NEWSLETTERS

The latest newsletters can be found at:-

• Council Tax: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-tax-information-letters.

• Non-Domestic Rate: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/business-rates-information-letters. 

GOV.UK ALERTS

Council Tax

• Council tax collection: government response to the Select Committee report (1 February 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/council-tax-collection-government-response-to-the-select-committee-report?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=7119caae-39c3-409e-b76d-2d80c2899180&utm_content=daily.

Note: Further alerts on Council Tax can be found under the section ‘VALUATION OFFICE AGENCY / SCOTTISH ASSESSOR / LAND AND PROPERTY SERVICES (NI)’.

Housing

• Local authority housing statistics data returns for 2022 to 2023 (31 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2022-to-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=3b381cb1-50dd-42a6-ad96-7c3a77adb9cb&utm_content=daily.

• Live tables on rents, lettings and tenancies (31 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-rents-lettings-and-tenancies?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=9a6fbbbf-2ba5-45a1-a6b0-c1853de4ba0a&utm_content=daily.

• Social housing lettings in England, April 2022 to March 2023 (31 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/social-housing-lettings-in-england-april-2022-to-march-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=da755a0a-9ef1-4efb-93ad-30eeb4032072&utm_content=daily.

• Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Systems-wide evaluation feasibility reports (31 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homelessness-and-rough-sleeping-systems-wide-evaluation-feasibility-reports?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=f3e92320-eb94-4e72-b9c5-0a2e741fb790&utm_content=daily.

• Flow of rough sleeping research report (31 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flow-of-rough-sleeping-research-report?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=7f1343ae-f1f4-481e-8497-c9ab7860e62b&utm_content=daily.

• Consultation on reforms to social housing allocations (30 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-reforms-to-social-housing-allocations?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=5b0a0a2c-bfd4-4bec-a372-0529afd3e8c0&utm_content=daily.

Local Government Finance

• Local Government Finance Settlement 2024/25 (2 February 2024)
  https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9956/.

• Local audit and accountability in England (31 January 2024)
  https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7240/.

• Government must tackle £4bn council funding gap or risk severe impact to services and council finances, say MPs (1 February 2024)
  https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/17/levelling-up-housing-and-communities-committee/news/199671/government-must-tackle-4bn-council-funding-gap-or-risk-severe-impact-to-services-and-council-finances-say-mps/.

• Live tables on local government finance (31 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-local-government-finance?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=c7040962-2e01-4906-a247-8553fd08a5d5&utm_content=daily.

• Financial distress in local authorities (29 January 2024)
  https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43165/documents/214689/default/.

Non-Domestic Rate

• National non-domestic rates: guidance for billing authorities (1 February 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-non-domestic-rates-guidance-for-billing-authorities?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=d0db7289-f785-4ce7-a8c0-48ba45c025a6&utm_content=daily.

Note: Further alerts on Non-Domestic Rate can be found under the Section ‘VALUATION OFFICE AGENCY / SCOTTISH ASSESSOR / LAND AND PROPERTY SERVICES (NI)’.

Miscellaneous

• Middlesbrough Council: Best Value Notice (January 2024) (30 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/middlesbrough-council-best-value-notice-january-2024?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=29dc317f-2e16-44ad-a157-a2bc1747de64&utm_content=daily.

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority: Best Value Notice (January 2024) (30 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cambridgeshire-and-peterborough-combined-authority-best-value-notice-january-2024?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=48201302-1c59-4c76-aee4-f4e3a3d5767d&utm_content=daily.

• Letter from the DLUHC Secretary of State to the Independent Review Panel (29 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-the-dluhc-secretary-of-state-to-the-independent-review-panel?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=233f0809-c308-4077-9e99-c4c33c4559b5&utm_content=daily.

• Letter from the DLUHC Secretary of State to the Mayor of Tees Valley (29 January 2024)
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-the-dluhc-secretary-of-state-to-the-mayor-of-tees-valley?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=38d7e97f-f741-4f6d-9776-eeddcfa6c7dc&utm_content=daily.

COLLECTION RATES 2022/23

• England
  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2022-to-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=6fafec69-1f5b-4c06-8dcd-28cf2a0475b8&utm_content=daily.

• Scotland
  https://www.gov.scot/news/council-tax-collection-statistics-2022-23/.

• Wales
  https://www.gov.wales/council-tax-collection-rates-april-2022-march-2023. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2022/23

The Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 of DLUHC can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dluhc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=9061db36-db4b-4eb9-8343-1bd815766332&utm_content=daily.

VACANCIES

Deputy Director, Local Taxation and Pensions

The Local Government Finance (LGF) directorate is responsible for ensuring that the core elements of the local government finance system operate effectively and that councils have the funding they need to deliver the services that local residents rely on.

This key role sits in the local taxation and pensions team, at the heart of the Local Government Finance (LGF) directorate in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC). This is a politically high-profile role, responsible for making sure that DLUHC’s policy objectives are delivered in the policy areas of local taxation and providing effective stewardship of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). ​

Full details can be found at https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=b3duZXI9NTA3MDAwMCZwYWdlYWN0aW9uPXZpZXd2YWNieWpvYmxpc3Qmc2VhcmNocGFnZT0xJmpvYmxpc3Rfdmlld192YWM9MTg5NDUzNSZ1c2Vyc2VhcmNoY29udGV4dD02NTQ5NDY1MyZzZWFyY2hzb3J0PXNjb3JlJnBhZ2VjbGFzcz1Kb2JzJm93bmVydHlwZT1mYWlyJnJlcXNpZz0xNzA1Njc0MzU2LTU0NzE1YzMxMmFmNzZiNzRlYzhkYTY5YTE2ZjZhZGJmMzU2ZTU0NWQ=.

Closing date for applications is 11.55pm on 7 February 2024.