Capital health indicators key to Croydon’s crisis
Croydon is the latest local authority to issue a section 114 notice. Experts Dan Bates and Christian Wall look at the trends underlying the council’s woes. Christian Wall Croydon’s section[…]
Funding
Rebuke of £3.6bn Towns Fund administration hits home
MPs on the Public Accounts Committee say the running of the Towns Fund is opaque and “not impartial” . With a bulging kitty of £3.6bn the government’s Towns Fund—a project[…]
Richard Harbord: Croydon’s 114 notice hold lessons for all councils
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[…]
Tracie Langley: Shifting revenue budgets from individuals to place
Tracie Langley explores the use of financial strategy to to move spending from individuals to place over a four-year period. I like to make things simple. Fundamentally, if a council[…]
Without a ‘generous’ settlement the risk of section 114s looms large
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[…]
Local government reorganisation: The debate is intense but is the case for reform proven?
A white paper on local government devolution and reorgnisation may be delayed until next year but that doesn’t mean the argument isn’t white hot. We asked a panel of experts[…]
Andrew Hardingham: FDs face endless demands but competence keeps them going
Recent years have seen a flood of change for finance directors in local government, including those forced by the pandemic. Andrew Hardingham surveys the FD’s role and offers advice on[…]
Nikki Bishop Interview: ‘Burden sharing’ scheme raises investment income concern
Excluding investment income from the government’s “burden sharing” scheme, put in place to aid local authorities through the Covid-19 pandemic, will hit councils engaged in long-term regeneration projects, a senior[…]
Relax borrowing rules to tackle financial crisis, says think tank
The Institute for Fiscal Studies says local government in England still needs an extra £2bn to see it through the pandemic. One way of dealing with financial needs, it argues,[…]
Devolution: The structural and economic challenges
A white paper on devolution and the potential reconfiguration of local government in England is on the way. Paul Dossett explores the risks and opportunities. While the local government sector[…]
