Crunch time: Building a ‘robust and adequate’ budget
It’s budget time for local government and CFOs across the country are wrestling with their statutory responsibilities. Andrew Hardingham writes that in the end it comes down to looking at[…]
Funding
Uncertainty looms over future council funding despite £2.9bn boost
Local government funding confirmed this week will provide a boost to council budgets but there remains uncertainty over resources for the coming years. The House of Commons voted this week[…]
Warwick votes for referendum on 34.2% council tax increase
Warwick District Council has become the first authority to back a referendum on increasing its council tax share above the 2% limit. Residents will be asked on 7th May to[…]
Richard Harbord: Cannock Chase reveals the risks in business rates appeals
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[…]
EXCLUSIVE: Bonds agency goes to market with £350m inaugural bond
The UK Municipal Bonds Agency (UKMBA) today launched its long-awaited first bond into the market, ending a six-year wait. In January, Room 151 broke the news that the UKMBA was[…]
NAO: Councils’ commercial property activity raises questions over prudential framework
The government’s spending watchdog has urged the government to review the regime governing councils’ capital spending, concluding that their activity in the commercial property market raises questions about whether it[…]
Building Beautiful Commission seeks funding tweaks and tax breaks
A government commission on architectural design has called for changes to the way public funding is used to aid new-home delivery plus business rates breaks to aid high street shops.[…]
NAO to probe value of forcing councils to bid for grant streams
The National Audit Office (NAO) is to investigate whether asking councils to competitively bid for grant funding streams provides value for money. Since 2010, national government has introduced an array[…]
Research hints at scale of change posed by Fair Funding Review
Hundreds of millions of pounds of adult social care funding could be redirected from councils in the North and Midlands, according to a Local Government Association (LGA) analysis. The LGA[…]
Watchdogs raise worries over value for money on Scottish councils’ private finance deals
Scottish councils have been incentivised to overlook value for money when weighing up how to finance infrastructure spending, according to spending watchdogs. A report by the Accounts Commission and Auditor[…]
