Funding | LocalGov


Urgent need for teacher training amidst schools crisis 29/04/2025 The Government should provide £260m to fund a new 'national entitlement' to teacher training to help raise school standards, think tank says.
Charity criticises 40% adoption funding cut 16/04/2025 Adoption experts have criticized the Government’s decision to cut funding for therapy for adopted children in England.
Local transport in Wales gets £110m boost 11/04/2025 The Welsh Government has announced an investment of £110m to boost local transport.
Early intervention spending down 40% 08/04/2025 Spending on early intervention children's services has plummeted by more than 40% since the onset of austerity, research has found.
Council urged to take 'more strategic approach' to transformation 08/04/2025 A watchdog has urged Argyll and Bute Council to take a more ‘strategic approach' to transforming services to help close a £29m funding gap.
Care leaders call for NIC bridging fund 04/04/2025 Care leaders have called for the creation of a ‘bridging’ fund to mitigate the impact of the rise in National Insurance Contributions (NICs).
London’s boroughs call for ‘seat at the table’ in devo settlement 03/04/2025 London’s councils have called for joint decision-making arrangements between the mayor and the capital’s boroughs as part of a new devolution settlement.
EXCLUSIVE: Sector bodies decline to join legal challenge 03/04/2025 County Councils Network and Rural Services Network will not financially support legal action over axing of the £100m rural services grant, The MJ understands.
Temporary accommodation crisis ‘utterly shameful’, MPs say 03/04/2025 Council chiefs have urged the Government to increase the temporary accommodation subsidy as MPs warn homeless children are living in ‘appalling conditions’.
One-year £28m 'capacity and capability' grant allocated 01/04/2025 The Department for Transport has announced allocations from a one-year grant of around £28m to enable local transport authorities to build 'capacity'.
Flood defences get £2.65bn boost 31/03/2025 The Government has announced an investment of £2.65bn over two years to improve flood protection in local areas.
Croydon woman breaks back after care funding cut 28/03/2025 A woman in Croydon sustained a serious back injury using an NHS bed turning aid after the local authority cut funding for her night-time care.
Schools for pupils with SEND short by 8k places 28/03/2025 Department for Education figures have revealed that the shortage of places in special schools for secondary pupils in England worsened by 25% in 2023/24.
Trading standards services get £10m boost 26/03/2025 The Government has announced an investment of £10m to help improve trading standards services across England.
Somerset could be in need of exceptional financial support 25/03/2025 Somerset Council has been found to have 45 ‘key risks' that mean it may need exceptional financial support from the Government.
Affordable housing gets £2bn funding boost 25/03/2025 The Government has announced £2bn in funding aimed at delivering up to 18,000 new social and affordable homes.
Government green lights Plymouth financial support 25/03/2025 The Government has green lighted Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) worth £72m for Plymouth City Council following a review of its finances.
Great British Energy announces £10m for metro mayors 24/03/2025 Metro mayors are set to benefit from a £10m funding boost from Great British Energy aimed at supporting the delivery of new clean energy projects.
Council chiefs warn Chancellor of ‘devastating’ financial pressures 24/03/2025 Nearly three quarters of local authorities in England have warned it will be very or fairly difficult to set a balanced budget this financial year.
PM tells councils to ‘get on with the job’ of fixing potholes 24/03/2025 Councils will be required to publish progress reports on what they are doing to tackle potholes if they are to access £1.6bn of highway maintenance funding.
British Library’s £1.1bn expansion finds a backer 20/03/2025 The British Library’s £1.1bn expansion plans have received a significant boost after securing the backing of Japanese developer Mitsui Fudosan.
School absences up two-thirds since before pandemic 18/03/2025 Absences and suspensions from school are two-thirds higher than before the pandemic, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
Potholes: Treating the illness not just the symptom 17/03/2025 With the publication of the ALARM survey, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, David Giles, talks to LocalGov about investing in local roads.
ALARM: Pothole repairs backlog hits £17bn 17/03/2025 Council chiefs have repeated their call for long-term funding for road maintenance as the ALARM survey reveals the pothole repairs backlog has reached £17bn.
Think tanks calls for doubling of mayoral capacity fund 14/03/2025 A think tank has urged the Government to commit to doubling the mayoral capacity fund to help strengthen capacity and accountability in combined authorities.
