Birmingham

07/26 West Midlands Pension Fund sets local investment target

05/26 Mayoral development corporation to accelerate Birmingham regeneration

02/26 More councils see exceptional financial support requests granted for 2026/27

02/26 ‘Bankrupt Birmingham’ tag a ‘thing of the past’

12/25 2025 in review part two: July to December

12/25 2025 in review part one: January to June

12/25 New LGPS Central chair pledges focus on governance as pool expands

12/25 Birmingham still ‘financially fragile’, say commissioners

11/25 ‘Danger’ less emphasis will be placed on savings delivery at Nottingham, warn commissioners

11/25 Birmingham finance chief calls for modernisation of s114 system

11/25 LGPS Pool acquires stake in three regional airports

11/25 Birmingham financial health claims ‘entirely incorrect’, say commissioners

10/25 Birmingham equal pay settlement ‘opportunity to limit further costs’

10/25 Government measures can have ‘catastrophic’ impact; EFS treating ‘symptoms, not cause’

10/25 Birmingham regeneration scheme with 51% affordable homes moves step closer

09/25 Paul Woods: cutting legacy capital support is ‘unfair and damaging’

09/25 EFS dependency grows as sector pushes for alternative model

09/25 Growth can’t happen without devolution

09/25 A way forward for councils in debt crisis

09/25 Power grab or driver of change? The Devolution Bill debated

09/25 Hillingdon appoints Steven Muldoon to s151 position

09/25 Commercial investment windfalls give balance to Coventry

08/25 Local authority debt in the spotlight as £2.9bn of assets sold in two years

07/25 McArdle replaces Caller as Birmingham lead commissioner

07/25 Birmingham publishes three years of accounts as audit reveals control failures

07/25 OBR acknowledges ‘growing risks’ to local government financial sustainability

06/25 Owen Mapley: fair funding is not the fix-all for council finance crisis

06/25 Is Reform’s DOGE a threat to local government audit?

06/25 Union calls for end to ‘profiteering’ on local authority debt

05/25 Forecasted £618m in Birmingham asset sales short of £750m target

05/25 Exclusive: Andy Burnham – ‘route funding through us, not Whitehall’

05/25 Mike O’Donnell appointed to Transport for London board

05/25 Deeper devolution needed to successfully reform state, say public sector experts

05/25 Clive Heaphy set to become interim s151 at Somerset

05/25 Toxic waste: how councils can come clean on waste management

04/25 Commissioners question Birmingham’s budget setting and MTFP

03/25 Audit crisis: over 60 councils miss deadline as backlog persists

02/25 The blame game: why are s151 officers always in the firing line?

02/25 How can local and central government unlock housing delivery?

02/25 Council funding crisis deepens as 30 authorities granted EFS

02/25 Birmingham’s financial collapse: audit exposes budget mismanagement and political interference

02/25 Social housing inspections: where are authorities going wrong and how can this be put right?

02/25 Government takes ‘strict approach’ on council tax increase requests as final finance settlement is unveiled

01/25 Exclusive: Birmingham MP urges Rayner to intervene amid WMPF overspend allegations

01/25 Birmingham needs second 10% council tax increase and £153m in savings

01/25 Carol Culley takes on executive director and s151 role at Birmingham

01/25 West Midlands Pension Fund in the firing line over employer contributions

12/24 Chris Buss: we’ve started, so we’ll finish – or will they?

12/24 Birmingham reaches equal pay agreement with unions

11/24 ‘The cost of staying the same could be greater than the cost of change’: TechnologyOne EVP Leo Hanna interview

11/24 Birmingham City Council completes £73m bond buyback

10/24 Government extends intervention at Slough while Birmingham faces severe challenges

10/24 Could LGPS investors help unlock the Northern Powerhouse?

09/24 UNISON: councils ‘teetering on the brink of financial disaster’

08/24 Birmingham’s s114 process and intervention queried in new report

08/24 ‘Tens of millions’ in equal pay claims issued against Brighton and Hove

07/24 ‘Decade of renewal’: 20 authorities call for new government to save council housing

07/24 Borrowing trends: is the local government debt trajectory sustainable?

06/24 Political parties’ ‘silence’ on local government finance likely to push more councils to the brink

05/24 Has local government cut itself off from cheaper borrowing?

05/24 Cornwall Council launches £10.6bn investment programme

05/24 Oracle IT system costs soar to nearly £40m for West Sussex

04/24 Former BoE chief economist makes case for urban wealth funds to alleviate council crisis

02/24 Government approves capitalisation directions at 19 councils

02/24 Birmingham to pay back £1.3bn financial support through asset sales; ‘unprecedented’ savings programme unveiled

02/24 95% of authorities to implement maximum council tax

01/24 West Yorkshire Pension Fund injects cash into inter-authority lending market

01/24 Birmingham plans 600 redundancies as £300m budget gap ‘may rise’

12/23 2023 in review: 12 of Room151’s best blogs

12/23 2023 in review: the best stories in local government finance

12/23 Birmingham looks to £2.4bn property portfolio to bridge £300m budget gap

12/23 Almost one in five councils ‘likely’ to issue s114s

11/23 Chris Buss: is all well within the ring fence?

