Last week’s Queen’s Speech inevitably focused on Brexit. A lot of the subsequent media coverage highlighted the Conservative manifesto pledges that were missing. But councils will have noticed another notable absence: a Local Government Finance Bill. With the 2016/17 Bill failing to pass before the election, where does this leave reforms to the local government finance system?
Authors
Associate Director
David is Head of Devolved and Local Government Finance. He also works on tax in developing countries as part of our TaxDev centre.
Comment details
- Publisher
- The Municipal Journal
Suggested citation
Phillips, D. (2017). Where next for local government financial reform? [Comment] The Municipal Journal. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/where-next-local-government-financial-reform (accessed: 26 April 2024).
More from IFS
Understand this issue
Are councils in crisis?
14 February 2024
Government spending has long been targeted at the poorest in our society
5 June 2023
The poor are failed most by our inability to reform local services
24 October 2022
Policy analysis
The IFS Scottish Budget Report – 2024–25
22 February 2024
Scottish Budget implies real-terms cuts to health spending – a fact not revealed in official documentation
6 February 2024
Scottish Budget: Tax and spending in 2024–25
6 February 2024
Academic research
Unfunded mandates and taxation
14 March 2024
What’s happened and what’s next for councils?
7 October 2021
Financing local police spending in England and Wales: fiscal federalism in practice
Since 1995, police forces in England and Wales have been able to raise revenues locally to supplement grants from central government.
21 February 2020