Finance
Gateshead to look at bring housing back in-house
Gateshead MBC is to formally consult on proposals to bring its housing services back in-house.
Local government pay summit to go ahead
Negotiators hope to keep local government pay discussions on track despite the difficulties posed by the coronavirus crisis.
Finance directors told to get cash to firms quickly
Whitehall officials have suggested that English council finance directors redeploy resources and take on temporary staff to ensure businesses receive promised government grants quickly.
Coronavirus fraud warning
Finance experts have warned coronavirus could bring an increased risk of fraud.
Local government spends £3.8bn with strategic suppliers
The Government’s strategic suppliers received a quarter of their public sector income from local authorities last year, new figures have revealed.
Care sector unprepared for coronavirus ‘struggle’
Emergency measures have not gone far enough to ready the social care sector for the impact of coronavirus, experts have warned.
Councils face barriers as they try to tackle fraud
Local authorities are still encountering barriers to tackling fraud effectively, a new document has highlighted.
EXCLUSIVE: Coronavirus hubs must be ready to step in if system fails - Jenrick
The network of hubs being created to support people at very high risk amid the coronavirus crisis must be ready to help with crucial deliveries, local government secretary Robert Jenrick has said.
Sector on 'turbo-charge' to get homeless off streets
Local government is on ‘turbo-charge’ in its efforts to get the homeless off the streets amid the coronavirus crisis, the Prime Minister’s adviser on rough sleeping has said.
Tourist attraction firm expected to miss next council loan deadline
The company behind Brighton’s 450-foot tall seafront attraction is expected to miss its next loan payment to Brighton & Hove City Council.
When this is all over we will be different
Interim chief operating officer at Cornwall Council, Tracie Langley, views her leadership role as developing mechanisms for quick and safe decision-making and providing clarity over how emergency processes can work.
Firms say government needs to do more
Key firms providing services to councils have welcomed measures to mitigate the damaging effects of the Covid-19 crisis but said more needs to be done.
Race to implement economic support package
Council finance officials and civil servants have raced to work out how to implement the Government’s enhanced package of economic support for coronavirus-affected businesses.
Jenrick in coronavirus cash flow appeal
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has urged councils experiencing cash flow issues as a result of coronavirus to get in touch.
Buoyant tax income ahead of coronavirus crisis
The last set of public finance figures before the Government’s £350bn injection to combat coronavirus’ economic impact shows a buoyant month for tax income.
£3bn bed blocking coronavirus cash injection
Almost £3bn of the Government’s £5bn Covid-19 funding will go towards freeing up at least 15,000 English hospital beds by the end of next week, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced.
Make councils account for extreme investments
Local government needs a new way to hold councils to account when they are making ‘extreme’ investments, finance expert Rob Whiteman has claimed.
Council tax reform must be part of the business rates review
Like it or not, once the review of business rates is under way, it is hard not to see council tax reform following in its wake, says Michael Burton.
Government should grasp the council tax nettle
Council tax needs to be revalued and should be reformed – and this government has both the ‘levelling-up’ mandate and narrative, says David Phillips.
Winners and losers under a reformed council tax
A new study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says revaluation of the £31bn council tax system is long overdue and proposes ways it can be reformed, as Michael Burton reports.