Poverty and inequality are financial challenges for local authorities and threaten the cohesion of their communities.
This briefing details the main announcements relevant to local government from the 2012 budget: * It covers everything from new money for local development through to the proposals for Tax Increment Finance 2 (TIF2). *It provides an overview of the government’s tax policy as well as economic and budget forecasts. *It will be relevant for…
On Wednesday 21 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer presented his Budget for 2012, setting out the Government’s plans for the economy and public finances in the year ahead. This briefing sets out areas of specific relevance to local government.
The Department for Communities and Local Government parliamentary questions session came on the same day as two announcements were made; a rise to £75k in the maximum amount of discount that a tenant can claim when exercising the Right to Buy and a related announcement on the New Buy Scheme, which is a mortgage indemnity…
The failure of Icelandic banks shone a light on council’s investment policies as some local authorities lost money. Council spokespersons often responded; ‘we paid for this prestigious firm to advise us and they said.’ This is a key benefit of hiring expensive investment firms to provide advice. Decisions made after consulting prestigious financial firms are…
• This is the third and final report from Baroness Newlove, the Government Champion for Active, Safer Communities • It reports on progress from the challenges set out in her first two reports and announces the launch of a £1million DCLG fund to tackle problem drinking • It will be useful for executive members/portfolio holders…
The Government has published its final statement on its new approach to policy for young people. * This briefing provides a summary, highlighting the importance attached to the role of local councils. * The Government’s statement spans policy areas, proposing to put families first, help young people succeed, promote youth voice and strengthen communities. *…
The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report on the introduction of the Work Programme. Its key findings include: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has introduced the Programme in just over a year and while its quick introduction has had benefits it has also increased risks. The NAO and the DWP take a…
This briefing sets out the main provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill, heralded as the biggest reform to the benefits system since the creation of the Welfare State.
This briefing summarises and comments on the interim report of the progress made by the DWP, working with five councils, in developing new solutions to address specific problems of worklessness.
In this discussion document, the arguments for a radical and rapid devolution to local government of resources and responsibilities for tackling worklessness are set out.