London business rates pilot agreed

Court ruling leaves councils facing compensation bills for water overcharging: Councils could face compensation costs running into the millions after the High Court ruled that a council unlawfully overcharged its tenants for supplying water from 2002,… dlvr.it/RKZnQK pic.twitter.com/tawdmA9wlE

Election 2019: “Stark” differences in parties’ proposals for council funding: Conservative Party manifesto proposals would not meet rising costs faced by councils, while Labour Party policies would meet demand even with a council tax freeze, according to… dlvr.it/RKZnNT pic.twitter.com/F16kSfQrXI

LGPS women discuss: climate & pension fund investing: Climate change has become one of the biggest issues for asset owners and managers as they move to tackle global warming. Room151 convened a roundtable of LGPS practitioners and advisers[...] dlvr.it/RKXsWW pic.twitter.com/3rtUTapwkF

Interview: Doug Heron, CEO, Lothian Pension Fund: Doug Heron is heading towards marking one year at Lothian after making the switch from the world of fintech platforms to local government pensions. He talks to Room151 about core[...] dlvr.it/RKSQPK pic.twitter.com/ltHR6AS5gD

LGPS and the climate change revolution: The pressure to integrate climate change thinking into LGPS asset management is growing. At the Room 151 LGPS Asset Allocation Forum, experts insisted climate be seen as a strategic issue[...] dlvr.it/RKK1cY pic.twitter.com/G87J33R4yS

Conference chairs, ‘tree-hugging’ and overcharging pension investors: I have a story about two LGPS conferences, two conference chairs and an industry that appears to be changing for the better. I know, sounds like a real doozy, but[...] dlvr.it/RKK1Xy pic.twitter.com/6zYQFuuwAr

Council feels financial squeeze on housing company pledge: The London Borough of Newham is set to approve a £113.1m funding package to support the latest phase of homes being developed by its wholly-owned housing company- but has admitted[...] dlvr.it/RKHwWy pic.twitter.com/jFrVeCWSw6

Lack of benefits prompts shared services rethink: A major local authority shared services venture involving Northamptonshire County Council is to be restructured after it was revealed that a number of service areas were only included to boost[...] dlvr.it/RKDypl pic.twitter.com/f0R37mvCtP

Council report casts doubt on emergence of competitive PWLB alternatives: A report by London Borough of Haringey finance officers has sounded the alarm over the options for councils to find cheaper lenders than the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB)… dlvr.it/RKDJxX pic.twitter.com/dRium0oigT

How do the main party manifestos affect local government finance?: As the battle for Number 10 hots up, Room151 takes a look at the manifesto commitments likely to be of most interest to section 151 officers. Conservative Party Business rates[...] dlvr.it/RK7wr0 pic.twitter.com/qSNyBwrDrj

Council service spending grows by 1.9%: English local authorities’ total service expenditure reached £91.4bn in 2018-19, a 1.9% increase on the previous year and its highest level since 2014-15. The figures were included in the Local[...] dlvr.it/RJmCCt

LGPS governance review sets out s151 training steps: The latest phase of an ongoing Local Government Pension Scheme governance review has detailed its plans for making sure section 151 officers are properly schooled in their fund-related duties. One[...] dlvr.it/RJmC8C pic.twitter.com/JPI1aHfYbj

Sector finance chief calls for council freedoms to swap PWLB loans: A leading local government finance figure says the government should have allowed councils to swap their Public Works Loan Board loans as an alternative to raising the interest rate.… dlvr.it/RJjG7z pic.twitter.com/cEJpbNjAAT