Building Healthier Communities: The Case for Investing in Public Health
Explore how targeted, community-based public health strategies can improve lives, reduce NHS pressure, and deliver cost savings for local authorities.
Yusuf returns to Reform UK to lead DOGE team
09/06/2025 Former chairman of Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, has announced he is returning to the party to run its DOGE team shortly after quitting. |
Reform UK: What Britain’s fastest rising party stands for
29/05/2025 Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is gaining greater political influence and visibility in local government. But what does the party stand for? |
Farage declares the two-child benefit cap must end
28/05/2025 Nigel Farage has announced his intentions to abandon the two-child benefit cap, resulting in over £3bn of new spending. |
US trade deal needed in ‘weeks, not months’, Mayor says
07/05/2025 The Government must secure a trade deal with President Trump in ‘weeks, not months’ to avoid damage to the West Midlands economy, Mayor says. |
Liverpool tourism tax gets the green light
28/04/2025 Hoteliers in Liverpool have backed plans to introduce a £2 overnight visitor charge. |
Carbon tax could cost councils billions, LGA warns
25/04/2025 A scheme aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the burning of waste could place ‘billions of pounds’ of unavoidable costs on local authorities, LGA warns. |
West Midlands expected to be worst hit by Trump tariffs
07/04/2025 The West Midlands is expected to be the region worst hit by President Donald Trump's 10% tariff on UK exports to the US, a charity has said. |
Council chiefs defend six figure salaries
01/04/2025 Local authority leaders have defended local government salaries exceeding six figures, arguing it is important to attract the ‘right people’. |
Parliament rally calls on Government to tackle social care crisis
25/02/2025 Campaigners are gathering at Parliament today to call on the Government to address the social care crisis. |
Nursery fees set to jump 10%
11/02/2025 The rise in employers' national insurance will force most nurseries to increase their fees by 10%, a new survey has revealed. |
HMRC does not know how much National Insurance it collects from councils
29/01/2025 HMRC has said it does not hold data on employers National Insurance Contribution (NIC) payments received from principal local authorities. |
Tax hike threatens to add to nursing home costs
27/01/2025 The Government has been urged to reverse its NICs hike on care providers as figures reveal how much nursing costs for pensioners have increased in a decade. |
High street businesses brace for business rates hike
21/01/2025 Thousands of high street businesses are set to see their rates bill more than double this year, financial experts warn. |
Edinburgh tourism tax could be starting point for fiscal devolution, experts suggest
20/01/2025 The approach to a tourism tax being taken forward in Scottish and Welsh cities could be a starting point for fiscal devolution in England, experts suggest. |
Scottish council chiefs call for help with NI hike
07/01/2025 Scottish council leaders have called on the Government to cover the costs the public and charity sectors are facing from the rise in national insurance. |
Council urges Government to drop farm tax plans
27/11/2024 Cornwall Council has agreed to call on the Government to reconsider its changes to inheritance tax rules. |
Petition calls for social care national insurance hike exemption
18/11/2024 Care England has called on its members to sign a petition calling for an exemption from the Government’s employer national insurance (NIC) tax rise. |
Council chiefs call for sugar tax on milkshakes
05/11/2024 Local authority leaders have called for the soft drinks industry levy to be devolved to councils to tackle obesity and to be expanded to milk-based drinks. |
Thousands of council-owned buildings spend time vacant
22/10/2024 New research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has found that thousands of buildings owned by local authorities spent time empty during 2022 and 2023. |
Localis: Counterproductive ‘tax landscape’ threatens pubs
23/09/2024 A think tank has warned that a ‘counterproductive regulatory and tax landscape’ threatens the future of local pubs. |
New waste tax could cost councils billions
17/09/2024 A proposed tax on the carbon emitted from burning waste could cost councils billions over the next decade, according to new analysis. |
Think tank calls for health and prosperity improvement zones
17/09/2024 Local authorities should be empowered to create health and prosperity improvement zones modelled on clean air zones, a cross-party commission says. |
‘Massive disparities’ in number of bins councils collect
20/08/2024 There are ‘massive disparities’ in the number of bins that UK councils ask residents to sort their rubbish into, a new survey has revealed. |
King's Speech: OBR handed beefed-up scrutiny role
17/07/2024 The Government has put fiscal stability in the form of a Budget Responsibility Bill at the heart of the King's Speech. |
Nottingham considers £2 accommodation levy
