Westminster

09/26 Three London councils to challenge ‘fair funding’ under Sustainable Communities Act

08/26 Four London boroughs warn their residents will pay more than half of mansion tax

08/26 MyCouncil analysis: is a 100% or 200% council tax increase needed at Westminster?  

07/26 Westminster prepares for tough choices amid four-year, £100m funding decrease

05/26 Immersive installation highlights £300m impact of business rates avoidance

01/26 ‘More scope’ for green investment schemes as Westminster launch highlights potential

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

12/25 Council tax hikes in six areas given go-ahead as funding falls

12/25 Provisional finance settlement: £78bn for English councils in 2026/27 but SEND uncertainty remains

11/25 Rethinking infrastructure allocations: liquidity, political challenges and reputational risks

10/25 Fair funding emphasis shift would be ‘very concerning’ for county councils

10/25 The role of shared services in today’s local government

09/25 A way forward for councils in debt crisis

09/25 Reed appointed to local government role after Rayner resignation

09/25 Hillingdon appoints Steven Muldoon to s151 position

08/25 Chris Buss: ‘Yes, Deputy Prime Minister’

08/25 Government ‘ducks the issue’ of fundamental funding reform

08/25 Accounting code: decluttered but still complex?

08/25 Inner London ‘biggest loser’ in funding reforms as deprived areas may fare less well than expected: IFS

07/25 ‘Genuine solution’ to growing SEND deficits still urgently required

07/25 Government acts to block councils from ‘selling off the family silver’ ahead of LGR

07/25 The Devolution Bill: has it delivered the decentralisation needed?

07/25 Council tax reform and fiscal devolution must be prioritised, parliamentary committee finds

07/25 Richard Harbord on a devolution bill that’s ‘not easily digested’

07/25 Equities: how the US Taco trade caused a headache for LGPS investors

07/25 Are LGPS investors turning their backs on equities?

06/25 London CIV fund pulls £60m out of passive equity, ramps up credit allocation

06/25 Pension Bills’ backstop power hands government ‘unchecked control’

05/25 Islington seeking new permanent s151

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

04/25 Westminster borrows £235m over 42 years to acquire temporary accommodation – an ‘innovative’ solution or should government do more?

04/25 Social housing waiting lists ‘exceed 100 years’

04/25 Merton expects temporary accommodation cost savings after using £10m treasury allocation to invest in Resonance fund

04/25 LGPS funds mull cuts to employer contributions as Trump slump poses new challenges

03/25 ‘Long-term fixes’ coming for ‘national disgrace’ homelessness crisis

03/25 Westminster aims to better manage financial risk by insourcing housing service

03/25 Fixing a funding formula local government minister agrees ‘doesn’t work’: SIGOMA chair on needed reforms

03/25 ‘Naughty lists’ in council lending market risk breaking the system

03/25 No more hand to mouth: what does a progressive funding system look like for local government?

02/25 Westminster must deliver further savings to close £41m budget gap to 2027/28

12/24 Devolution White Paper sets out vision for integrated settlements and strategic authorities

12/24 Westminster reprofiles £60m of capital budget

11/24 Local-to-local market remains strong despite concerns over credit standing, MHCLG figures show

11/24 LGPS on the brink of ‘bold’ reforms but no superfund on the cards, minister hints

10/24 SYPA appoints Jonathan Hunt as investment advisor

10/24 Ensuring successful technology implementation

10/24 LGPS pools back push to ease UK government borrowing rules

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

09/24 Waverley considers voluntary council tax scheme to fund discretionary services

08/24 Municipal Missions Manifesto: A new dawn for local government has broken, has it not? – Alison Ring

08/24 Is reaching net zero ‘doomed’ for local authorities?

07/24 Jim McMahon to speak at Room151’s LATIF/FDs’ Summit

07/24 ‘Take the plunge’ on devolution, Rayner urges council leaders

07/24 Westminster assigned Aa3 credit rating as Moody’s recognises ‘considerable financial strength’

07/24 Institutional investors can solve the UK’s key worker renting crisis

07/24 Investing in agriculture – farmland opportunities in the UK and abroad

06/24 Local government finance community to gather at LATIF and Finance Directors’ Summit this September

06/24 Multi-year settlements pledged by Lib Dems in promise to tackle local government funding crisis

05/24 Municipal Missions Manifesto: recommendations for a devolution plan that works

01/24 Winchester looks to community municipal investments to fund net zero strategy

12/23 Anatomy of a deal: how Westminster City Council capitalised on the opportunity to borrow prudently

