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Two pressing contextual factors have shaped both the Autumn statement and the manner in which it was delivered, which unhelpfully for the Chancellor are entirely at odds with each other. The first is the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecasts of a steep decline in living standards, low growth and inflation persisting for longer than […]
by Joe Fyans, Head of Research Another year, another government strategy for economic growth. It seems like a lot longer than two years ago that we were responding to the Plan For Growth in 2021, to say nothing of 2022’s abortive Growth Plan. Now, in 2023, we arrive at the Net Zero Growth Plan, released […]
Abdool Kara is an Executive Director at the National Audit Office (NAO). This essay reflects the author’s personal opinions and does not represent the position of the NAO in any way. A collection entitled “where will local government finance be in 2030?” gives contributing authors a choice – to write about what we ideally would […]
Place leadership – moving us out of first gear Speculating on the potential future of local government finance has tended to be a fruitless exercise in recent years. Unforeseen events create unexpected new pressures and demands. Existing strategies and plans are changed or delayed. The sector adapts and innovates, often introducing new financial strategies and […]
Colin Copus is Emeritus Professor of Local Politics, De Montfort University, Visiting Professor Ghent University, Localis Visiting Fellow Introduction Local government must remember the depressing truism of its relationships with the centre when it comes to devolution: oppositions promise, governments fail to deliver. A cynical view – maybe – but one developed from decades of experience. It is […]
By Cllr. Tim Oliver, Leader, Surrey County Council That local government finances are challenging is not in doubt. There have been significant reductions in central government grants to councils of all types since 2010 as well as an increasing number of local authorities needing commissioners to come in to help restore sound financial budgets. This […]
By Mark Sandford, Senior Researcher, House of Commons In a letter to the Financial Times in January 2023, Chris Smith, the editor of Public Finance, suggested that local government finance in the UK was in need of “courageous conversations” as a prelude to reform, principally between the local government sector and the Treasury – but […]
By Paul Honeyben, Strategy Director: Local Government Finance & Improvement, London Councils Introduction A lot has changed since 2013. No-one had heard of Brexit or Covid-19, few people knew what net zero meant, and the term “levelling-up” had yet to be coined. Inflation was 2.6 percent, interest rates were at 0.5 percent, the average UK […]
By Iain Murray, Director of Public Financial Management, CIPFA When I was approached to write this piece my initial thought was “2030, that’s a long way off!”. Having started to think about the question in greater detail, I had the dawning realisation that it really wasn’t very far away at all. Through its Sustainable Development […]
By Cllr. Sam Chapman-Allen, chairman, District Councils’ Network District councils need freedom and certainty if their critical services – that promote good health and well-being and deliver housing and economic growth – are to continue on a sustainable footing. Freedom is ultimately about greater fiscal autonomy: a wider range of sources of finance, including taxes […]