Real-terms funding cuts for almost half of councils
Public Health Grant 'must keep pace with inflation', LGA chair says
Tax referendum cap lifted for six councils
Dudley Council secures £200k in debt recovery action
Local government spends £3.4bn with 39 ‘strategic suppliers’
Public procurement experts Tussell find that local government spending with the Government’s ‘strategic suppliers’ has remained flat for five years.
Council faces £2m deficit due to ‘continuing housing crisis’
09/12/2025 Worthing Borough Council says pressure meeting a ‘continuing housing crisis’ in the area means it is facing a £2.1m budget deficit this year, forcing it to ask the Government for emergency financial support. |
Further evidence emerges around councils’ early years underspend
08/12/2025 Further evidence has emerged that councils are either holding back or diverting money that is earmarked for the early years sector. |
Auditor sounds alarm over Shropshire finances
01/12/2025 Shropshire Council has been issued with a rare statutory recommendation by its external auditor. |
Doncaster gives green light to £57m airport loan
28/11/2025 City of Doncaster Council has approved a £57m borrowing measure to help reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport. |
Rental arrears owed to councils soar 55% in six years
25/11/2025 Rental arrears owed to local authorities have climbed by 55% since 2019, according to a new analysis. |
WLGA: Provisional funding settlement ‘does not come close’
25/11/2025 Council leaders across Wales have warned that the provisional 2026-27 local government settlement ‘does not come close’ to matching financial pressures. |
Fair funding review labelled a 'sham'
21/11/2025 The fair funding review has been labelled a ‘sham’ by rural councils following its publication today. |
‘Postcode lottery’ in rent support has cut tenants’ incomes, warns IFS
21/11/2025 Renters impacted by frozen local housing allowance (LHA) rates have seen a decrease in their disposable income by nearly £1,500 per year, researchers say. |
Districts take hit in fair funding review
20/11/2025 District councils have been told their finances will take a hit as the fair funding review is published today. |
Reed lobbies Treasury over fiscal devolution
13/11/2025 Local government secretary Steve Reed has made the case to the Treasury for devolving fiscal powers ahead of the Budget. |
Worcestershire warned over special educational needs spending
11/11/2025 Worcestershire CC has been handed a financial warning by auditors concerned its spending on children with special educational needs is ‘out of control'. |
Councils lack confidence in Crisis and Resilience Fund
31/10/2025 A report has confirmed that 98% of councils do not think the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) will fulfil local needs. |
Fears over fair funding tax formula
30/10/2025 Proposals around council tax in the fair funding review could actually have a detrimental impact on more deprived areas of England, councils have warned. |
London councils face ‘eye-watering’ £4bn funding gap
30/10/2025 London’s town halls are warning of 'inevitable' service cuts and growing financial crisis as new analysis reveals a £4bn funding gap. |
Late change to fair funding review expected
29/10/2025 Urban councils are expecting a ‘perverse' late change to proposed funding reform they fear would cost them hundreds of millions of pounds. |
Woking to get £500m bailout as Surrey split in two
28/10/2025 Reorganisation frontrunner Surrey will have its 12 councils replaced by two unitaries, with £500m of Woking BC's debts written off, The MJ understands. |
Major consultation to reform council tax in Scotland launched
27/10/2025 The Scottish Government and COSLA have launched a major consultation on the future of council tax. |
DCN: Deprivation key determinant for spending
21/10/2025 Unitaries with a population over 350,000 tend to spend more per resident on services but are also more likely to run into financial difficulties, DCN shows |
‘Outdated and harmful’: Council bailiff use soars 30%
20/10/2025 The use of bailiffs by local authorities in England and Wales has surged by 30% in just two years, according to new analysis from Debt Justice. |
Reorganisation financial risk warning
20/10/2025 Local government reorganisation has been highlighted as a key concern by the Public Accounts Committee. |
Councillors to reimburse £110,000 allowance overpayments
17/10/2025 Oldham councillors have been overpaid in allowances by more than £100,000, a report has revealed. |
LGA: Costs pushing many to financial brink
17/10/2025 Emergency government bailout agreements for councils are at risk of becoming ‘normalised’ as costs outstrip available resources and push many to the financial brink, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned ahead of the Budget. |
SOLACE: Funding fails to offset the years of lost cash, claims president
16/10/2025 Central government funding for regeneration is positive but ‘can only go so far in offsetting the long years of lost funding', Solace president Robin Tuddenham has claimed. |
England’s councils face poorest finances since 2010
16/10/2025 Local authorities in England are set to be poorer by the end of this parliament than they were in 2010, according the Institute for Government (IfG). |
