Low reserves aggravate Hertfordshire £90m funding gap
Hertfordshire County Council is facing a funding gap set to grow to £90m in four years’ time, with plans in place expected to account for half of the shortfall, according[…]
151 News
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Boosted s151 officer role ‘significantly improves’ LEP transparency
The National Audit Office has reported a significant improvement in the financial transparency of England’s Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) after section 151 officers were given extra responsibility for ensuring that[…]
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Barclays’ court submission denies councils’ LOBO fraud claim
Barclays has denied fraudulently entering a number of Lender Option Borrower Option (LOBO) loans with councils, in court documents seen by Room151. In February, a group of seven councils lodged[…]
Hackney to tackle fuel poverty with clean energy company
Hackney Council has earmarked £150,000 as start-up costs for a council-run energy company to tackle the fuel poverty of almost 10,000 households in the borough. The council’s cabinet this week[…]
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Children’s services at “breaking point” and in need of £3.1bn
Children’s services in England are at “breaking point” and must receive increased funding of £3.1bn in the 2019 funding review, according to a report from an influential committee of MPs.[…]
CIPFA stars shine at awards
The brightest and best in public finance have been recognised at a top awards ceremony. The annual Public Finance Awards saw Bromley Council take the top spot for its work[…]
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London borough to push ahead with income-boosting education services joint venture
A north-east London borough is progressing plans to set up a new education-services company, in a bid to cut costs at the same time as maintaining the quality of its[…]
Crowdfunding could pay for public services, researchers claim
Local authorities could use crowdfunding as an alternative to traditional borrowing, researchers have claimed. A government-backed study by the University of Leeds concluded that online fundraising is a ‘viable and[…]
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Spending review holding back planning reforms
Reforms to the fees charged to house builders are being held up by the delayed spending review. MPs on the Public Accounts committee were told that changes aimed at enabling[…]
Mutual launches to compete in insurance market
A group of councils has joined the Local Government Association (LGA) in launching a new mutual aimed at offering a better deal for councils on insurance. The mutual will see[…]