04/07/2024 Nottingham City Council members are set to consider plans to introduce a nightly £2 levy on accommodation providers. |
First ‘tourist tax’ on hold
02/07/2024 The first so-called coastal tourist tax in the UK has been put on hold following opposition from Dorset hoteliers. |
Poll reveals support for tax increases to boost public services
01/07/2024 More than half of UK households support investment in public services even if it means they are taxed more, according to new analysis. |
Pubs ‘vanishing’ at alarming rate, study reveals
17/06/2024 The number of pubs forced to call last orders for the final time increased at an alarming rate during the first quarter of the year, study reveals. |
Rayner accusation after police drop probe
29/05/2024 Shadow communities secretary Angela Rayner has hit out at the Conservatives’ ‘desperate tactics’ after police said they would take no further action following an investigation. |
Scottish councils criticise ‘excessive’ tourism tax delay
28/05/2024 Local authority leaders across Scotland have called on Holyrood to accelerate plans to empower them to charge visitors for overnight stays. |
Dorset to host UK’s first coastal ‘tourist tax’
15/05/2024 The first coastal ‘tourist tax’ in the UK is set to be introduced in Dorset after hoteliers in the region voted for the plans. |
Call to fix ‘incomplete patchwork’ of devolution deals
13/05/2024 The next government must extend devolution to 85% of England to address an ‘incomplete patchwork of mismatched deals’, a think-tank has argued. |
Thanet DC drops tourism tax plan
29/04/2024 Thanet DC has decided to drop plans for a tourism tax because the Government has ‘no intention’ of giving the council the powers to implement one. |
LGA lobbied over income tax devolution
24/04/2024 The Local Government Association’s (LGA) White Paper should make the case for councils to receive a share of income tax, sector experts have urged. |
Next Government urged to look at devolving air passenger duty
10/04/2024 The leader of a Labour council in the shadow of Heathrow Airport has urged the next Government to look at devolving air passenger duty (APD). |
Lib Dems pledge to scrap business rates
09/04/2024 The Liberal Democrats would deliver tax reforms to ‘revive struggling high streets’, leader Ed Davey will announce today. |
Making England smoke-free could redirect £11bn to local economies
09/04/2024 A new study has found that if everyone in England stopped smoking, £10.9bn could be redirected to local economies each year. |
Craig hails tourist tax 'success'
08/04/2024 The leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, has hailed the UK’s first city tourist tax a ‘success’ a year on from its introduction. |
Tax haven crackdown announced by childcare body
08/04/2024 The membership body for children’s homes has announced a change in its membership criteria to combat the use of tax havens by childcare providers. |
Think-tank's call for landfill tax devolution
04/04/2024 A think-tank has called for a portion of the proceeds from landfill tax to be devolved to councils. |
Cambridge members discuss £2-a-night tourist tax
02/04/2024 Cambridge City Council members are considering plans that could see hotels in the city introduce a tourist tax. |
Online sales tax not priority for London
20/03/2024 London Councils has decided it will not prioritise an online sales tax (OST) as part of its lobbying effort. |
Tax cuts could drive 55,000 into poverty
05/03/2024 Tax cuts reportedly being considered by the Chancellor in tomorrow's Budget could result in tens of thousands of people being driven into poverty. |
Keep carers in work to save £6bn, Government urged
19/02/2024 The UK economy will lose billions this year because of unpaid carers who are unable to work, a think-tank has warned. |
London Councils to step back support for land value tax plans
23/11/2023 London Councils is expected to distance itself from backing the idea of a land value tax when its leaders meet next month. |
Britain faces 'highest tax raising parliament in history', CCN told
21/11/2023 Britain currently has the ‘highest tax raising parliament in history’, a leading economist has pointed out. |
Land value tax could redistribute billions
09/11/2023 A plan to reform business rates could lead to billions of pounds being redistributed from high land value areas to other parts of the country. |
Call for local income tax collection for biggest city regions
08/11/2023 More taxation powers, including the ability to keep a proportion of income tax, should be devolved to England’s three biggest city regions, a think-tank has argued. |
Tired of empty shops? It’s time to ban box shifting
29/09/2023 Sian Berry AM, Green London Assembly Member and Camden councillor, calls for an end to the use of the tax evasion technique known as ‘box shifting’. |
Call for pubs minister
28/09/2023 The Government should offer pubs tax rebates and appoint a minister responsible for a long term-strategy for the sector, report by think-tank Localis argues. |
‘Box shifting’ loophole costing councils £250m a year
26/09/2023 Councils in England could save £250m annually if a legal loophole that enables landlords to avoid business rates was closed, campaigners say. |
How to fix local government finance
