Both main parties have ducked the crucial questions of local government capacity, planning reform and public sector procurement, according to a leading sector think-tank.
Political parties have been told to wake up to a looming crisis in local government that could see a swathe of councils face financial collapse over the next five years.
Building enough homes to house everyone on England’s social housing waiting lists would cost more than is spent each year on the NHS, according to a report from a property consultancy.
England’s local authorities need billions more pounds to deliver crucial services to the growing number of people who need them, the next government has been warned.
Scotland has become the first part of the UK to introduce a formal tourist tax as councils were given the power to levy a charge on overnight visitors.
Local government services need urgent and fundamental reform if they are to be made sustainable, the County Councils Network has said as the 2024 general election campaign moves forward.
Scottish councils face “severe challenges” to balance their books, with cuts in expenditure of up to 8.5% required over the next three years, the nation’s spending watchdog has warned.
The government is to press ahead with new powers to allow the empty high street properties to be auctioned off despite “significant reservations” among local authorities over the proposals’...
Warrington Borough Council is to face an investigation after figures revealed it is £1.8bn in debt – five and a half times its total service expenditure – but the authority insists its commercial...
Serious failings uncovered at Guildford Borough Council in the wake of a criminal investigation into potential fraud in the council’s housing department show it needs to get a grip of its culture and...
Social housing providers have taken the “deeply concerning” decision to build fewer homes as a result of the financial pressures upon them, exacerbating a chronic shortage in social housing, an...
