Budgets and efficiency
Savings don't stop cavings
Ex-communities secretary Eric Pickles is soon to be elevated to join his House of Lords chums, heralding a new chapter in his political career.
Fresh finance warning for Northamptonshire CC
Northamptonshire CC’s finance director has issued an early warning the county already risks missing key savings targets that enabled it to agree a legal budget.
Rising social care costs spell doom for services
Council spending on adult social care is squeezing cash out of other services, fresh analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has shown.
It’s not about the money, money, money
Nick Cole explores the role of reward in recruitment and retention in a ‘candidate-driven’ market.
Painting with a new brush
Heather Jameson talks to newly-announced London Councils chair Cllr Peter John about the association’s plans for the future after a significant shake-up of personnel and the need to establish a unified set of priorities for the benefit of all London local authorities.
Why we should be optimistic about local public services
There are many reasons to be cheerful about local public services, and Anna Randle says that the work councils and local partners are doing is helping to make a difference in people’s lives.
Achieving financial resilience and sustainability
Andrew Burns outlines three key lessons that need to be learned if local government is to ensure medium-term financial sustainability.
Auditor attacks Northamptonshire reporting
Financial reporting at Northamptonshire CC was too ‘vague’ and lacked crucial detail prior to the county’s Section 114 notice, a new audit report has revealed.
Overspending forces Manchester to dip into reserves
Manchester City Council has been forced to dip into its reserves after overspending on its 2017/18 budget.
Brum takes £63m from reserves to help overspend
Birmingham City Council has spent a whopping £63m of its reserves to ‘structurally deliver’ its 2017/18 budget and reduce an overspend of more than £20m, a report to senior councillors has revealed.
Council told to 'grip financial situation'
Somerset CC must ‘grip its financial situation’ and become more focussed on its ‘immediate financial challenges,’ a group of Local Government Association peers have urged.
Reorganisation: papering over the cracks?
Christian Wall explains why he believes simply reorganising Northamptonshire CC is seductive and gives the illusion of firm action, but in isolation merely papers over gaping cracks.
Government achieves first current budget surplus for 16 years
The Government has achieved its first current budget surplus since 2002, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Sector backs MPs' business rates call
Local government bodies have thrown their support behind a call by MPs for retained business rates to be treated as extra income.
Finance warning despite record savings
Surrey CC’s longer-term financial resilience is a ‘serious challenge’ despite the authority achieving a record £79m savings in 2017/18, senior councillors have been warned.
The journey towards wellbeing
Five years since the transfer of public health responsibilities to local authorities, Paul Najsarek, SOLACE lead for wellbeing and chief executive of Ealing LBC, reflects on the journey.
The funding system must prevent unsustainable funding and misaligned incentives
Richard Flinton on the Association of County Chief Executives submission to the fairer funding consultation.
Placing faith in the pilots
From this month, a second wave of pilots have started 100% rates retention. Neil Amin-Smith and David Phillips from the Institute for Fiscal Studies examine the Government’s claims regarding these pilots.
ADASS: Finance chief relationship key
The relationship between directors of adult social care and their chief finance officer is key, delegates to a conference have been told.
PFM launches finance software in UK
Financial adviser PFM has announced the launch of its modelling and budgeting software, Whitebirch, in the UK.