Council Tax
MPs call for urgent finance reforms
Councils should be given more flexibility to raise their own taxes and social care funding urgently needs to be reformed, MPs have said.
The top national job, that’s more local than you think
Heather Jameson asks: 'Who would want to be Prime Minister when it is the local government issues that he needs to solve?'
Councils are owed certainty on funding
The Public Accounts Committee has published its fifth annual report. Chair Meg Hillier says there is much for local government to be concerned about and ‘even the best councils face real struggles ahead’.
The financial hole is not as deep as it looks
We can say with confidence that the hole councils are in is not as deep as it looks, says Rob Whiteman - 'but we still have a tremendous amount of work ahead to ensure the financial sustainability of councils, moving forward'.
Call for holiday homes clampdown
Council leaders in Wales are asking for new powers and stricter taxation on holiday lets.
Council tax collection deficit hits £500m
Councils will need ‘additional help from taxpayers’ to balance their books, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has warned.
The Homeshare Model: simultaneously impacting housing and social care
The Homeshare model has a valuable impact on housing and social care, including supporting older people to live independently for longer, says Amanda Clarke.
Scotland 'should grasp nettle' of council tax reform
Holyrood should go further in overhauling taxation, research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has concluded.
Think-tank calls for reform of 'regressive' council tax in Scotland
Council tax in Scotland should be increased to the same levels as the rest of the UK, a think-tank has argued today.
Bucket list for fixing council finances
Co-designing a truly sustainable finance system for councils for the long-term ‘won’t be quick and it won’t be easy’, says Martin Reeves. A few more years of ‘make do and mend’ will not work for our communities and economies, he adds.
Council tax revaluation would help level up, says IFS
A new council tax revaluation would boost the Government’s levelling up agenda, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said.
Let's see what happens on longer-term funding
Lorna Baxter gave evidence at the Public Accounts Committee in response to the NAO report on local government finance during COVID. She says there is acknowledgement that the longer-term funding and distribution mechanism needs to be addressed.
Holiday homes tax loophole to be closed
The Government has announced a clampdown on tax breaks for second homes
The funding puzzle stays unsolved
CIPFA's council tax data revealed the average council tax bills for band D properties in two regions of England will now exceed £2,000. Taxpayers will begin to ask what they get for this, says Rob Whiteman.
End to welfare support threatens council finances
Cutting off pandemic welfare support could lead to ‘disaster’ for families and local government funding, councils have warned.
Building back better and fairer
Tameside MBC’s Budget and focus on Inclusive Growth offers a platform to work together to seize an opportunity to build a new and better future, argues Cllr Oliver Ryan.
Council tax hits £2,000 barrier in two regions
The typical council tax bill for an average property in England’s north-east and south-west will be more than £2,000 a year for the first time, according to research from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
Lord Heseltine calls for a cross-government approach to regeneration
Lord Heseltine has put the case for a senior cross-departmental Cabinet minister and committee to lead on regeneration, 'mirrored in the big regional centres'.
A tale of two Budgets?
While the Budget delivered an economic quick fix, critics have highlighted its silence on support for public services and rising inequality, and a ‘scattergun’ approach to levelling up. Heather Jameson reports.
Under pressure from many directions
Last week’s Budget made optimistic assumptions about post-pandemic costs that could mean cuts in services like local government down the line, reports Michael Burton.