Childcare providers warn of cuts to funded places 13/03/2025 Nurseries, preschools and childminders face a ‘perfect storm of challenges’ amid the expansion of the Government's funded childcare scheme, survey reveals.
Prevention services 'at risk' 12/03/2025 Prevention services are ‘at risk' because of rising social care spending, a local government leader has warned.
Council approves £2.5m Rose sculptures 06/03/2025 Barnsley Council has approved £2.5m of funding for three Yorkshire Rose sculptures in the town centre.
DfT throws Norfolk – and Shropshire – a lifeline 05/03/2025 The Department for Transport (DfT) has said it will not ask Norfolk County Council to return £33m funding towards its shelved £274m link road.
Council chiefs call for £452m for free bus passes 05/03/2025 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to plug the nearly half a billion pound shortfall caused by the funding of free bus passes.
Zurich calls for more cash to improve local road safety 04/03/2025 A major council insurer has called for increased funding for local authority road maintenance and more flexibility when spending it.
Council chiefs back call for funding creatives 04/03/2025 Local government leaders have backed a call to provide more financial support to smaller creative industries which can ‘drive local growth.’
Shortfall worsens after allocation changes 04/03/2025 Councils are facing an additional £76m shortfall in their temporary accommodation budgets following changes to the allocation of £440m homelessness grant.
£1.5bn announced for ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods 04/03/2025 Towns across the UK to benefit from a £1.5bn cash boost aimed at reviving high streets, improving local public services, and driving regeneration.
Wealth fund backs social housing retrofit loans 03/03/2025 The National Wealth Fund (NWF) has announced plans to guarantee £250m of loans to housing associations to support the retrofitting of social housing.
Councils welcome ‘gamechanger’ regeneration funding 03/03/2025 Oldham Council and Rochdale Borough Council have been granted £20m each to support a range of regeneration schemes.
Council leader: Legally challenging grant axing worthwhile 03/03/2025 North Yorkshire Council's legal action against the Government over a £14m funding cut could cost more than £250,000.
Report finds fall in provision of long-term care 28/02/2025 Councils provided long-term care to fewer people last year than they did a decade ago, according to a new report.
London’s high streets get £21m regeneration boost 28/02/2025 London’s high streets are to benefit from £21m additional funding this year aimed at regenerating the capital’s high streets.
Council bailouts could ‘create longer-term risk’, warns NAO 27/02/2025 The spending watchdog has called for a ‘whole-system’ approach to fixing local government finance and warned that bailouts could ‘create longer-term risk.’
Call to scrap ringfence in homelessness funding 27/02/2025 The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged the Government to scrap a new ringfence within the homelessness prevention grant.
New funding for local government to tackle digital exclusion 26/02/2025 The Government has announced that new funding will be available to help local and combined authorities to tackle digital exclusion.
Extra £30m to combat homelessness 26/02/2025 An additional £30m in emergency funding has been allocated to councils in England to help prevent evictions and support rough sleepers.
Hospices set to benefit from £100m boost 26/02/2025 Hospices across England are set to receive £25m of funding for facility upgrades and refurbishments, the Government has confirmed.
Funding floor for Welsh councils 24/02/2025 Councils in Wales are to see an average funding increase of 4.3%, following the announcement of the Welsh Government's Budget.
Council pledges extra £1m to castle restoration 24/02/2025 Newark and Sherwood District Council has pledged £1m to support the restoration of a historic castle after costs escalate.
£270m boost for museums and galleries branded ‘sticking plaster’ 21/02/2025 The announcement of £270m for museums and galleries is welcome but still just a ‘sticking plaster’ to cover a lack of funding, council chiefs say.
Councils granted £1.5bn in Exceptional Financial Support 20/02/2025 Thirty cash-strapped local authorities have been granted more than £1.5bn in Exceptional Financial Support (EFS).
Lack of asylum funding snag for reorganisation 20/02/2025 Funding for asylum seeker support has emerged as a sticking point in Kent's reorganisation plans.
Sector calls for data and evidence to drive fair funding 19/02/2025 The Government should use the best available evidence and most up-to-date data to calculate local authority funding allocations, sector groups have said.
