Breaking down England's fiscal devolution plans
David Phillips of the IFS tells LocalGov why England's regional finance reforms are modest by global comparison and what ministers still need to get right.
Homelessness set to rise 25% by 2030, report warns Burnham
13/07/2026 A new report has warned prime-minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham that homelessness is set to rise by a quarter, pushing councils ‘closer to bankruptcy’. |
Treasury control over transport is stalling regional growth, IPPR warns
18/02/2026 Centralised Treasury control over transport spending is constraining regional growth, according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research. |
SEND Crisis: EHCP demand soars 250%, warns IPPR
22/10/2025 The UK’s system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is ‘no longer fit for purpose’, according to a new IPPR report. |
Home Office 'chaos' leaves thousands of illegal arrivals in 'perma-backlog'
27/02/2024 The Government’s struggling asylum policy has heaped significant demand on cities’ housing services, experts have warned. |
Councillors ‘powerless and penniless’ on clean air
09/11/2023 Elected members do not believe that councils have the powers or budgets to make meaningful change on air quality, research has found. |
Asylum ‘perma-backlog’ to impact councils
22/08/2023 Reforms to the UK’s asylum system are likely to pile more pressure on councils struggling to support unaccompanied children, a new report has found. |
Poor health 'undermining UK economy' think tank warns
08/12/2022 Mental health problems are the most common reason for people being unable to work new research has revealed. |
Think-tank makes call for wellbeing budgets
18/10/2021 The Government should introduce ‘wellbeing budgets’ that look beyond gross domestic product (GDP) to reduce regional health inequalities, a think-tank has urged. |
Northern mayors wielding more power than devo deals suggest
16/08/2021 A hundred days after the May 2021 elections Northern mayors are wielding more power – particularly ‘soft’ power - than their devolution deals suggest, says new analysis. |
Think tank calls for reform of 'regressive' council tax in Scotland
12/04/2021 Council tax in Scotland should be increased to the same levels as the rest of the UK, a think tank has argued today. |
Think tank calls for £100bn investment in the North's nature
01/06/2020 The Government has been urged by a think tank to invest up to £100bn over the next 25 years to create a plan for nature in the North of England. |
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One in five healthcare workers could quit in wake of Covid-19, think tank warns
23/04/2020 Healthcare could face a staffing crisis after it was revealed on in five healthcare professionals are more likely to leave following the pandemic. |
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Budget 2020: Flood-hit areas to share £200m defence fund
11/03/2020 The money will go to 25 areas based on criteria including repeated flooding. |
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Think tanks calls for public health funding to be linked to NHS budgets
05/11/2019 Public health funding should be linked to increases in the NHS budget, a briefing published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggests. |
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Council tax system needs 'fundamental reform'
16/05/2019 The council tax system is ‘highly regressive and unsustainable,’ and needs ‘fundamental reform,’ progressive think-tank IPPR has argued. |
