Balancing income and expenditure can be a challenge for many organisations with a social purpose, whether they are public sector bodies, not-for-profits or social enterprises. Especially in times like this, when what passes for normal is changing on a daily basis and everyone’s feeling the squeeze. It’s important that such organisations identify potential financial issues early, so that they have time to address them before things hit the fan. But even when early warning signs are evident, they don’t always get acted upon.
Continue reading “When early warnings fall on deaf ears”Tag: Local Government
A tough year ahead for local government finance
It’s going to be another tough year for local government finances, with virtually all local authorities planning to increase council tax, one in ten councils warning that they may not be able to meet their statutory obligations and confidence in the sustainability of local government finance remaining low. Continue reading “A tough year ahead for local government finance”
Where next for local government funding?
With each week that passes, it seems that another local authority joins the list of those whose finances have reached crisis point. First it was Northamptonshire County Council that hit the headlines, but top-tier councils in Sussex, Lancashire, Suffolk, Surrey, Torbay and Oxfordshire also seem to be feeling the heat. And Somerset County Council, down the road from me, has just voted through £28 million of cuts over the next two years, leading opposition councillors to describe the council as on the ‘brink of bankruptcy’. Continue reading “Where next for local government funding?”
All change in local government
As the funding cuts start to bite, things are changing rapidly in local government. But this is only the start. My own local authority, for example, managed to find savings of £17.5m in 2011/12 and needs to identify another £30m by 2015. And if the trend continues, they estimate that they will have to cut expenditure by a further £39m by 2018. This will leave the Council with only half of the resources that it had in 2010/11. Continue reading “All change in local government”