PM pledges new local powers and spending for councils
The new prime minister has committed £300m to fund greater devolution across the UK. Boris Johnson this week continued his regional tour with the announcement of £300m to fund economic[…]
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Councils seek assurance from new government on local authority funding
The chairman of the Local Government Association has written to new prime minister Boris Johnson to request that he introduces a new local government finance act. Former London mayor Johnson[…]
Labour pledges insourcing revolution
With speculation of an autumn general election mounting, the Labour Party has announced details of proposed legislation to reverse decades of contracting out for local services. The party’s shadow chancellor,[…]
Struggling tourist attraction causes council cashflow problems
Brighton & Hove Council is to restructure a multi-million pound loan to the operators of the BAi360 tourist attraction after agreeing to defer receipt of a repayment due to falling[…]
Legal services joint venture collapses
A joint venture between four councils which had promised £1m in efficiency savings has fallen apart after the largest partner announced its withdrawal. Surrey County Council has announced that it[…]
Leveraging council land value: the joint venture approach
Last year, London Borough of Haringey made national newspaper headlines after scrapping controversial proposals to regenerate a major housing estate through a joint venture with developer LendLease. However, since then,[…]
Surge in annual borrowing pushes PWLB closer to liabilities cap
Local authorities ramped up their borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) in the year to April, increasing the statutory body’s liabilities by 10.5%, according to the body’s annual[…]
Councils vow to fight £2.35bn business rates court challenge
The Local Government Association (LGA) will support 45 councils defending a challenge to business rates levied on NHS hospital properties that could see £2.35bn clawed back and set a significant[…]
CIPFA backs alternative tool for measuring councils’ financial resilience
Another model aimed at measuring the financial sustainability of councils has joined a crowded field, with the claim that more than a third of councils are at risk of failure[…]
‘Core offer’ not enough to reduce county’s budget gap
A county council which last year decided to cut its service provision to a bare minimum says it will still run out of money without extra funding from central government.[…]