11/23 Max Caller: an s114 is a sign of failure on behalf of the officers, the members or both

11/23 Birmingham needs further help to set budget as ‘stark’ medium-term position is outlined for the first time

11/23 One in ten Society of County Treasurers member councils in danger of not balancing their budget this year amid £600m overspend

10/23 Northern LGPS invests in UK real estate fund

10/23 GMPF to invest £150m in Bruntwood SciTech

10/23 Birmingham commissioners appointed for five years, with Chris Tambini focusing on finance

09/23 Councils face funding shortfall exceeding £3.5bn

09/23 Making sense of the local council financial crisis across England

09/23 Ongoing equal pay dispute leads to second Birmingham s114 notice

09/23 75,000 council assets worth £15bn sold in past 13 years, research finds

09/23 CIPFA issues urgent guidance to finance directors on s114 practice

09/23 Rowley: ‘I need local government to be squeaky clean with money and not experiment’

09/23 Government intervention at Birmingham will ‘protect the interests of residents and provide assurance to the sector’

09/23 Hillier: ‘real renaissance of local government under Labour’

09/23 Richard Harbord: no easy path to sustainable local government

09/23 Leeds wants ‘complete revamp’ of local government funding amid five-year, £250m budget gap

09/23 ‘Stark’ service cuts at Woking as ‘things will get worse before they get better’

09/23 Growing funding gap of almost £50m ‘most immediate issue’ for Kirklees

09/23 Chris Buss: is the wolf really at the door now?

09/23 Birmingham City Council issues section 114 notice

08/23 Allianz GI on gradual home ownership: ‘people want to put down roots’

07/23 Birmingham faces £87m budget shortfall this year and £165m next before £760m equal pay costs are factored in

07/23 JOB ALERT: Public Sector Governance Consultant

07/23 Birmingham City Council ceases non-essential spending

06/23 Birmingham City Council facing additional equal pay costs worth £760m

06/23 Birmingham Council plans to spend £100m to fix Oracle IT system

05/23 Liverpool appoints Ian Williams as permanent director for finance

04/23 Birmingham appoints new s151 officer following IT contract debacle

04/23 Liverpool signs Sara Pitt as interim director of finance

02/23 Increased regulation required for ‘exempt’ housing

01/23 Davison: levelling up exclusion ‘best route to go down’

01/23 GLIL acquires 25% stake in M6 toll road

01/23 Gove names and shames councils over poor social housing conditions

11/22 Gove appoints finance commissioner for Liverpool

10/22 Councils forecast increasing budget gaps as inflation erodes finances

08/22 Becky Hellard: going boldly in Birmingham

08/22 Redmond confirmed as keynote speaker for LATIF/FDs’ Summit

07/22 Bids requested for £20m programme to tackle inadequate supported housing

05/22 Bags of capacity – now to housing delivery

04/22 Review of supported housing ‘urgently needed’

04/22 75 local authorities eligible for £302m family hub funding

09/21 Room151 teams up with Arlingclose to explore Prudential and Treasury Codes in webcast special

08/21 Richard Harbord: ‘Effective governance’ the key to commercial activity

07/21 MPs demand “urgent” action to repair local government audit

05/21 Cash flow forecasting key to treasurers

04/21 “Localism, localism, localism”, or simply time for better funding

03/20 Outcome based budgeting: It’s all about culture and management

02/20 Building Beautiful Commission seeks funding tweaks and tax breaks

11/19 Appeal Court backs Birmingham’s £19m sprinkler spending

11/19 Councils deliver 40% rise in homes with their own cash

10/19 Sponsored: Driving regional growth through the government hub programme

10/19 PWLB rate hike sends shockwaves through council finance sector

10/19 Rise in council spending on land and buildings slows

09/19 78,000 businesses referred to bailiffs over business rate defaults

09/19 Treasury management: Experts voice worries over borrow-to-invest strategies

09/19 Council PWLB borrowing hits record level in August

09/19 Chancellor aims cash boost at social care and SEND services

08/19 Caller and Whiteman to advise council on improvements

08/19 Birmingham brings more services in-house

07/19 Birmingham predicts £17.4m revenue overspend

07/19 Redditch issued with section 24 notice and told to save £1.5m

07/19 Business rate borrowing helps regeneration, says think tank

07/19 HRA lift isn’t magic fix for housebuilding, say councils

07/19 Court dismisses legal challenge to Birmingham sprinklers spending

07/19 Audit review raises prospect of new transparency rules for s151s

07/19 Councils vow to fight £2.35bn business rates court challenge

07/19 The future for outsourcing after Barnet formula cracks

07/19 Amey ends Birmingham PFI contract

06/19 Council commercial property investment rises again

06/19 Leeds strikes deal with government over rising PFI schools costs

06/19 Low PWLB rates prompt borrowing surge

06/19 100 up for LATIF 2019 as Brexit strategy and resilience top the agendas

05/19 Birmingham approves 10-year housing vision

05/19 Spending watchdog probes council borrowing for property investment

05/19 Troubled Northamptonshire makes ‘unprecedented’ in-year turnaround

04/19 Partners at loggerheads over Birmingham PFI deal

04/19 Birmingham Improvement Panel praises financial management progress

04/19 Airport tax mooted as Birmingham Commonwealth Games funding solution

04/19 Birmingham CFO rules out issuing section 114 notice over accounts error

04/19 Councils warned over “son of LOBOs” income strip deals

03/19 Auditors issue Birmingham with third section 24 notice

03/19 Use of capital receipts to fund redundancies a “necessary evil” say councils

