News-in-Brief

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

Newham Council has set out to find savings totalling £66m by 2031/32 to close its existing cumulative budget gap of £64.2m, a medium-term financial

Bradford Council has forecast a £9.5m overspend for 2026/27 due to pressures across council services, a month two finance position statement showed.  The statement

Southampton City Council has said its end-of-year financial position represents a “significant milestone in its financial improvement journey”. The authority recorded a £0.4m general

Derbyshire County Council has increased its level of general reserves to £36m after changing the minimum requirement from £25m to £35m in February to

Inverclyde Council has been warned it needs to be “more ambitious” in tackling the financial pressures it faces, despite being “impressive in many ways”.

Cheshire East Council has reported a net overspend of £18.5m for 2025/26, representing an improvement of £3.8m compared with earlier forecasts. The authority said

Redbridge Council is targeting ending its reliance on exceptional financial support (EFS) by 2029, a medium term financial strategy update report showed. The council

The second instalment of Quinbrook’s Renewables Impact Fund has been met with strong investor demand, with commitments exceeding the fundraising target. Quinbrook’s Renewables Impact

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve a request to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for

Redbridge Council’s net borrowing increased by £119.48m in 2025/26 compared to the end of the previous financial year, a treasury management outturn report showed.

Lambeth Council is to commission an independent review of its financial management in light of the authority’s “stark” financial challenge. The review will assess

The new chair of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA), mayor Chris Cooke, is aiming to both protect progress made in ensuring

Council expenditure on temporary accommodation increased by a 1077% in real terms between 2011/12 and 2024/25, according to new analysis. The Local Government Association