Public sector

IFS Senior Research Economist Kate Ogden writes in Municipal Journal about what the 2025 Spending Review will mean for public services and councils.

We take a closer look at the Spending Review and what the policies mean for public services, investment and the wider economy. 

The Crown Court case backlog has doubled since 2019 and continues to grow. We explore whether falling productivity is part of the reason why. 

Spending Review 2025 will set detailed departmental budgets for most of this parliament. We examine the key choices facing the government.

Public sector pension rules are a mess that helps neither workers nor the government. Fixing them could be a win-win.

Explore how and where the government spends money, and how this has changed over time, in all regions and nations of the UK

How much does the government spend in each region of England and how does that compare with regional economic activity?

This report analyses the Scottish Government’s Budget for 2025–26, with chapters on tax strategy, school spending, public sector pay and more.

How have public sector pay and employment changed in Scotland in recent years and what are the implications of those changes?

We present the first consistent estimates of what has happened to Ministry of Justice funding since the early 2000s and put these changes in context.

English councils’ core spending power set to increase 3.8% in real terms next year, but increases will vary hugely across the country.

A new, up-to-date system for allocating funding between councils is vital, and reforms must align with the broader vision for local government.

We examine the challenges facing public services and the Chancellor’s public spending options at the forthcoming Budget and Spending Reviews.

The new Chancellor faces a difficult fiscal inheritance. Her choices on tax and spending at this first Budget could define the rest of the parliament.

David Phillips gave this presentation on local government finances to the House of Commons Library Social Policy training day in October 2024.

Over a fifth of government spending goes on pay. We examine recruitment and retention challenges which mean that pressures could mount going forward.

David Phillips gave this presentation on local government finances to Office for Local Government (OfLoG) staff in September 2024.