Reading

04/26 ‘We are not a basket case’, says outgoing Slough leader

12/25 Reading social care budget allocation to rise again as 70% mark reached

12/25 Funding warning over government’s devolution plans

11/25 Thames Valley leaders seek devolution deal

05/25 Dan Bates: section 25 statements are now required reading – here’s why

03/25 Dan Bates joins Room151 as head of research

09/24 Finance Directors’ Summit 2024 in review: taking the next steps in a challenging environment

08/24 Chris Buss: goodbye to the LGPS as we know it?

08/24 Lorna Pimlott: packaging for viability – a portfolio approach to councils’ net zero investments

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

05/24 Municipal Missions Manifesto: Richard Harbord

01/24 Cautious approach to borrowing at Bedford could harm future prospects, says peer challenge

12/23 Stephen Sheen: cracks and a lack of consequence in the audit process

09/23 Hampshire County Council’s finances ‘close to breaking point’

08/23 Nathan Elvery: a mentor could be your ‘greatest asset’ when navigating difficult times

08/23 Stephen Sheen: local authority financial failure and the mystery of the lost audit objective

07/23 Alison Ring: the spotlight on local audit is also shining on the accounts

06/23 PAC: audit delays impeding accountability for £100bn of council spending

06/23 SIGOMA: over half of councils ‘uncertain’ they can meet their 2023 budgets

06/23 Thurrock’s failings laid bare: DLUHC publishes damning report into council’s ‘systemic weaknesses’

05/23 LUHC audit inquiry: ‘pay the audit firms more money!’

05/23 Three councils awarded over £40m to create green heat networks

02/23 Council failure and the ‘West Didsbury Question’

02/23 Blackman joins speakers at Housing151

11/22 Lambeth plans housing restructure following Kerslake review

11/22 Autumn Statement: the uncertainty continues

11/22 Who guards the guardians?

10/22 CIPFA/IfG: ‘no fat to trim’ in public service budgets

07/22 Michael Hudson: ‘meaningless detail’ in audits causing delays

06/22 MRP U-turn welcomed but ‘unintended consequences remain’

03/22 Local authority accounts: embrace the complexity

01/22 Managing performance in a choppy UK money market

11/21 COP26 verdict: Pact underlines the role of ‘local communities’ in climate action

10/21 No ‘fire sale’ of treasury assets under new Prudential code

09/21 Complexity of treasury governance challenges for members and officers

04/21 Impact Awards: Finance helps launch school meals company and support business during lockdown

02/21 Dan Bates: Capitalisation directions are not the only tool for rebuilding finances

12/20 Settlement must address ‘precarious’ local government finances

11/20 Local accounts compiled ‘as if they are destined for the filing cabinet’

11/20 Rebuke of £3.6bn Towns Fund administration hits home

11/20 Richard Harbord: Croydon’s 114 notice hold lessons for all councils

10/20 Without a ‘generous’ settlement the risk of section 114s looms large

03/20 LATIF North moves online adding focus on COVID-19 to treasury management agenda

03/20 Coronavirus: Preparing your council for the crisis

02/20 Council audit fees set to be frozen amid increasing pressures on firms

11/19 Council service spending grows by 1.9%

11/19 Sector finance chief calls for council freedoms to swap PWLB loans

11/19 PWLB borrowing plummets in wake of rate increase

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

08/19 Finance staff ‘inexperience’ contributed to error-ridden council accounts, say auditors

07/19 Stick or twist? De-risking vs growth assets for the fully funded

06/19 Reading delays opening accounts again

05/19 THE INDEPENDENCE of THE TREASURER of PUBLIC FUNDS by George Jones

03/19 Wake up and smell the coffee: IFRS 16 is a major change

02/19 Warrington outlines robust defence of out-of-borough investments

01/19 CIPFA’s Resilience Index: laudable but flawed

08/18 Auditors settle LOBO accounting delay

08/18 Spelthorne nears £1bn in borrowing for property acquisitions

08/18 Reading examines service privatisation

06/18 Dan Bates: Searching last year’s accounts for signs of resilience

06/18 Chris Buss: LGPS pooling still needs reform

05/18 MP tables bill to ban PWLB borrowing for commercial property acquisition

04/18 Government u-turns on ‘staircase tax’

04/18 Stephen Sheen: Do we need a statutory override for IFRS 9?

04/18 Olwen Dutton: Why you should be a demanding PFI client

01/18 Survey reveals “pernicious” lack of trust in London CIV among stakeholders

12/17 Brexit trade deal risks being ‘generic’ and ‘possibly unworkable’ without local government input

11/17 Budget: The big idea? Better accounting for devolution

10/17 3% inflation confronts treasurers with investment strategy questions

09/17 Richard Harbord: The post-holiday horizon is rates retention, restructuring and reserves

07/17 Bournemouth aims to boost property holdings to £125m

05/17 Editor’s Blog: Commercial property investment now a bad publicity risk

04/17 Reading council leader survives vote over auditor’s governance concerns

03/17 Stephen Sheen: The auditor’s dreaded knock on the door

02/17 Leicester adds direct property investment to new treasury management strategy

01/17 Mixed reception for £556m Northern Powerhouse deals