02/19 Amey and Birmingham may settle road contract dispute

01/19 O’Donnell new chief executive of London CIV

01/19 Birmingham regeneration project saved by LEP funding

01/19 Cornwall ends inverse LOBOs

12/18 PWLB money stokes bonfire of the LOBOs

12/18 Labour council leaders demand more cash

11/18 Birmingham in payment spat with contractor

11/18 McDonnell calls for compensation on LOBOs

11/18 Government data reveals extent of council property “craze”

11/18 Northants exits LOBOs as October PWLB borrowing hits £850m

11/18 Birmingham launches consultation on budget savings

11/18 50 authorities miss accounts deadline, says PSAA report

11/18 CIPFA moots steps to quell commercial property ‘craze’

10/18 Thinking cap – What does the scrapping of the HRA cap mean for finance directors?

10/18 May scraps the HRA cap in bid to tackle housing crisis

09/18 Bonfire of the LOBOs sweeps through Birmingham

09/18 Clive Heaphy: Beyond 100 days – restructuring, rebuilding and section 24s

09/18 PWLB borrowing soars with Spelthorne leading the pack

08/18 Legal & General lead sponsor for housing summit

07/18 Housing and regeneration summit to explore collaborative finance and funding models

07/18 Funding available to promote digital services

06/18 O’Donnell joins CIPFA in local government finance role

06/18 Amey ordered to repay £54m to Birmingham

05/18 Clive Heaphy: My first 100 days as CFO at Birmingham City Council

05/18 Election campaign targets inter-authority lending

04/18 Five LGPS funds invest £100m in the private rented sector

04/18 Spelthorne borrows £30m as PWLB lending tops £1bn in March

03/18 Inflation undermining investments is the ‘biggest’ risk, says Mather

03/18 Countdown to LATIF North treasury conference in Manchester

02/18 News Roundup: PFI investor compensation ‘subject to review’, LGPS funds make acquisition, council tax take

02/18 News Roundup: MPs threaten vote against settlement, Haringey council leader resigns, Birmingham PFI contracts, Guildford borrowing

01/18 Richard Harbord: 2017, a miracle or just horrible?

12/17 Warrington refinances £100m of inter-authority borrowing with long-term PWLB loans

11/17 News Roundup: Policies ‘conflict’ over property investment, industrial strategy role, EU structural funds

11/17 O’Donnell to step down from Camden

09/17 News Roundup: Investment adviser probe, property spending list, prevention precept, LGPS pool’s new chief

09/17 News roundup: Warrington’s £200m business park acquisition, Birmingham’s council leader resigns, fire safety funding in the wake of Grenfell

09/17 Cambridgeshire County Council’s pension fund invests £15m in building society

07/17 West Midlands to establish finance commission

07/17 Councils seek new rules on spending Right to Buy receipts

07/17 Jonathan Bunt: Give councils real power to build new homes

06/17 News round-up: Uncertainty over funds for cladding, Birmingham’s energy company

06/17 Local authority funding: more ‘graphs of doom’ ahead?

05/17 Officer-member relationships: trust is the key

05/17 Kerslake and Clancy head stellar LATIF line up

05/17 Birmingham to save £43m ending much criticised ICT joint venture

05/17 Capita appoints ex CFO amid sale rumours

05/17 John Clancy: Brummie bond launches with more to come

04/17 £45m Brummie Bond beats PWLB rate

04/17 Richard Harbord: Commercialisation brings its own risks

03/17 Birmingham’s senior finance team overhauled following CEO’s departure

03/17 Business rates relief secure after NICs u-turn

03/17 News round-up: Glasgow’s TIF plan, calls for new watchdog, Cornwall’s settlement ‘disappointment’, business rates events

03/17 Birmingham’s financial recovery plan described as ‘high’ risk

02/17 Richard Harbord: Would government help a council facing financial failure?

02/17 News round-up: Birmingham’s CEO departs, council property sales rocket, settlement slammed, Norther Powerhouse bond

02/17 Councils going bankrupt? Don’t be Scilly!

01/17 News round-up: Warrington bank warning, EIB hope for UK, audit appointments,

01/17 Birmingham commits almost half a million to small business loans

01/17 Warrington invests £30m in challenger bank joint venture

01/17 2017: Priorities and concerns for the year ahead