Government finances and spending

A look under the hood of Labour’s investment plans

Comment

Labour have promised £28 billion of green investment per year by the second half of the next parliament. £20 billion of this would be ‘additional’.

5 September 2023

Implications of the NHS workforce plan

Report

The NHS workforce plan aims for a large expansion in health service staffing. We examine the potential implications for NHS funding.

30 August 2023

Tax and public finances: the fundamentals

Report

This report highlights 10 key facts about UK tax and public finance policy that will underpin the choices faced by governments in coming decades.

23 August 2023

Higher oil & gas revenues boost Scotland’s underlying fiscal position – but a big deficit remains

Comment

Scotland’s notional fiscal deficit fell by £6 billion (3.8% of GDP) in 2022–23, but was – and is set to remain – much higher than the UK’s.

16 August 2023

Levelling Up: Is inequality between places Britain’s biggest problem?

Podcast

Since 2019, 'levelling up' has been at the forefront of the political agenda - but is inequality between places really Britain’s biggest problem?

16 August 2023

How much public spending does each area receive? Local authority level estimates of health, police, school and local government spending

Report

How much funding does each area of England receive for key public services, and is this funding allocated in line with patterns of needs?

15 August 2023

Forecasting is hard enough without basing it on fictional assumptions

Comment

"The power of both the Bank and the OBR is considerable... transparency and reflection are vital." Paul Johnson writes for the Times.

14 August 2023

An immediate response to the Scottish Fiscal Framework review

Comment

The revised Scottish Fiscal Framework will continue to redistribute income tax revenues from England and provides a little more financial flexibility.

2 August 2023

Student loans in England explained and options for reform

Explainer

How does the student loan system currently work in England, what will change for new students in 2023, and what are some of the options for reform?

20 July 2023

Abolishing inheritance tax would leave the country a terrible legacy

Comment

"I despair." Paul Johnson writes for the Times on the recent debate around abolishing inheritance tax.

17 July 2023

Government publishes new evidence on impacts of income and job protection schemes during the pandemic

Comment

Robert Joyce discusses some of the main takeaways from the government’s evaluations of the income and job protection schemes during the pandemic.

17 July 2023

Tax, private school fees and state school spending

Report

This report compares private school fees and state school spending. It also examines Labour’s proposals to remove tax exemptions from private schools.

11 July 2023

A forward look on finance

Presentation

This LGA 2023 Annual Conference presentation sets out the broad economic and fiscal context and the funding and policy outlook for local government.

5 July 2023

Need, funding and geographic inequalities

Presentation

This LGA 2023 Annual Conference presentation discusses some key issues with how public service spending is allocated across England.

5 July 2023

Things go swimmingly for those generations who shout the loudest

Comment

"Right now, it is younger generations who are again bearing the brunt of economic failure." Paul Johnson writes for The Times.

3 July 2023

Don’t cheer end of earnings squeeze: there is more pain to come

Comment

Paul Johnson writes for The Times on the pain to come for households and the public finances.

19 June 2023

How progressive is the UK’s £1 trillion in government spending?

Explainer

Paul Johnson explains how redistributive UK public spending is in 90 seconds.

6 June 2023

Government spending has long been targeted at the poorest in our society

Comment

Paul Johnson writes for The Times on how taking account of public service spending is critical to assessing the government's redistribution of wealth.

5 June 2023