The Scottish Government consulted on increasing the council tax multiplier for bands E, F, G and H properties. Curiously, 78 per cent of respondents from bands A, B, C and D - those unaffected by the change - were still unsupportive. gov.scot/publications/f…

The council tax freeze in 2024-25 imposed by former First Minister Humza Yousaf - which wasn't fully funded by the Scottish Government - has also had a detrimental impact on authorities, which will have to plug a ~£400 million shortfall in 2025-26.

What would you add to this timeline of government action on housebuilding?

On devolution, six authorities - Milton Keynes, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire - are considering submitting an Expression of Interest for a new South Midlands Combined Authority.

It's not surprising: dissatisfaction with the availability of affordable housing is more pronounced than dissatisfaction with public transport, healthcare, education and standards of living.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government under Michael Gove made a commitment to take action against profiteering in children's care settings - which Ofsted describes today as increasingly akin to "investment vehicles for private equity, often based overseas":

This one was from January, re a different fund - the Housing Infrastructure Fund: 2/3 of which was unspent (per an FOI from Jack Shaw). Many of the complaints about that were also about Whitehall red tape on.ft.com/4e8Tws9

First announced in 2016 by the Conservatives, the Fair Funding Review was intended to introduce a fairer formula for allocating funding to local authorities. That never materialised, so it's welcome that Labour has now confirmed that work is underway.

The Government has published the Pensions Investment Review. Its remit is covering the Local Government Pension Scheme: gov.uk/government/cal…

Investment in social housing is up to 11 percentage points higher in municipalities in Paris that are on the Left, compared with centrist or right-wing municipalities, in part because of Councillors ideological position. Who voters elect in local authorities does matter:

Bedford Borough Council has said it will vote against the renewal of the Bedford Business Improvement District in their forthcoming ballot.

Lancashire's district authorities have previously been critical of the Level 2 devolution settlement negotiated in 2023. As the Expression of Interest deadline approaches, all of them now oppose it and instead are seeking a more ambitious settlement, with some mooting a Mayor.

Consistent with the idea that transition costs are higher than expected for local authorities that re-organise, Grant Thorton's comments here are pertinent:

Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton have submitted an Expression of Interest in a devolution settlement this week for Hampshire and the Solent. According to the Leader of Hampshire the settlement will "most likely [be] overseen by a Mayor".

Though Cornwall signed a Level 2 devolution settlement with no Mayor in November and Devon and Torbay signed the same settlement in January, Plymouth wishes to consider a 'cross-peninsula' settlement with Cornwall, Devon and Torbay - bringing together a population of 1.8 million

According to @Unisontheunion, local authorities face a shortfall of £4.3 billion in 2025-26 - rising to £8.5 billion in 2026-27: ft.com/content/76c5fd…