Government spending cuts have restricted resources in local government and are a factor in the rising number of children in care, a senior judge has said.
Proposed capital flexibility could see councils explore more risky debt-backed projects at a time when capacity challenges have weakened local oversight, a senior finance officer has warned.
Oxfordshire County Council chief executive Martin Reeves explains why unlocking the investment needed to deliver environmental activity at scale is critical to every decision-maker in the public...
The government’s mooted solution to the local audit crisis needs to work, or the Whole of Government Accounts risks being stuck in poor quality for several years, a group of MPs has warned.
At a time when efficiency and innovation are paramount, strategic partnerships in the public sector stand out as a visionary approach that could revolutionise asset and estates management, writes...
An above-inflation increase in council spending power for 2024-25 shows “the government stands behind councils”, levelling up secretary Michael Gove has insisted despite warnings from the sector that...
Struggling Birmingham City Council could make up to 600 staff redundant months after the authority issued a Section 114 notice amid a £760m equal pay claim.
An inadequate funding settlement means councils face “serious challenges” including further cuts to balance their 2024-25 budgets, the Local Government Association has said.
A quarter of English councils could deplete their reserves to levels that threaten their financial sustainability in the next two years amid soaring service demand, Grant Thornton has warned.
Middlesbrough Council has become the latest authority to request additional government support to balance its 2024-25 budget and avoid a Section 114 notice.
Encouraging councils to use reserves as a one-off quick fix during the funding crisis is “misguided and unhelpful” and could put more authorities at risk of Section 114 notice, a finance director has...
Data collected by the Office for Local Government often lags behind that collected by councils and is currently not providing value for money, the Local Government Association has claimed.
The government should focus on the “fundamental problems” facing councils, the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities has said after a Treasury minister raised concerns over community assets...
A county council will issue a Section 114 notice unless the government grants its requests for extra flexibility, officers have warned as they work on the authority’s upcoming budget.
Mitigating a £120m “structural funding gap” at Bradford Council will be impossible without cuts, redundancies and exceptional financial support from the government, its finance chief has warned.
