News-in-Brief

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

LGPS Central has made an investment in a Birmingham-based software provider, as part of its private equity strategy of supporting businesses in the Midlands

The cumulative cost of the temporary accommodation subsidy funding gap to local government will be nearly £4bn between 2017/18 and 2029/30, the Local Government

Border to Coast has appointed a senior portfolio manager to oversee the transition of legacy private market assets into the pool and support the

Scottish councils have said they must retain the freedom to impose a per person per night fee under a potential shake-up of the tourism

Bradford Council’s longer-term financial resilience depends on successfully implementing cost improvement plans, the authority’s interim strategic director corporate resources and section 151 officer Steven

Rutland County Council is to freeze council tax in 2026/27 after the authority saw an improvement in its financial position despite a reduction in

The LPPI pool has contributed £50m to Legal & General’s affordable housing fund as it continues to expand its real estate portfolio. Legal &

The Local Government Association (LGA) has written to chancellor Rachel Reeves to call for extra resources and long-term reform in local government in the

Medway Council has said it is “on track” to achieve a sustainable financial position and end its reliance on exceptional financial support (EFS) after

Somerset Council must reduce demand, find savings from the cessation or reduction of service level, or take the ambition and pace of its transformation

Gosport Borough Council expects to hold around £71m of loans at 31 March 2026, an increase of £12m from the previous year, as part

There is a “significant risk” that the bodies responsible for commissioning health and social care services across Scotland will become financially unsustainable within the

The government’s plans to overhaul high-needs provision are a “serious attempt to reform a system that is not working”, according to Rob Powell, president

The £6.3bn Avon Pension Fund delivered a 7.5% return in 2025, with credit and private markets contributing strongly, as the scheme prepares to transfer

Cotswold District Council has “avoided the need for borrowing” to fund its capital programme as the authority said its 2026/27 budget put it on

Two new funds to tackle homelessness have been announced by the government, with local authorities potentially benefiting. A £15m ‘Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme’

Hackney Council will have a borrowing requirement of £882m in 2026/27 and may borrow additional sums to pre-fund future years’ requirements, providing this does

Hastings Borough Council has reported financial progress in its housing budget at the end of Q3 2025/26. Although the number of households living in

The government’s schools white paper and SEND reforms have been “strongly welcomed” by the f40 group, which campaigns on behalf of 43 local authorities

Border to Coast is planning to bring nature risk to the forefront this proxy season, warning it could vote against executives overseeing pollution and

More than 70% of Calderdale Council’s total budget is now spent on adults’ and children’s health and social care. That figure was determined as