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Local Government

Local government finance: five key trends for the next five years

Local government finance: five key trends for the next five years

Posted on 27 April 2022 by Cian Sion

As local election day approaches, this Wales Fiscal Analysis blog post sets out the funding and spending context for local authorities over the next five years.

Local government finance: the state of play in 2021−22

Local government finance: the state of play in 2021−22

Posted on 10 March 2021 by Cian Sion

This blog post sets the scene for local government as we enter a new financial year and the second year in the shadow of COVID-19.

Not so fast – for Welsh local authorities, austerity won’t be “coming to an end” any time soon

Not so fast – for Welsh local authorities, austerity won’t be “coming to an end” any time soon

Posted on 18 February 2019 by Cian Sion

At last year’s Autumn Budget, the UK Chancellor, Philip Hammond, asserted with confidence that “austerity is finally coming to an end”. His claim is unlikely to resonate within the halls of local government in Wales. Despite nearly a decade of sustained budget cuts, the outlook for local government finance suggests that tough choices and trade-offs are here to stay.

Cut to the bone? How a decade of austerity has left its mark on local government in Wales

Cut to the bone? How a decade of austerity has left its mark on local government in Wales

Posted on 12 February 2019 by Cian Sion

As local authorities across Wales prepare to publish their budgets for 2019-20, expect to see a significant rise in Council Tax, with councils increasingly relying on locally-sourced revenue to partially offset cuts to their funding and to meet increasing demand pressures.