25/09/2023 Dr Greg Stride & Dr Andrew Walker, LGIU Local Democracy Research Centre, look at the lessons from other countries when it comes to local government finance. |
Thriving tourism that supports local need
25/09/2023 Cllr Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, has set out three things needed for tourism to thrive in a way that meets the needs of residents. |
Calls to scrap council tax hike as consultation closes
20/09/2023 Councils should have complete control over their local tax, thinktank Reform Scotland has said in response to plans to increase council tax across Scotland. |
London council calls for power to impose overnight levy
20/09/2023 Westminster City Council has called on the Government to enable local authorities to tax tourists on stays. |
Pubs 'vanishing' at alarming rate as closures jump 50%
18/09/2023 The number of pubs that have been demolished or converted into other types of use has risen dramatically, with over 380 ‘vanishing’ this year. |
Bristol rules out workplace parking levy
10/08/2023 Bristol City Council has ruled out introducing a workplace parking levy because of the cost-of-living crisis. |
Government heads off business rates review
21/07/2023 A bid to secure a review of business rates in the House of Lords has failed. |
Preventing future Section 114 notices
13/06/2023 Joanne Pitt, Local Government Policy manager at CIPFA, reflects on Woking BC’s financial troubles and looks at the lessons for other councils. |
Number of council staff earning over £100k down post-pandemic
19/04/2023 The number of council staff receiving more than £100,000 is nearly at 2,800, according to campaigners, which is down slightly from last year. |
Labour pledges to revitalise high streets
12/04/2023 Labour will today promote its plan to revitalise ailing high streets through a £700m fund to help small businesses with soaring energy bills. |
Tourism tax could raise councils nearly £430m, study says
03/04/2023 More than £428m a year could be raised by imposing a £1-a-night levy on visitors staying in hotels, according to the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP). |
Sugar levy prevented 5,000 cases of obesity every year
27/01/2023 Council leaders have called on the Government to recommit to the sugar levy as a new study reveals it prevented more than 5,000 cases of obesity every year. |
Councillors call for ‘polluter pays’ levy on tobacco
18/01/2023 Local councillors have urged the Government to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ levy on tobacco manufacturers and to replace the expired plan to control tobacco. |
MPs urge HMRC to up game
10/01/2023 HMRC is failing to collect billions of pounds of tax it is owed each year that could have helped further fund local public services, MPs have warned. |
Public EV network under pressure from electricity price rise
10/01/2023 RAC and FairCharge have called on the Government to slash the VAT rate at public electric vehicle chargers after new data shows increase in charger costs. |
Manchester introduces post-COVID ‘toursim tax’
12/12/2022 Visitors to Manchester will be required to pay a ‘tourism tax’ as part of a new initiative to support the city’s accommodation sector after Brexit and COVID. |
Councils invited to host Investment Zones
03/10/2022 Local authorities are now able to apply to host a new Investment Zone, the Government announced over the weekend. |
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: Chancellor drops social care levy
23/09/2022 Chancellor Kwarteng today confirmed that the National Insurance (NI) rise will be reversed and a planned levy to fund social care will be dropped. |
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. |
Westminster council wages war on ‘dirty money’
21/09/2022 Westminster council will take steps today to tackle economic crime in order to combat the capital’s reputation as the European centre for money laundering. |
Westminster council calls for ‘reform’ of business rates
26/08/2022 Westminster City Council has called for a ‘fundamental reform’ of business rates ahead of what the local authority warns will be a difficult winter. |
Road-pricing system fairer than fuel tax
16/05/2022 Charging motorists a levy based on the miles they drive would be fairer than taxing fuel and could address the cost of living crisis, think tank says. |
Red diesel ban ‘tangible threat’ to waste strategy
18/03/2022 The Chancellor has been warned that the red diesel ban is ‘counter intuitive’ and presents ‘a tangible threat’ to the Government’s waste strategy. |
Council chiefs call for VAT cut on vaping products
09/03/2022 The Government should cut Value Added Tax (VAT) on the sale of vaping products to help people to stop smoking, local authority leaders say. |
Trade unions call for £200 fuel loan to be a grant
07/03/2022 Trade unions have called on the Government to protect working families against further energy price rises as a result of the Ukraine crisis. |
Councils concerned taxis ‘not aware’ of upcoming tax checks
06/01/2022 Council leaders are concerned that taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) operators are ‘not aware’ of forthcoming conditionality tax checks, research finds. |
