Deadline slips as auditors and finance grapple with remote working and valuations. Being a section 151 officer in a local authority is absolutely the best job there could possibly be.[…]
The crisis in Liverpool and a fix for education budgets are further indication that local government finance is in need of a root and branch review. Even for those students[…]
The chancellor delivered the budget this week giving councils the opportunity to bid for funds but offering no resolution to long-term issues such as business rates retention, adult and children’s[…]
The severe pressure on local government budgets now means section 151 officers confront a tricky call on whether they can make a judgement on the robustness of estimates and the[…]
As Croydon grapples with a section 114 notice Richard Harbord looks at the issues underlying the council’s troubles. The London Borough of Croydon has become the big news story in[…]
Section 114 notices have been long threatened but rarely used. A continued lack of funding may change all that, argues Richard Harbord. It is difficult to remember now that section[…]
Planning reforms, unitary authorities, council tax and lawful budgets all hold the prospect of considerable, though unknown, change, writes Richard Harbord. It is always a great pleasure to be asked[…]
Amazon’s victory in a business rates appeal means one Staffordshire council will have to dip into reserves. Richard Harbord discusses the trouble with appeals. The headlines about Cannock Chase District[…]
By definition Christmas messages should be about a new start, they should be joyous and full of hope for what the next year may bring. Regrettably it is difficult to[…]
With Brexit steering the Treasury’s aim for a three-year Spending Review off the road, Whitehall’s strong grip on council finance leaves authorities impotent, writes Richard Harbord. For my birthday this[…]