New unitaries in the south to cost over £12m
16/10/2025 The creation of new unitary authorities in the South of England is due to cost councils millions of pounds. |
Councils urged to use £127bn procurement spend to deliver more
15/10/2025 English councils are being urged to use their £127bn annual procurement spend to deliver wider economic, social, and environmental benefits. |
Labour MPs urge Chancellor to scrap ‘outdated’ council tax system
15/10/2025 Thirteen Labour MPs have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to abolish council tax, arguing that the current system is outdated and unfair. |
IFS calls for council tax reform ahead of Budget
10/10/2025 Finance experts have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use the upcoming Budget to reform council tax rather than rely on short-term revenue-raising measures. |
UNISON: Councils on the brink as £4bn shortfall looms
09/10/2025 Councils are facing a £4bn funding black hole next year, leaving the most vulnerable paying the price for years of underfunding, warns UNISON. |
Minister announces £20m museum boost
08/10/2025 Local museums across England are set to benefit from a share of a £20m Government fund designed to revitalise civic museums and enhance community engagement. |
Experts' warning over Exceptional Financial Support
07/10/2025 Council finance experts urged the Government to ensure Exceptional Financial Support remains temporary and does not become ‘embedded in the public sector'. |
Council to investigate links to Israeli Government
07/10/2025 Shetland Islands Council has proposed a motion to investigate its ‘financial holdings in companies linked to the Israeli Government’. |
Conservatives pledge to scrap business rates for high street shops
07/10/2025 The Conservatives have promised to abolish business rates for high street shops and pubs if they win the next general election. |
Reform council announces 'once-in-a-generation' budget review
06/10/2025 The Reform UK leader of Leicestershire CC has announced a ‘once-in-a-generation' external review of its £616m yearly budget. |
Spending on SEND support set to hit £21bn
02/10/2025 Spending on education, health and care plans (EHCPs) and child disability living allowance (CDLA) in England is set to reach £21bn by 2029. |
Glasgow launches £1m CMI for climate projects
02/10/2025 Glasgow City Council has unveiled a Community Municipal Investment (CMI), aiming to raise £1m to fund solar energy initiatives across the city. |
£20m secured to restore historic Southport Pier
29/09/2025 Sefton Council has welcomed confirmation that the Government will provide full funding, estimated at around £20m, to restore the historic Southport Pier. |
Audit delays leave Tees Valley accounts in limbo
25/09/2025 Tees Valley Combined Authority’s latest accounts will not receive a clean bill of health after delays linked to the previous year’s financial results. |
Shropshire 'a hair's breadth' from s114
25/09/2025 Shropshire Council will have to rely on Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) to stave off a section 114 notice, according to a corporate peer challenge. |
Bracknell Forest Council reveals ‘impossible’ funding gap
25/09/2025 Bracknell Forest Council could expect a budget gap of nearly £20m across the next three years. |
Councils hit by £266m temporary housing funding shortfall
25/09/2025 Councils face a soaring bill for temporary housing as the funding gap widens by 30% in a year, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Dorset hopes to recover potential contract fraud losses
23/09/2025 A council that sacked 11 interim officers over the potential mismanagement of a multi-million pound repairs contract hopes to recover at least £1m. |
Welsh councils warn of job losses without budget boost
22/09/2025 Welsh council leaders have warned of job losses, service cuts and council tax hikes unless next year’s budget brings extra funding. |
English councils report record £1.2bn parking surplus
18/09/2025 New figures from the MHCLG reveal that English councils made a record £1.189bn in profit from on-street and off-street parking in 2024/25. |
Reorganisation debt warning
16/09/2025 Ministers need to do more to ensure council debts are not a financial barrier to local government reorganisation, local authority leaders have warned. |
Cash flow warning over council tax change
15/09/2025 Plans to switch council tax billing from 10 to 12-month instalments could leave local authorities with cash flow problems, experts have warned. |
Council leader calls for vital funding reforms
15/09/2025 The leader of Barnsley Council has highlighted the urgency of delivering funding reforms to Red Wall areas. |
New unitary authorities could push up council tax, DCN warns
15/09/2025 Residents in new unitary authorities could pay increased council tax, the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has cautioned. |
Section 114 notice warning for Halton
12/09/2025 Halton BC may be forced to issue a section 114 notice if the council fails to bring its spending under control, senior councillors have been warned. |
Shropshire Council acts to avoid Section 114
05/09/2025 Shropshire Council is expected to declare a ‘financial emergency’ next week as it seeks to avoid effective bankruptcy. |
