News-in-Brief

Kent County Council has reported an overspend of £22.7m for 2025/26 as adult social care demand and complexity pressures continued, a budget monitoring report

BCP Council has delivered £56m in savings through transformation programmes over six years, which have been “crucial” in reducing annual ongoing expenditure, a financial

Dorset Council has reported its first budget underspend since becoming a unitary authority in 2019. Although small at £169,000, the council said the underspend

Secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Steve Reed has announced new details of the government’s agenda to reform local services, including

Gedling Council has earned £749k from its investments in 2025/26 and has maintained the same levels of borrowing, a treasury management activity report showed.

Wokingham Council has reduced its general fund capital financing requirement (CFR) by £21m as at 31 March 2026, a treasury management report showed. This

Test Valley Borough Council has outperformed its benchmark resulting in a nearly £1m investment surplus, a report showed. Income received on the council’s cash

London Councils has appointed Stephen Cowan as chair and executive member for finance and devolution. The cross-party organisation has confirmed its new leadership team

Two LGPS Central partner funds have invested in a community housing fund which supports the delivery of new affordable and energy efficient homes across

Sheffield City Council has reported a £7.8m improvement in its financial position during the final quarter of 2025/26. The authority closed the year with

South Cambridgeshire Council has added £3.8m to its reserves due to an underspend in its revenue outturn for 2025/26, a general fund revenue report

Oxfordshire Pension Fund, which has recently joined LGPS Central, has appointed its senior LGPS officer in line with the new Fit for the Future

The new Border to Coast partner fund is considering merging its pension board and pension committee to form one combined body ahead of planned

Torbay Council has been asked by government to provide the evidence that informed its conclusion that only 42% of local housing need could be

Wakefield Council ended the year with a £0.3m overspend after struggling with frontline service pressures and difficulties in achieving planned savings. A 2025/26 outturn

North Somerset Council emerged from 2025/26 with a modest underspend despite mounting service pressures after putting in place an ambitious in-year recovery plan. According

The £4bn Worcestershire Pension Fund has appointed an independent person, in line with the new requirements under Fit for the Future The fund, which

West Northamptonshire Council has reported a £7m overspend for 2025/26 – although this represents a £2.5m reduction compared to December forecasts. A council report

An overspend in children's and adult social care at Southend-on-Sea City Council in 2025/26 was equivalent to 143% of the council's final overall net

A parliamentary committee has called for stamp duty to be reformed alongside council tax. In a report, the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG)

Epping Forest District Council needs “continued financial caution” despite a provisional outturn report showing an improved position. The authority reported a £2.63m underspend in

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has appointed Claire Nye as chief finance officer. She has been acting in the role of interim chief

Rushcliffe Borough Council’s financial arrangements have been considered ‘good’ by auditors BDO for a fifth year running. This is the highest of four possible

Halton Borough Council’s capital programme has climbed to £150m for 2026/27 to 2028/29, a report showed. The council’s 2026/27 capital strategy was approved by

The Local Pensions Partnership Investments (LPPI) pool has appointed a new engagement manager, expanding its stewardship team. Vaishnavi Ravishankar has joined LPPI as its