Newham

07/26 Newham appoints Maria Christofi as new chief executive 

07/26 Newham plans £66m of future savings

03/26 Conrad Hall: Section 25 statements are like fine wines – they improve with age

01/26 £44m funding boost could put Newham on path to stability

01/26 Maria Christofi fills section 151 officer role at Newham

12/25 Conrad Hall joins Croydon on secondment

11/25 Newham reduces allocation to equity fund

11/25 Newham implements £80m savings target with budget aiming to ‘secure future’

10/25 The role of shared services in today’s local government

09/25 EFS dependency grows as sector pushes for alternative model

09/25 London boroughs’ borrowing significantly outpaces other councils

09/25 The debt debate: why council borrowing headlines miss the point

09/25 Sandra Beard joins Huntingdonshire as head of finance

08/25 EFS disguising depletion of council reserves

07/25 ‘Genuine solution’ to growing SEND deficits still urgently required

07/25 Latest MHCLG temporary accommodation data paints bleak picture

07/25 160% rise in households in temporary accommodation since 2010

06/25 Government launches Fair Funding Review ahead of 2026 rollout

06/25 Conrad Hall: join me in opposing the extension of the Great Accounting Wheeze

05/25 Cheshire East confident EFS will be short-term bridge to longer-term financial sustainability

05/25 Mike O’Donnell appointed to Transport for London board

05/25 Warrington and Spelthorne interventions; Best Value Notices at Cheshire East and Newham

05/25 Conrad Hall: what next for local authority funding?

04/25 Conrad Hall: a central/local tension is the cause of the financial crisis – not funding

04/25 Children’s care spending at ‘all-time high’ as early intervention outlay plummets

02/25 Government takes ‘strict approach’ on council tax increase requests as final finance settlement is unveiled

01/25 Exceptional financial support: where does it end?

01/25 Newham seeks EFS and proposes 10% council tax rise

01/25 Treasurers’ Panel: the challenges facing s151s in planning for reform and reorganisation

12/24 Government shuts down Oflog over ‘vague purpose’

12/24 LATIF North 2025: topical discussions and lively debates expected in Manchester in March

11/24 Finance policy statement: deprivation funding focus sparks ‘anxiety’ for some

11/24 Children’s social care: are the new reforms tackling the right issue?

10/24 Surging temporary accommodation costs pose major risk to local finances

10/24 Newham seeks EFS to stave off section 114 – but says only funding reform will prevent ‘exceptional becoming normal’

09/24 LATIF 2024 in review: assessing investment opportunities, challenges and strategies

09/24 Roundtable: Labour and the LGPS- untapped potential, fiduciary challenges

08/24 Government’s housing plans: ‘still significant need for public sector subsidy’

07/24 Newham in housing company debt for equity swap

07/24 MOTB: government must stop constraining debt if they want growth

07/24 Local government has shown it can be trusted to deliver, say MOTB panellists

07/24 Borrowing trends: is the local government debt trajectory sustainable?

06/24 IN PICTURES: highlights of the 2024 Private Markets Forum

06/24 Private Markets Forum II: new challenges, new strategies

05/24 Municipal Missions Manifesto: what exactly is it that you have against democracy? – Conrad Hall

04/24 Councils face £332m shortfall in annual youth homelessness funding

04/24 Private Debt Roundtable: capitalising on new opportunities

03/24 Housing151: government must take a ‘more sensible’ attitude towards debt

03/24 Housing151: ‘Total, radical shift’ in housing provision required, says keynote Jackie Sadek

01/24 London ‘building twice as many council homes as rest of the country’

12/23 2023 in review: 12 of Room151’s best blogs

11/23 Newham considers selling almost £40m property portfolio

10/23 The days of shared services are ‘numbered’ amid councils’ financial troubles

10/23 £16bn of LGPS capital invested in fossil fuels

08/23 Unite strikes at 23 local authorities amid ‘dramatically increasing tensions’

08/23 Less than a month to go to LATIF/FDs’ Summit

07/23 Lee Rowley to speak at Room151’s LATIF/FDs’ Summit

07/23 Two LGPS funds commit towards an impact real estate strategy

07/23 Conrad Hall: who broke my local council?

