The legislation relating to Section 114 notices for councils in financial distress is no longer fit for purpose and in some cases has left authorities worse off, MPs have been told.
A record number of councils asked the government for exceptional financial support for 2025-26, and 30 requests have been approved – but CIPFA has expressed serious worries about the system.
Councils with ideas for approaching their finances “more flexibly” this year should feel able to speak with the government, secretary of state Angela Rayner has said, vowing to work collaboratively...
MPs will look into the challenges faced by children living in temporary accommodation as the homelessness crisis puts council budgets under increasing strain.
The government is set to reduce the amount of grant funding pots available to local government, to help simplify the bidding process, a senior minister has told MPs.
The government must take seriously ideas for tax devolution, including local income and tourist levies, to give councils in England more certainty over funding, according to MPs.
Additional grant funding of around £10bn will be required if the government is to meeting social housing demand, according to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.
MPs are calling on the government to tackle the £5bn funding gap faced by local authorities, warning that services will continue to decline until it does so.
