News-in-Brief

Hillingdon Council has reported slippage of £19.1m against its total savings requirement for 2025/26 of £38.8m. Some £7.1m in cross-cutting savings have been written

There is a “systemic failure” in the power of section 151 officers to sign off the ability of their authority to repay accumulated debt,

City of Wolverhampton Council repaid one of the six Lender Option Borrower Option loans (LOBOs) it held at the start of 2025/26 in the

Buckinghamshire Council has been warned that further changes to service provision “will be likely” given its financial context, with innovation and efficiency only getting

Councils in England and Wales were holding at least £5.3bn in unspent Section 106 funds as of 31 March 2024, according to new research. The

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council’s director of finance has outlined how the fair funding review has “constrained” the authority’s ability to fund non-statutory services –

LGPS Central has updated its voting principles to beef up its commitment to responsible investment and company diversity.   Through a three-part approach involving

“Complex and confusing” council tax support should be integrated into universal credit instead of being administered by local authorities, the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Blackpool Council has warned that it is at risk of significantly contravening its own finance rules. A report to council members next week shows

London Councils has reiterated calls for local authorities to retain at least 50% of visitor levy revenue collected in their area as a default

Sheffield City Council is expecting to deliver £23.3m in savings in 2026/27 through service efficiencies and its ‘Future Sheffield’ transformation programme. But a Section

A Border to Coast part fund reported at 8.8% return since its 2025 valuation, a report showed. The £5bn North Yorkshire Pension Fund recorded

Structural change alone will not fix a “financially unsustainable” system of adult social care, new analysis has warned. Research by CIPFA and the LGIU

Council tax in Scotland would need to rise by as much as 14% a year to match increases in local authority funding in England,

Two of Merton Council’s key service demand areas have combined for a forecasted £7m budget overspend in 2025/26, according to a period 10 financial

Southwark Council has built over 2,500 council homes since 2022 and has committed £250m to home improvements over the next three years, an end

Sandwell Council is set to borrow up to £70m as its capital expenditure grows, a treasury management monitoring report showed. The report said that

An external review of Slough Borough Council’s improvement trajectory under intervention has been commissioned by local government minister Alison McGovern. In a written statement

The Cornwall Pension Fund is facing a sharp increase in costs after being forced to transfer its assets into a new investment pool. The

One of LGPS Central’s new partner funds is set to increase its budget by 17% due to pooling transition costs, a report has shown.

Havering Council has called on the government to scrap the interest payments on the loans that come with receiving exceptional financial support (EFS). The

Scotland’s Accounts Commission has warned that Shetland Islands Council must take “urgent action” to address a £134.3m projected budget gap by 2029/30. The commission

Local government reorganisation (LGR) comes with risks to transparency over public spending, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned. LGR could exacerbate systemic weaknesses

Ealing Council has set a budget of £423m for 2026/27 amid demand pressures of over £30m, a budget strategy report showed. Children’s services placed

Burnley Council has revised its 2025/26 budget to £18.7m due to economic pressures, a Q3 revenue monitoring report for 2025/26 showed. The report cited