News-in-Brief

A parliamentary inquiry into whether the local government finance system in England is fit for purpose has been launched. The Housing, Communities and Local

Dorset Council’s total external borrowing is forecast to increase from £225m at 30 September 2024 to £320m by 31 March 2026, compared to a

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead is “on the brink of effective bankruptcy” and is asking government for £60.3m in Exceptional Financial Support

Some 23,990 affordable houses have been lost as a result of office-to-residential conversions under permitted development in the past decade, according to Local Government

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) has welcomed the increase in funding for local government provided in the Scottish Budget, but highlighted that “it will

Sutton Council is set to approve a £1m loan to its wholly owned subsidiary Sutton Decentralised Energy Network (SDEN) to fund the capital costs

The government has opened a consultation on changes to the planning approval process and a planned overhaul of local planning committees. Planning applications that

Westminster City Council has reprofiled around £60m of its capital budget and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) to reflect changes in its capital programme. According

Birmingham City Council has reached a framework agreement with unions UNISON and GMB to settle the historic equal pay claims brought against the authority.

Local government in Wales is “financially unsustainable over the medium-term unless action is taken”, according to a new report from Audit Wales. Many of

The government has pledged to make planning decisions on at least 150 major infrastructure projects this Parliament as part of the ‘Plan for Change’

The government should uprate temporary accommodation subsidy rates to 90% of 2024 Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said,

The Welsh government has confirmed a £120m package of additional funding for 2024 to 2025 to support local authorities. Cabinet secretary for housing and

Somerset Council will continue to operate as if a section 114 notice has been issued after newly-proposed savings for 2025/26 of £43.95m will still

Coventry City Council is reporting a forecasted £10.2m budget overspend for 2024/25 despite taking “a significant number of one-off actions” to reduce the deficit.

Local authorities are now able to auction off leases for commercial properties that have been empty for long periods, following legal changes. The government

Swindon Borough Council will apply for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from government “as a last resort”, with the authority facing a forecasted £7.6m budget

Government funding of £740m is expected to create more specialist places in mainstream schools for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The

Devon County Council repaid short-term borrowing of £29m last month that was taken out to fund repayment of £46.5m in Lender Option Borrower Option

Haringey Council is reporting a £17.2m forecasted increase in overspend for 2024/25 from Q1 to Q2, to £37.2m. Increased pressures in adult social care

The Scottish government must provide £872m in capital funding for local government in 2025/26, according to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the

Lambeth Council has warned it is facing “impossible choices” on services with a £34m overspend projected for 2024/25. The council said the overspend was

Liverpool City Council has acquired a site for regeneration in Liverpool city centre that has seen development stalled since 2017. The Great George Street

Oxfordshire County Council is launching the first round of the Oxfordshire Green Investment, which the authority says will “allow residents and businesses to invest

Clwyd Pension Fund, the £2.48bn Local Government Pension Fund covering the Welsh counties of Flintshire, Denbighshire, and Wrexham, has voted to exclude assets deemed