Insights archive
The latest Independent Revenues and Benefits Monday Discussion Group took the Chancellor’s Spring Statement as its starting point and asked a simple question: what does it really mean when viewed from the frontline of…
Read articlePurpose To set out a single, joined up view of the national economic and fiscal outlook, and the practical implications for council tax, council tax reduction (CTR), local welfare support (including DHP and crisis…
Read articleMeeting note for 16 February 2026 The group focused on two linked themes that continue to dominate local public service delivery: whether council tax and adult social care should be reformed in tandem; and…
Read articleMeeting note for 9 February 2026 The slide pack is too large to send by email this week. Please download it from is page, alongside the recording and other related reports. The pack is…
Read articleOn 26 January 2026, the Independent Revenues and Benefits Monday Discussion Group focused mainly on the new Crisis and Resilience Fund, with a closing round of linked updates on digital delivery, WorkWell, and a…
Read article19 January 2026 (12:02pm) The group marked “Blue Monday” with a mixture of humour and hard reality: policy change arriving at speed, year-end pressures stacking up, and councils trying to keep services stable while…
Read articleWe reconvened for the first session of 2026 with Malcolm Gardner in the chair, supported by Nicki Duckworth, and a familiar cast of local government finance, revenues and welfare experts, including Naomi Armstrong, Paul…
Read article1. Council tax administration High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) The main direct council tax change is the new High Value Council Tax Surcharge: Administrative implications for councils: There are no direct changes to…
Read articleSummary of participant views – 24 November 2025 This week’s Monday Discussion Group opened with a sense of déjà vu. With the Budget only days away, Malcolm Gardner remarked that most of its contents…
Read articleIndependent Revenues & Benefits Monday Discussion Group10 November 2025 The latest Monday Discussion Group, chaired by Malcolm Gardner, explored pension credit take-up, changes to notional pension income rules, and the real impact of the…
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