07/23 LATIF/FDs’ Summit to welcome over 250 delegates and stellar line-up of speakers

06/23 Natural capital, housing and levelling up on the agenda at Private Markets Forum

06/23 LUHC audit inquiry: how to solve the auditing crisis

05/23 Slough gets pair of new commissioners as Gavin Jones steps up to lead role

04/23 Shared service trimmed as no longer delivering some ‘cost savings’

02/23 Council failure and the ‘West Didsbury Question’

01/23 In defence of IFRS

12/22 The s151’s 12 days of Christmas

11/22 Who guards the guardians?

08/22 Permanent IFRS 9 override could ‘erode sector’s credibility’

06/22 Gove at LGA: councils to receive two-year financial settlement

06/22 Conrad Hall: ‘more sophisticated’ regulation needed for local government

06/22 MRP U-turn welcomed but ‘unintended consequences remain’

06/22 Councils given £15.5m funding to help implement social care reforms

05/22 ‘Urgent consultation’ issued in response to continuing audit delays

05/22 To Michael Gove: a modest proposal

04/22 ‘We need to shift the focus of local authority accounting’

03/22 Delay to IFRS 16 agreed by ‘narrowest possible margin’

02/22 Newham agrees ‘multimillion pound’ lobo settlement with Barclays

02/22 ‘Exceptional consultation’ issued on proposals to address local audit delays

02/22 How best to respond to local audit delays?

12/21 Spending review prompts more calls for long-term funding answers

08/21 What’s the benefit of using the PSAA?

04/21 Impact Awards: A week to go before deadline

03/21 Impact Awards launch to celebrate finance teams

02/20 Shared service venture to create “finance academy” for managers

02/20 Olympian task: Stepping up at Newham

11/19 Council feels financial squeeze on housing company pledge

09/19 Warrington to launch £75m social impact investment fund

06/19 Monthly PWLB borrowing at £785m in May

05/19 2012 Olympics report calls on Newham to improve investment decision-making

05/19 London councils see budgets slashed

05/19 Newham votes to join counter fraud hub

05/19 Barclays’ court submission denies councils’ LOBO fraud claim

04/19 Newham fined £145K for data breach

02/19 Newham aims to end non-compliance culture

01/19 London councils pay millions to Right to Buy landlords

11/18 Homes England actively seeking partnerships with councils

10/18 Newham financial health check identifies control weaknesses

10/18 Warrington doubles down on solar farm investments

08/18 Newham looks to provide 2,000 affordable homes

07/18 Newham’s £40m on Olympic stadium ‘down the drain’

07/18 Newham launches LOBO legal action against Barclays

06/18 Newham calls on CIPFA for financial health check

05/18 Newham’s section 151 officer departs

04/18 Newham in danger of missing deadline to publish accounts

01/18 News Roundup: Services maintained after Carillion collapse, Brunel appointment, Unite ballot, LGPS admin dealdeal

12/17 News Roundup: LGPS hedge fund holdings, Newham housing scheme, Right to Buy threat

12/17 News Roundup: Race to beat MiFID II deadline, Worcestershire’s real return investment, Newham’s Olympic stadium write-off, social services

12/17 Warrington refinances £100m of inter-authority borrowing with long-term PWLB loans

10/17 News Roundup: Newham’s loan rate revealed, black hole in county finances, Islington’s property company

08/17 Property boom, Scottish business rates, Infrastructure levy spend, Newham JV, Hants seeks adviser

07/17 News roundup: Borrowing to increase cash needs, Newham’s transformation savings, residents audit Lambeth, CIPFA’s ethics update

05/17 Solar Bond investments: A lightbulb opportunity for council investment

05/17 Editor’s Blog: Commercial property investment now a bad publicity risk

04/17 News round-up: Barking’s new lottery, spending cuts, Basingstoke’s property drive, Better Care Fund

04/17 Three councils combine to invest £12m in solar farm bond

04/17 Outstanding PWLB debt rises as councils borrow for property investment

04/17 Newham declines FOI request for LOBO replacement loan rate

03/17 News round-up: Merseyside’s Canary Wharf loan, council borrowing soars, freedom for social care fund

02/17 Newham ditches LOBOs pledging £94m in savings