The government has closed a loophole that might have allowed councils to use capital receipts to fund revenue costs relating to workforce and service reforms while retaining some kind of ownership of...
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is set to terminate a private finance initiative contract early to help slim down its office portfolio and deliver savings.
Rising wages are set to make school finances difficult next year as funding increases fall below forecast spending growth, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned.
Councils and the government have agreed a devolution deal for York and North Yorkshire that would create a new mayoral combined authority backed with more than half a billion pounds of long-term...
Sheffield City Council’s finance director has warned the authority might struggle to deliver this year’s budget because the £25m of reserves it set aside to meet overspends has been “essentially...
Liverpool City Council’s failure to renew an electricity contract promptly could have cost the authority £7.5m more than if it had extended earlier, an independent report has found.
The government could give commissioners at Slough Borough Council new powers after they expressed concern over how “hands-on” they have had to be while trying to help the authority turn itself around.
Independent analysis of procurement bids received by Transport for London would help ensure projects provide value for money, a scrutiny body has said, adding that it could help the Greater London...
Liverpool City Council has been warned that failing to meet in-year cut targets will put pressure on future budgets, harming the authority’s medium-term financial stability.
Councils in England could receive grants to offset landfill tax costs when redeveloping brownfield and contaminated land, in a move the government hopes could help transform underused and derelict...
A coastal council in the south of England has paused its plans to sell valuable beach huts amid discussions with the government over £54m of financing flexibilities, it has emerged.
Debt-ridden Slough Borough Council has decided to sell three pieces of land owned by a joint-venture company because it believes developing them would add too much to its already-high borrowing.
Increased service demand and soaring inflation have created a “perfect storm”, according to the finance director of an English county council forecasting a medium-term funding gap of up to £200m a...
The cost-of-living crisis is set to exacerbate existing funding constraints for councils and the social care market, and more central government funding will be necessary to avoid a winter crisis,...
The lack of good data on the location and occupancy of government properties is hindering Whitehall’s ability to manage its portfolio, the National Audit Office has said.
Councils in England need long-term, non-competitive funding and a clear strategy for the local delivery of net zero to help achieve emissions goals, a local authority organisation has said.
The current level of information held by central government on local authority owned subsidiaries is weak, according to an expert who also suggested departments could be requesting additional data.
The portal to submit bids for part two of the Levelling up Fund will go live in the coming days following a month-long delay, a senior civil servant has said.
CIPFA chief economist Jeffrey Matsu explains how the new Local Government Finance Model, produced by the institute alongside the IFS and District Councils’ Network, can help authorities plan their...
An East Anglian council has claimed the government “short-changed” the authority with the level of support promised through its post-Brexit development fund, meaning “careful planning” is needed to...
Government debt could peak at more than three times GDP over the long-term without tax rises or spending reductions, the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned.
Crisis-hit Nottingham City Council has come out against government plans to appoint a commissioner to oversee the authority following unlawful spending, saying it has made “solid progress” on...