End of statutory override could leave half of councils insolvent 19/02/2025 More than half of unitary and upper tier councils could be unable to balance their books when the statutory override for special needs spending expires, a survey has found.
Funding boost helps council avoid cuts 18/02/2025 Coventry City Council has dropped proposed cuts to charity-run adult services, street cleaning and council tax support due to an increase in funding.
Labour awards half of Tories’ ‘unfunded’ culture cash 17/02/2025 Ministers have announced today that £50m will be awarded to a string of culture projects – about half the level of funding promised by the Tories.
£300m active travel funding allocated 14/02/2025 The Government has confirmed £291m for active travel over the next two years as well as reforms to Active Travel England's (ATE) local funding model.
Rayner announces £350m affordable housing boost 12/02/2025 An extra £350m will be invested to boost the number of affordable homes and more will be done to stop rogue landlords getting benefits, the deputy PM says.
Spending Review chance to end ‘permacrisis’ 11/02/2025 The Spending Review is a chance to end the ‘permacrisis’ that has left a growing number of local authorities on the brink of bankruptcy, London Councils says.
Council funding gap 'unbridgeable' 11/02/2025 The Treasury has come under fire from peers for adding to councils' financial pressures with increased National Insurance contributions.
Cash-strapped Croydon requests £136m boost 10/02/2025 Croydon Council has requested £136m exceptional financial support from the Government.
Government increases Public Health Grant by 5.4% 07/02/2025 A £200m boost to public health services has been announced by the Government.
Minister told districts funding level 'just not acceptable' 07/02/2025 Local government minister Jim McMahon has responded to claims district authorities will see little increase in their funding this year.
Alcohol-related deaths prompt health funding call 06/02/2025 The number of alcohol-related deaths hit record levels in 2023, prompting council chiefs to call for certainty over funding for public health services.
Flood defence funding boost ‘tip of the iceberg’ 05/02/2025 Defra's decision to top up funding for flood defences by £250m raises spending in this area to record levels but is still just ‘tip of the iceberg’, MPs say.
LGA: Council tax increases no substitute for fixing funding 04/02/2025 Council leaders have warned council tax increases place ‘more financial burden on households’ without fixing the long-term pressures facing local government.
Trading standards cuts expose millions to danger 03/02/2025 Millions of people are exposed to scams and dangerous products because of understaffed trading standards teams, a freedom of information request has revealed.
Tax hikes agreed for just six councils 03/02/2025 Councils facing financial woes have been told to scale back council tax rises, just weeks before they put their new budgets in place.
Children’s Services need support to deal with increasing complexity 03/02/2025 The Government must introduce long-term funding mechanisms for Children’s Services to address increasing complexity and rising demand, a new report says.
Majority of county councils to hike up council tax 31/01/2025 Nine in ten county councils will have to raise council tax by the maximum permitted, the County Council Network (CCN) has warned.
Andy Burnham adviser quits after report into £400k grant 30/01/2025 An adviser to Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has resigned following an investigation into a grant from Arts Council England (ACE).
Council set to make £8.6m in savings 30/01/2025 Blackpool City Council is set to make £8.6m in savings but emphasises there will be no job losses at the current time.
Bournemouth could borrow £57.5m to cover SEND deficit 30/01/2025 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has proposed borrowing £57.5m to tackle a funding gap for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.
New unitary seeks exceptional financial support 30/01/2025 A unitary council that is less than two years old is seeking exceptional financial support from Government.
‘More work to do’, councillor responds to SEND petition 29/01/2025 Nottinghamshire County Council’s cabinet member for education and SEND, Cllr Ben Bradle, has acknowledged there is ‘more to do’ on SEND provision.
DCN: Triple drainage board funding 29/01/2025 The District Councils' Network (DCN) has called on the Government to increase its funding to help local authorities struggling to pay drainage board levies.
Three boroughs seek more than £120m financial support 28/01/2025 Three London boroughs have announced in the past week they are seeking exceptional financial support from the Government.
‘No desire’ to address short-term homelessness system 24/01/2025 MPs examining the homelessness crisis have warned that there is seemingly ‘no desire to move away from an unsatisfactory short-term system’.
