). |
BREAKING: Slough becomes second council to issue Section 114 in a year
01/07/2021 Slough Council has become the second local authority in less than a year to issue a dreaded Section 114 notice. |
Levelling up funds risk 'amplifying regional inequalities'
01/07/2021 A new report from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is critical of the current approach of bidding for pots of money. |
CIPFA to publish strengthened local government Prudential Code
25/06/2021 A new code of practice to ensure local authorities’ financial plans are 'affordable, prudent and sustainable' will be published by the end of the year. |
Council tax collection deficit hits £500m
27/05/2021 Councils will need ‘additional help from taxpayers’ to balance their books, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has warned. |
New guidance on council-owned companies to be published
21/05/2021 Councils will soon be issued guidance on governance arrangements for local authority trading companies (LATCs) by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). |
Councils urged to embrace three changes to strengthen partnerships with charities
12/05/2021 A new report has urged councils to make three key changes in order to get the best from their local voluntary sector. |
Fewer than half of local audits done by deadline, watchdog finds
16/03/2021 Fewer than half of local public bodies’ 2019-20 audits were completed by last November, despite a deadline already pushed back due to COVID, says a spending watchdog. |
Council tax hits £2,000 barrier in two regions
11/03/2021 The typical council tax bill for an average property in England’s north-east and south-west will be more than £2,000 a year for the first time, according to research from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). |
Proposal for stronger local government Prudential Code
02/02/2021 Proposals to strengthen the Prudential Code and prevent local authorities from borrowing to generate yield have been put forward by CIPFA. |
Nottingham plans £100m asset sale
19/01/2021 The council has identified £100m of assets for sale as part of a plan to bring its finances under control. |
Spending Review: 'Risk all sits on local government'
26/11/2020 The Spending Review failed to tackle key issues such as reforms to local government funding, sector experts have warned. |
Croydon issues Section 114 notice
10/11/2020 Crisis-hit Croydon LBC has issued a Section 114 notice after extra spending controls proved not to be enough. |
Government needs a plan to tackle public service backlog, says IfG
02/11/2020 The Government needs a plan to address backlogs in public services caused by the coronavirus crisis, a new report has claimed. |
Coronavirus leads to scrapping of three-year Spending Review
21/10/2020 Plans to create a three-year settlement for public spending have been abandoned as latest figures show the havoc coronavirus is wreaking on the public finances. |
Croydon would have issued s114 'in normal circumstances'
17/09/2020 Croydon LBC’s £49m total net forecast general fund overspend means it would have had to have issued a Section 114 notice in ‘normal circumstances,’ senior councillors have heard. |
Councils facing £2bn budget black hole
18/08/2020 Councils face a budget black hole of £2bn this year due to unfunded coronavirus costs, a new study has found. |
MPs slate ministers over local government funding
23/07/2020 MPs have slated ministers for failing to give local government sufficient funding and urged them to ensure a 'clear and timely financial settlement’ in readiness for the next phase of the pandemic. |
IFS urges government to relax the rules on council finance amid crisis
22/06/2020 Finance experts have called on the Government to temporarily relax rules that prevent councils borrowing to cover day-to-day spending as they deal with the coronavirus crisis. |
CIPFA issues temporary s114 guidance
11/06/2020 Council finance chiefs have been given new guidelines for dealing with financial collapse during the coronavirus crisis. |
No bail outs for commercial investments
22/05/2020 Plans to bail out councils struggling with their finances could vary between authorities - but they will not cover commercial investments, The MJ understands. |
Districts braced for lost income
13/05/2020 Woking, South Norfolk and Craven DCs are likely to be the hardest hit when it comes to lost income. |
CIPFA: 17 years to work through council housing waiting list
04/05/2020 It could take up to 17 years to re-house individuals and families on the waiting list for council housing, data analysis by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has revealed. |
Coronavirus cash allocations are 'out of date', says IFS
14/04/2020 Out of date spending assessments mean councils may not be getting their fair share of cash to deal with the coronavirus crisis, latest figures from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) have revealed. |
Council staff warn fraud is a major risk for local government
31/03/2020 Two-thirds of local government professionals think fraud is a major risk for councils, a new survey has revealed. |
CIPFA resilience index shows just 10% of councils are at financial risk
15/12/2019 The ‘majority of councils’ are not showing signs of major financial stress, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has claimed. |
Councils detecting more cases of fraud
19/11/2019 Councils prevented 22% more cases of council tax fraud this year compared to 2017/18, new figures have revealed. |
Councils need billions more in funding, research finds
10/11/2019 Councils will need billions of extra pounds worth of funding in the next parliament, if they are to meet the rising cost of adult social care, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has calculated. |
NAO to wade into fair funding review
05/06/2019 The National Audit Office (NAO) is gearing up to scrutinise the Government’s divisive fair funding review, The MJ can reveal. |
Brokenshire moves to boost local government accountability
09/05/2019 Brokenshire moves to impose fresh conditions on ‘top slice’ cash |
Hopes for legislative backing behind new code
24/04/2019 An overhaul of financial management in councils could be enshrined in law, according to a consultation that stakeholders must respond to within days to influence. |
Think tank suggests introduction of local income tax
21/03/2019 Local income tax would be the best option for fiscal devolution if the Government wanted to hand more powers to local authorities, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) argued today. |
Brokenshire gets Brexit breakdown from chiefs
31/01/2019 Chief executives have told communities secretary James Brokenshire Whitehall needs to be more joined up between departments and in its communications with councils over Brexit. |
Whitehall 'leadership' needed to help councils cope with financial pressures
15/01/2019 The Government must improve oversight and transparency over local authorities to ensure their financial sustainability, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. |
Ministers play down commercialisation 'crackdown'
10/01/2019 Ministers have played down the prospect of a widespread crackdown on councils that borrow for commercial reasons. |
Finance settlement: Government floats commercialisation crackdown
13/12/2018 Whitehall is considering a crackdown on councils that excessively borrow for commercial reasons as it continues to restrict council tax rises. |
Council hits back at 'illegitimate' loan claim
31/10/2018 Newham LBC has denied claims that decisions to enter into controversial high-interest loans were illegitimate. |
Public service leaders 'kept in dark' over Brexit
27/06/2018 The majority of public service leaders have warned they have not received enough information from the Government in order to plan effectively for Brexit. |
Report calls for a bespoke workforce deal with the EU
03/05/2018 Only a bespoke workforce deal with the EU would allow the public sector to recruit top-end talent as well as sufficient numbers of skilled workers and lower-skilled staff, according to finance chiefs. |
Javid orders review after second council payment error
20/03/2018 The Government has ordered a review after being forced to admit a second mistake in as many months in the way it calculates council payments. |
CIPFA: Funnel more tax into social care
09/03/2018 Public sector finance experts have urged the Government to increase funding for social care by £14bn in a 'wish list' for a forthcoming review. |
Council tax set for biggest rise in 14 years, figures show
01/03/2018 Council tax payers face the sharpest rise in their taxes for 14 years, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy figures (CIPFA). |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
