Chancellor George Osborne today said that the government would implement “massive devolution of financial control” to local authorities, including the tax increment financing (TIF) model for funding infrastructure.
Speaking today in the House of Commons, Osborne said that he would make savings of 7.1% to council funding but that in return, …

As property braces itself for the Comprehensive Spending Review, Nick Johnstone considers the repercussions of a “once-in-a-century” moment in government property policy.
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A scruffy 200,000 sq ft office block is about to come on to the market in Edinburgh. Its occupier, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is cutting costs …

Three local authorities are taking legal action  against the government for axing the £55bn Building Schools for the Future programme.
Labour-run councils in Nottingham, Luton and Waltham Forest have all called for a judicial review of the decision, taken by education secretary Michael Gove in July.
Nottingham City Council has lodged papers …

The Liberal Democrats have agreed to fight for proportional representation in local government, and for 75% of councils’ spending to be raised locally.
At the Lib Dem conference in Liverpool today, the party carried a motion on localism that said it “deplored” the shift of power from local communities towards central …

One fifth of local authorities have yet to to sign up to new energy efficiency scheme the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency, according to new research.
Councils have until 30 September to sign up for the CRC, which aims to increase the cost of energy by forcing companies and public sector …

The British Property Federation has today warned that local authorities lack planning and regeneration skills that will be needed in the wake of regional planning targets and regional development agencies.
The BPF said that few councils have the “full range” of skills in-house to take on  responsibility for regeneration and planning …

Local government spending watchdog the Audit Commission has hit out at “misleading press reports” that accompanied the announcement of its abolition on Friday.
In a letter to communities secretary Eric Pickles, the quango’s chairman Michael O’Higgins said he had been “disappointed and dismayed” by reports that it had spent taxpayers’ money …

London mayor Boris Johnson has put forward plans to give the city’s boroughs more control over housing budgets under the government’s localism agenda.
Today, Johnson and Local Councils have published a consultation document A Framework for Devolved Delivery, which would give boroughs greater control over their housing budget. The aim is …

Councils are being given the right to sell renewable electricity for the first time, generating a new source of future income for cash-strapped local authorities.
Today, energy secretary Chris Huhne has written to all councils saying he plans to overturn a law that bans councils from selling renewable power to the …

Registered Providers (RPs) are non-profit organisations that deliver, own and manage affordable housing across the UK. Increasingly, they are taking charge of private housing as well.
Unlike traditional developers, they take a long term approach to projects – not only developing them but also acting as future landlords. They can help …