News-in-Brief

Florence Eshalomi, chair of the housing, communities and local government parliamentary select committee, has been appointed as minister of state in the Ministry for

Surrey Heath Borough Council has reported transformation savings of £2.2m in 2025/26, surpassing its budgeted target of £1.36m. The council ended the year with

Wakefield Council’s Capital Financing Requirement (CFR) has risen to £571m, an increase of £13.5m, a treasury management report showed.  The report said the council

Border to Coast has reported that it has delivered £271m in cost savings for partner funds since inception. The pool also launched a £2.6bn

Powys Council has earned £1.4m from its treasury investments to date, a treasury management report showed.  The council earned interest on short-term money market

Cornwall Council has warned of a possible £22m budget gap despite the provision of the government’s funding settlement, a 2027/28 budget report showed.  The

Angela Rayner has returned as secretary of state for housing, communities and local government just ten months after stepping down from her government posts

Dartford Council is set to meet its target of £5m in investment income, a report showed.  During the year to date, the council has

Finance professionals have a key role to play in ensuring the reliability of sustainability data, CIPFA has said. In a new report, the institute

Somerset Council has appointed Lizzie Watkin as chief financial officer and section 151 officer. She joins from Wiltshire Council, where she served as corporate

The London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) has appointed Andre Katz to its board, aimed at bolstering its governance and risk management capabilities. Katz brings more than 25 years of experience in assurance, operational resilience, and compliance. A chartered accountant and certified member of the institute of Risk Management, he has previously held senior leadership roles across both public and private sectors.  He also currently serves as a non-executive director at the maritime and coastguard agency and sits on audit and risk

Brent Council has been forced to use reserves to offset an overspend of £18.3m in its general fund while warning of a looming funding

Tendring Council has earned £4.9m from investments as borrowing remains on hold, a treasury management performance report showed.  The council started the year having

Audit Wales has warned that the way funding is allocated by the Welsh government does not always help councils to get value for money

London Councils has called for the London Plan, intended to be a blueprint for development and growth in the capital, to be "grounded in

West Berkshire Council continued to build on £6m achieved savings with a new transformation drive in 2025/26, a report showed. The current transformation programme

South Norfolk and Broadland Council has avoided external borrowing as its investment portfolio reached £50m, an annual treasury review report showed.  In 2024/25, the

Erewash Council has earned a 4.1% return on its £31m investment portfolio, an annual treasury management report showed. During the year, the council maintained

Wolverhampton Council has reported that its £8.4m savings programme is projected to be achieved.  The council said it had been able to set a

West Oxfordshire Council has warned of a £10.5m revenue funding gap over the next five years, a council report showed.  The funding gap of

Leeds Council has forecast a £2.9m overspend despite its £55m savings drive, a financial health monitoring report showed.  The overspend comprises of pressures amounting

The value of the Hampshire Pension Fund rose to £10.793bn, as of the year to 31 March, a new high for new LGPS Central

LGPS Central has appointed Alex Jones as new associate portfolio manager, supporting its growing place-based investment team. Jones previously worked at Greater Manchester Pension

Newham Council has appointed Maria Christofi as its new permanent chief executive after a unanimous vote by all members.  Christofi’s role will commence on

Leicestershire Council has cut its debt to a 20-year low after repaying £44.5m in loans, an annual treasury management report showed.  The council’s actual