11/23 Councils awarded £1bn through levelling up fund

11/23 IN PICTURES: highlights from the 2023 Investment Forum

11/23 Green Finance Institute launches Local Climate Bonds Toolkit

10/23 The days of shared services are ‘numbered’ amid councils’ financial troubles

08/23 Unite strikes at 23 local authorities amid ‘dramatically increasing tensions’

07/23 DLUHC to implement its new proposals to clear audit backlog by year-end

06/23 LUHC audit inquiry: s151 officers say ‘compromises’ needed to clear audit backlog as array of failings are highlighted

06/23 Council tax at 30: A near 80% average increase since 1993

06/23 Merton to use £186m capital injection from subsidiary sale to invest in long-term projects and pay off loans

04/23 Current funding systems ‘aren’t fit for purpose’ says Oadby and Wigston as it welcomes government intervention

04/23 Shared service trimmed as no longer delivering some ‘cost savings’

03/23 Green Finance Strategy ‘falls short’ of detail needed to accelerate net zero

02/23 Westminster earmarks further £85m for temporary accommodation

12/22 Local government settlement ‘better than sector feared’

12/22 £1bn devolution deals agreed for Suffolk and Norfolk

12/22 Soaring inflation causes decline in value of LGPS funds

11/22 DLUHC: the right team at the right time?

10/22 MOTB speakers call for discounted net-zero borrowing rate

09/22 DLUHC: the departmental in-tray

09/22 Has local government governance come full circle?

08/22 DLUHC proposes devolution deal in York and North Yorkshire

06/22 Councils’ funding at risk due to ‘undercounting’ in census data

12/21 Room151 Roundtable: LGPS Valuations and Risk 2022

10/21 Spending review set to push up council tax

08/21 Mandatory Prudential Code ‘no substitute’ for effective balance sheet management

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

01/21 FDs’ Summit experts defend councils as MPs label property investment ‘risky’

09/20 Medium term financial plans demand a ‘refresh’, despite uncertainty

04/20 £10bn needed for local government to manage Covid-19 crisis

01/20 Westminster pension fund set to reduce equity allocation

01/20 Scotland warns budget delay jeopardises council services

01/20 Commercial income could be excluded from council funding calculations

10/19 Nottingham introduces spending freeze to head off £9m overspend

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

08/19 Javid brings forward Spending Review

08/19 Plaid vows to end Westminster funding deals

05/19 London councils see budgets slashed

05/19 Sunak defends removal of deprivation as core funding factor

04/19 Clarify post-Brexit funding, say Scottish Lib Dems

04/19 Councils ‘need urgent clarity’ on EU structural funds replacement

03/19 Holland appointed president of London treasurers society

03/19 A local income tax could empower councils – but there’s no free lunch?

03/19 Bonds agency set to drop collective liability requirement

03/19 Public sector pensions face short-term as well as long-term challenges

02/19 Haringey reveals £1bn housing investment plans following HRA cap removal

01/19 Former council chief investment officer jailed

01/19 At the crossroads: what is public audit for?

01/19 CIPFA issues guidance on streamlining accounts

11/18 Two London authorities put further £30m in homelessness fund

10/18 Former interim-CIO found guilty of £1m LGPS fraud

10/18 English councils ‘hit twice as badly’ by austerity than Scotland and Wales

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

07/18 Raising council tax: Where there’s goodwill there’s a way

07/18 Malthouse appointed as housing minister

05/18 Islington hints at extra voluntary council tax contributions

05/18 Richard Harbord: A resounding status quo for policy after local elections

02/18 Scotland investigates potential for LGPS infrastructure pool

02/18 News Roundup: Northern Trust for Border to Coast, Newton ‘on watch’, Brexit impact on port councils,

02/18 News Roundup: MP presses councils on reserves, Carillion contract woes, Land sale rules

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

01/18 Jonathan Bunt: Necessity will create the solution for housing in 2018

11/17 MiFID II: Are you ready?

10/17 News Roundup: HRA cap flexibility, social impact bond, mansion tax, pooling framework

09/17 Peter Worth: Streamlining year-end financial reporting 

07/17 Billions needed to match EU funding for local communities after Brexit

07/17 Energy: the next great opportunity for local government

04/17 Q&A: John Williams of Resonance on their social impact property fund

03/17 News round-up: Brexit role for councils, LGPS monitoring contract, road repairs and council tax rises

03/17 Treasury department faces uncertain future as tri-borough deal crumbles

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

03/17 Chris Buss: 100% business rates retention is a Meccano set without a spanner

03/17 Peter Worth: Alternative investments, internal audit and managing the risk