Description: 

The character of local government finance is changing rapidly. Direct grant funding is being replaced by retained local taxation and redistribution between councils. At the same time, the costs of providing many services are rising and causing intense budget pressures. Some authorities are using their increased financial autonomy to score real successes, while others are struggling in this new world.

This seminar will examine all of these trends. It will explain how many of the largest income streams operate and how they inter-relate, including the workings of business rate retention. It will also look at changing patterns of expenditure and the data which can be used to analyse this. Most importantly, it will provide an opportunity to consider how individual councils can respond to this changing landscape.

Who should attend:

This seminar is aimed at those who want to develop a more detailed understanding of local government funding across the board.  It will also be useful to councilors and officers who work in areas such as regeneration, service integration and public health, who want to understand the impact of their decisions on their council’s funding. 

Speakers:

Trainer & Facilitator Tom Lawrence

Tom has extensive experience of working in Local Government. As a policy officer in the ‘Fair Funding’ team at London Councils, Tom was heavily involved in the development of national policy on local government finance. This included participating in many meetings with government departments and responding to government consultations on behalf of London's local authorities.

Tom writes briefings, guides and articles for LGiU, mainly on finance. He also carries out work for a number of other organisations that support local government.

Programme*

09:30 Registration and refreshments

10:00 Welcome and introductions

10:10 Local government finance – the big picture

10:55 Council Tax and New Homes Bonus

11:20 Refreshment break

11:35 Business Rates and Revenue Support Grant

12:45 Health integration and public health

13:00 Lunch

13:50 Projecting income and expenditure

14:05 What councils can do – maximising income (discussion in groups)

14:55 What councils can do – cutting costs, improving services (including guest speaker & discussion in groups)

15:45 Final comments

15:55 Close

* This programme was correct at the time of publication but may be altered to reflect speaker changes that are beyond our control.