Spending Review
£5.2bn and counting
The Local Government Association (LGA) will argue the sector faces a £5.2bn funding gap in 2020/21 despite believing the figure is an underestimate, The MJ understands.
Appointment of new Treasury ministers bodes well for the sector
Chairman-elect of the County Councils Network David Williams reviews the organisation's key asks in its Five-Point Plan for Local Government - and says Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid's new roles in the Treasury are good news for councils.
Unprecedented joint Spending Review bid floated
An unprecedented joint bid could be made to next year’s Spending Review by Core Cities, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Homes England.
Councils face more funding uncertainty
‘Indicative numbers’ for the amount councils will receive in 2020/21 will not be published before next month’s Spending Review, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has admitted after it missed a self-imposed deadline.
Give councils the powers, funding and tools they need to deliver
James Jamieson has a message for Boris Johnson: Give us the powers, freedoms, flexibilities and funding and we will deliver your post-Brexit vision that transforms this country for the better.
Uncertainty does not bode well for the settlement
Michael Burton says 'the prosaic matter of local government finance seems to be taking a back seat'. Will new chief secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak finally be able to deliver on his February promise 'to get more certainty'?
Chancellor announces fast-tracked Spending Review
The Government will rush through a one-year Spending Review to help prepare for Brexit.
Road to recovery
Dan Peters assesses the options available to local authorities as many begin to struggle with schools grant deficit recovery plans.
Will this shifty approach to spending be the pattern?
What was interesting about the recent NHS £1.8bn capital spending pledge by Boris Johnson was how quickly it was exposed, says Michael Burton.
Are we shooting for the moon?
Cumbria CC’s deputy leader Cllr Peter Thornton makes the case for fair funding and fairer investment – to help unlock the inherent strength and potential of the UK’s rural areas.
Dear Chancellor
As the dust settles on the Conservative leadership announcements, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Rob Whiteman writes an open letter to the new Chancellor Sajid Javid hoping for bold, transformative action.
It’s time to get to work
Heather Jameson assesses the growing to-do list facing the sector as a new government takes shape, with Brexit still looming in the background.
Calls for new PM to make council funding 'immediate domestic priority'
Calls have been made for the next Prime Minister to make council funding his 'immediate domestic priority' after Boris Johnson won the Conservative Party leadership contest.
We need to invest in community action to deliver on environmental promises
Graham Duxbury says Michael Gove’s recent speech on the Environment Bill missed out the education, infrastructure and peer pressure that’s needed to make change happen.
Financial risk for children's services across London is 'unsustainable'
Children’s services across London are facing an unsustainable level of financial risk, a new report commissioned by London Councils has warned.
Planning amid the certainty of uncertainty
John Hewitt says finance directors and their teams have been working ‘minor miracles’ in signing off balanced budgets for the last 10 years. He outlines a number of steps Government could take to help local authorities plan more effectively.
Going places
Martin Reeves says despite the Treasury’s positive assessment of the Total Place pilots over a decade ago, the initiative fell off the radar. He calls on the new Prime Minister to ‘reinvigorate a successor’.
Spending Review needs to embody 'strategic, systematic change'
At the Local Government Association (LGA) annual conference, Claire Kober noted the biggest shift in terms of what felt different was the marked deterioration in chief executive's confidence that they can keep on weathering the funding storm.
There’s still a long way to go on the road to recycling
We should not be spending less on recycling, but more, according to Heather Jameson. The Government needs to legislate to cut waste at its source.
EXCLUSIVE: Dawes in 'internal focus' warning
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) top mandarin has warned council chiefs that the department will have an internal focus for a while, The MJ understands.