News-in-Brief

Haringey Council has requested £37m in EFS to help manage housing pressures, which are costing the authority £480m. In 2025/26, the council is expected

Manchester City Council’s debt has reached £1.5bn due to high levels of capital expenditure, primarily for its Town Hall refurbishment and highways maintenance. According

Peterborough City’s capital programme for 2025/26 is set at £110m, including £51.3m carried over from 2024/25​. The programme aims to boost vital services and economic growth by investing

Medway Council has requested an additional £11.2m in Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from the government. The authority has also requested £26.2m in EFS for 2025/26 to cover its projected budget

Local authorities will receive an additional £350m in government funding to increase the supply of affordable housing. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local

Nottingham City Council’s faces a projected budget shortfall for 2025/26 of £23.3m, with a cumulative gap of £55.5m from 2025/26 to 2028/29​. The deficit stems from rising costs,

Brent Council’s cash balances fell by £56m over the past year as the authority moved to repay debt and fund its capital programme. According

Knowsley Council has appointed Stephan Van Arendsen as its new executive director of resources. Van Arendsen is a qualified accountant with over 30 years’

The estimated revenue cost pressures for Ceredigion County Council’s 2025/26 budget total £11.8m. Social care costs comprise 32% of the pressures, largely due to

Westminster City Council is forecasting a budget gap of £41.2m in 2026/27 and 2027/28, according to a business and financial planning report to be

West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF), which manages £20.5bn of assets, has decided to double its allocation to the inter-authority lending market from £100m to

The government approach to distributing compensation for higher National Insurance contributions (NICs) bills on the basis of their net spending on services as of

Durham County Council plans to invest £546m in infrastructure projects between 2025/26 and 2028/29. The investment is funded from multiple sources, including government grants

Redbridge Council’s Cabinet will be asked this week to approve a revised capital programme for 2024/25 to 2029/30 of £1,135.827m. The lion’s share of

West Berkshire Council has written to the government requesting exceptional financial support (EFS) of £16m. The authority has seen its reserves dwindle to an

Nottingham City Council will request exceptional financial support of a combined £35m for 2025/26 and 2026/27. This comprises capitalisation directions of up to £25m

Swindon Borough Council is requesting £14.7m in exceptional financial support (EFS) from the government to plug its 2025/26 budget gap. The authority said it

The District Councils’ Network (DCN) has criticised the “mad rush to impose mega councils on local areas” after the government indicated that areas earmarked

The government must “commit to funding councils up front” to deliver on devolution and local government reorganisation reforms and ensure any new unitary councils

Hospitality operator Nightcap has taken over the remaining 115-year lease of the i360 observation tower in Brighton, following Brighton & Hove City Council’s decision

The London Borough of Hounslow will draw upon £14m of reserves with further ringfencing of £14.1m of risk reserves to help cover a budget

Sharon Wroot is set to be appointed as interim chief executive at North East Lincolnshire Council, an authority where she has previously worked in

Durham County Council has said its forecasted budget gap of £23m in 2026/27 is of “significant immediate concern”. A medium-term financial plan (MTFP) report

Croydon Council is requesting a total of £136m in exceptional financial support (EFS) from the government for 2025/26 in the form of capitalisation directions.

The Devon Pension Fund, which has £6.2bn of assets, has called on Brunel Pension Partnership to review pooled investments linked to companies accused of