Budget
Scottish ministers defend Budget impact on councils
Scottish Government ministers have defended the impact of country’s Budget on councils amid warnings town halls face soaring costs.
Levelling up locally to bridge the divides
What kind of plan should the levelling up White Paper set out, and where will urban leaders and their cities fit in? Paul Swinney lists the new programmes required.
Scottish councils need extra £1bn to 'survive'
Councils in Scotland need more than an extra £1bn a year just to survive, a new briefing has warned.
To level up we need to invest in the place-based skills of councils
What is the best way to ensure that the Levelling Up Fund actually improves everyday life in the UK, asks Pooja Agrawal of Public Practice.
Places filling fast at Future Forum North
Places are filling fast at The MJ’s Future Forum North event in Manchester on December 2 and 3.
IFS reveals scope of Universal Credit
Budget changes to Universal Credit mean families with well above-average earnings and even paying 40% rates of tax could be entitled to the benefit, according to an Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report.
Cash is welcome but not the only answer
The funding for local government revealed by the chancellor in last week’s Spending Review is welcome – but it does not come close to addressing the financial woes of districts, says Cllr Sharon Taylor.
There are more questions now than before the Budget
The more challenging aspect of the Budget's announcements is the vacuum of definitive information, according to Adele Taylor.
Care needs cash to reform
If the Government is serious about reforming social care, it has got to get serious about funding it, says Stephen Chandler
Just what does the Spending Review mean for local government?
Adrian Jenkins gives his verdict on how local government fared in the Spending Review: not bad, but not brilliant.
Spending Review fails to deliver for local government or levelling up
Despite heralding the largest increase in core funding for councils in a decade, the chancellor has failed to deliver sustainable funding for local government, says Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton
Budget 2021: Council tax cut will leave councils struggling, says IFS
The Government’s move to lower the threshold of council tax increases before a referendum is ‘surprising’ and will leave councils struggling, finance experts have claimed.
A mixed fiscal bag for councils
Isn't it ironic that a chancellor devoted to low taxes has funded a bonanza Budget through taxes that will soon reach their highest level since the 1950s, says Heather Jameson.
Budget 2021: Highways face funding cut in Budget
National Highways is facing a major funding cut of some £3.4bn after today’s Budget, with the total for the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS 2) dropping dramatically from the £27.4bn announced last year to £24bn.
Budget 2021: Chancellor unveils Shared Prosperity Fund
The chancellor Rishi Sunak has revealed the first details of the long-awaited UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Budget 2021: social care 'left out in cold'
The Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing accusations he has left social care ‘out in the cold’ following his Autumn Budget speech.
Budget 2021: Bonanza Budget claims councils have the largest rise in a decade
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a Budget and spending review he claimed will deliver the high skill, high wage economy promised at the Conservative Party Conference.
Budget 2021: More money for youth services and 'family hubs'
A £560m cash injection for youth services and an investment of £500m in supporting families and early years including a network of ‘family hubs’ have been confirmed in today’s Spending Review.
Budget 2021: £24bn multi-year housing settlement
The chancellor has today announced £11.5bn to build up to 180,000 new affordable homes, calling it the largest cash injection in more than a decade.
Budget 2021: Business rate reform delayed again
Business rates reform is set to be delayed again when the chancellor unveils his Budget and spending review, as the Treasury grapples with its mammoth issues around public spending.
