News-in-Brief

The increased cost of borrowing in the market has contributed to a planned £173m investment in Hampshire County Council’s own provision of care homes no

Herefordshire Council is to set up a council-owned housing development company in response to the “critical need for additional housing in the county”. The

Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) has released data on the local government audit opinion position as at 28 February 2025, the backstop date for

There is “absolutely no correlation” between population size and the performance or financial stability of unitary councils, the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has said.

The Local Government Association and the County Councils Network have warned of the potential negative effects of “efforts to dilute and bypass the role

Councils will be able to set their own planning fees under new government reforms while it will be easier for them to purchase vacant

Devon County Council is forecasting a £51.2m Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit for 2024/25. Although this represents a slight improvement on the previous forecast,

Government proposals to replace 185 county and district councils with new unitary authorities in 21 areas could save at least £1.8bn over five years,

Bridgend County Borough Council is expecting to take out short-term borrowing of £20m in the final quarter of 2024/25 for cash flow purposes. This

Somerset Council’s interim chief finance officer and section 151 officer Maria Christofi has set out “serious concerns” over the “critical” financial position of the

Wales Pension Partnership (WPP), the £25bn pool investing on behalf of the eight Welsh LGPS funds, has committed to a local affordable housing investment

LGPS Central has appointed Anouska Ramsay, its chief people and transformation officer, as an executive director of the company’s Board. The decision, approved unanimously

West Sussex County Council’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit is set to rise to £131.5m by the end of the financial year. According to

The fourth commissioners’ reports for both Woking and Thurrock councils have been published, highlighting some encouraging progress but also significant financial challenges. Both councils

The section 151 officer at Havant Borough Council has warned that the authority’s reserves have reached an “uncomfortable level”. For the 2024/25 financial year,

A new report has revealed that 6% of councils anticipate issuing a section 114 notice in the next financial year, while 35% believe it

Local Pensions Partnership Investments (LPP Investments) has announced a series of senior leadership appointments aimed at adapting to the government’s planned changes for the

Almost half (46%) of UK local authorities saw a decline in infrastructure investment between 2018 and 2022, according to a new report by the

Epping Forest Council has reduced its investment balances by £18.4m to provide a development loan to its wholly owned housing subsidiary, Qualis. According to

Southend-on-Sea City Council has opted to reinvest proceeds from the winding-up of the Lothbury Property Trust into the UBS Triton Property Unit Trust. A

Thurrock Council’s legal claim against 23 member authorities of the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) has been paused after all parties agreed to

Devon Pension Fund, which manages £6.2bn in assets, has expanded its investment in private markets, with a particular focus on infrastructure and UK property.

LGPS Central, the £43bn pool for eight local government pension funds in the Midlands, has announced a partnership with carbon reduction firm C2Zero in

The £1.3bn Brent Pension Fund is set to triple its investments in infrastructure to 15% in a bid to further diversify its portfolio. Brent,

Lancaster City Council is set to spend over £550m on its capital programme over the next five years, according to a council report. The