Tax ‘loophole’ costs councils £110m
09/08/2021 New research suggests business rates relief for holiday lets is currently worth £110m a 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. |
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. |
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Think tank calls for sweeping reforms to local taxes
06/07/2020 A group of former Treasury special advisers have called for revaluation of the council tax and reform of business rates to boost the economy post-COVID-19. |
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Council celebrates ‘landmark’ ruling that will save museums thousands
18/06/2020 Exeter CC has welcomed a landmark ruling over the rateable valuation of a Grade II building in a court decision that could save museums thousands of pounds. |
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Majority of people support tax rises to solve social care crisis
06/12/2019 Two thirds of people want tax increases to pay for health and social care, a new poll has revealed. |
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Small businesses call for ‘radical’ business rates reform
21/10/2019 Representatives of small businesses have written to the chancellor calling on him to introduce business rates reform to help struggling firms. |
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High street retailers call for reform of ‘broken’ business rates
13/08/2019 Over 50 high street retailers have signed a letter calling on Chancellor Sajid Javid to reform the business rates system. |
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London boroughs eye £750 workplace parking charge
25/07/2019 Several London boroughs are considering introducing workplace parking levies (WPLs) of at least £750 a year to cut pollution and encourage active travel. |
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Council backs campaign for procurement reform
11/07/2019 Oxford City Council has become the first authority to back a fair tax campaign. |
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Councils spend £74m on empty properties in two years
03/06/2019 Local authorities have spent millions maintaining empty properties over the last couple of years, anti-tax campaigners have revealed. |
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Impact of tourism tax
27/03/2019 Rory Alexander explores what the introduction of tourism tax in the UK could mean for local councils. |
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It’s ‘business as usual’ at Mersey bridge, council defiantly insists
14/03/2019 Halton BC has said it is ‘business as usual’ at the Mersey Gateway despite a tribunal decision that the bridge’s crossing charge is 'not a tolling scheme’. |
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Scotland’s landfill ban will be £100m tax gift to England, waste experts say
27/02/2019 Waste management experts have ‘expressed deep concern’ that Scotland is not prepared for a landfill ban which will lead to higher haulage costs for councils. |
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Edinburgh council votes in favour of ‘tourist tax’
08/02/2019 City of Edinburgh councillors have voted in favour for what could be the UK’s first ‘tourist tax’. |
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‘Tweaking’ wealth taxes could raise £7bn a year, think tank says
03/01/2019 Reforming Britain’s wealth taxes could help the Government raise £7bn a year by 2022-23 to help cover the cost of public services, a think tank has argued. |
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Council chiefs call for national taxation to save care services
14/11/2018 Whitehall must start making the case for increases in national taxation in order to fund struggling adult social care services, local authority chiefs say. |
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Tax increases ‘possible solution’ to social care crisis, council chiefs say
31/07/2018 Local government leaders have proposed a series of tax increases as ‘possible solutions’ to paying for adult social care over the long-term. |
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Tax-raising powers for mayors could help reduce health inequalities, report says
15/06/2018 A leading research group has called for cities to be given more powers to help improve public health. |
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Think tank calls for ‘skills levy’ on construction industry
01/12/2017 A leading think tank has called on the Government to introduce a levy in the construction industry to boost skills training as part of a plan for Brexit. |
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Tax increases on insurance exposing public sector to ‘higher risk’, insurer warns
21/11/2017 Increases in the tax on insurance policies is leaving public sector and voluntary organisations exposed to higher risk, a leading insurer has warned. |
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Councils defend spending on public health interventions
01/11/2017 Council chiefs have defended spending on tackling harmful lifestyle choices against ‘flawed’ study which accuses them of restricting individual freedom. |