Councillor threatens legal action over ‘Rayner's rural robbery’ 23/01/2025 The deputy leader of North Yorkshire Council has accused the Government of ‘rural robbery’ over a reduction in funding and raised the spectre of legal action.
Council commits £6.2m per year to long-term mental health funding 23/01/2025 Oxfordshire County Council has committed £6.2m each year for the next 10 years to a pooled budget for mental health services.
Rough sleeping emergency fund boosted by £20m 20/01/2025 The Government today announced it was tripling the emergency funding available for rough sleepers this winter.
Lancashire set to spend £14m on repairs at 61 schools 16/01/2025 Lancashire County Council has set out plans to spend a government grant on ‘urgent’ repairs at 61 schools.
PAC: ‘Unviable’ SEND system pushing councils towards bankruptcy 15/01/2025 Almost half of all councils in England are in danger of effective bankruptcy within 15 months due in part to the ‘failing’ SEND system, MPs warn.
Social care cannot wait for 2028 reform, report warns 14/01/2025 Social care is on the brink of collapse and cannot wait for Government reform in 2028, a report has warned.
Special educational needs statutory override is 'abomination' 10/01/2025 Accountancy alone will not be enough to end the ‘abomination' of statutory overrides for special educational needs (SEN) budgets, a minister has said.
Social care reform requires 'political courage' 09/01/2025 The Government's three-year timetable for reforming social care has been labelled ‘completely unnecessary' by Sir Andrew Dilnot.
Schools face ‘death by a thousand cuts’, union says 08/01/2025 Headteachers have warned that schools and colleges will be forced to make cuts if costs continue to outstrip the growth in school funding.
Social care ‘likely to deteriorate’ during wait for review 03/01/2025 Councils have warned that the social care sector is ‘likely to deteriorate’ during the three-year wait for the findings of a new independent commission.
Local Welsh treasures receive £2m boost 24/12/2024 Over £2m will be awarded to seven local places in Wales including music venues and community and leisure centres.
Starmer 'acutely aware' of SEND risk 23/12/2024 Starmer is ‘acutely aware' that demand and market failure across special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services are pushing councils to the brink.
EXCLUSIVE: Public back council funding hike 23/12/2024 Two out of three people back calls to increase local government funding, a survey has found.
GLA developer stuggles with £300m debt 23/12/2024 Auditors have warned a developer owned by the Greater London Authority (GLA) may require a rescue package.
Quarter of extra pothole cash to be held back 20/12/2024 Ministers have confirmed an extra £500m for local road maintenance in England next year, but a quarter of the cash will be held back on the basis of an incentive process that has yet to be worked out.
Cuts warnings after finance settlement announced 19/12/2024 The bodies representing district and county councils have warned that services will be cut next year after the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement was published yesterday.
£2bn finance settlement boost announced 18/12/2024 Councils in England will receive a share of £2bn additional funding next year under the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement announced on Wednesday.
Councils get £1bn to tackle homelessness 18/12/2024 Local authorities in England will receive the ‘largest ever’ cash injection into homelessness services next year, the Government has announced today.
Cornwall Council proposes job cuts ahead of Christmas 17/12/2024 More than 100 employees at Cornwall Council could be made redundant in the run up to Christmas because of ‘chronic underfunding’ by the central government, a trade union has said.
English councils slash culture spending by 50% 17/12/2024 Spending on culture, heritage and libraries by English councils has been cut by more than half over the last 15 years, according to new research.
Care sector faces ‘most difficult’ months in years 16/12/2024 Organisations working in social care have warned that without new funding the coming months will be ‘the most difficult we’ve seen in recent years.’
4.3% boost for Welsh councils 12/12/2024 Councils will receive £6.1bn from the Welsh Government to spend on delivering key services, increasing core revenue funding by 4.3% next year, ministers have announced.
State will operate 'more like a start-up' 10/12/2024 The launch of a £100m fund to pioneer public sector reform and deliver the Government's Plan for Change will see the state operate ‘more like a start-up', a minister has pledged.
Newcastle to auto-enrol pupils for free school meals 10/12/2024 Eligible families in Newcastle will be automatically signed up to receive free school meals, the city council has announced.
Early years gets £2bn boost 10/12/2024 The early years sector is set to receive a £2bn funding boost next year as the final phase of the mass expansion of free childcare is delivered.