In this presentation given the at the Local Government's Winter Finance Conference on 6th January 2020, David Phillips looks at the outlook for local government funding, arguing that unless current plans are topped up, local government could face a renewed funding squeeze from 2021-22 onwards.
It seems unlikely that business rates and council tax will keep pace with costs and demand writes David Phillips in this article for the Local Government Chronicle.
In this article for the Municipal Journal, David Phillips examines the choices the next Government will face, including whether (and how much) to raise taxes. What it decides could have big implications for councils and those who rely on their services.
The Spending Round announcement last week seems a positive move for the sector on the face of it, but raises questions over the the future balance between central control and local discretion writes David Phillips in this article for the MJ.
On Wednesday 13th November, IFS researchers released their first annual report on local government revenue and spending issues, supported by our Local Government Finance and Devolution Consortium.
In this article, David Phillips argues that pivotal choices loom on local government funding, but if we don’t address what we expect from our councils we risk a system that fails to meet our objectives.
A presentation on recent trends and the outlook for local government spending. It includes a discussion of local tax devolution options, and the potential impacts of the ongoing Fair Funding Review.
We are in the midst of major changes to local government funding – both its level and the system for raising and distributing it. This note brings together some of the key findings of our research on this topic and highlights where to find further information.
In recent years there has been renewed interest in the question of whether additional taxes should be devolved to English local government. This report considers the options and issues.
What does the fiscal and funding outlook for English councils look like? In this presentation for the LGA's annual finance conference, IFS Associate Director David Phillips looked at recent trends, the future outlook, and interactions with funding reforms. It shows that despite the end of overall budget cuts, councils facing both uncertainty about future funding levels and the likelihood that local tax revenues will not keep pace with rising costs. 2019 will be a big year for decisions - with important ramifications for the 2020s and beyond.
Following the provisional local government finance settlement for 2019–20, we look at how the funding cuts made over the four years between 2015–16 and 2019–20 are set to vary around the country.
