Finance & Assets

Paul Clarke started his career as a 16-year-old apprentice at Blackpool Council, spending a total of 14 years there. Paul was Deputy Section 151, leading on the insourcing of the Finance team in Barnet. Now at Islington, where he has been for the past four years, Paul is the Director of Finance. Paul’s passions lay…

Taryn Eves is the Director of Finance at the London Borough of Haringey. She has just over 25 years of experience in Local Government, across Bexley, Kensington and Chelsea, West Sussex and now Haringey. Although Director of Finance now, Taryn has held a diverse range of corporate roles over the years, including corporate policy and…

Rikin Tailor has spent almost two decades working in local government finance and is currently Director of Finance (deputy s151 officer) at Westminster City Council. Rikin started his career at the London Borough of Haringey, before joining the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Having previously worked in senior roles including Head of Corporate Finance…

Although most New Year’s Resolutions are unlikely to make it past February, the new financial year brings about the opportunity for local authorities to commit to changes much longer term.

Emma Riding is currently the Service Director – Financial Management (Deputy S151 Officer) at Peterborough City Council where she has been instrumental in the council’s financial improvement journey and implemented a refreshed approach to financial management. Emma has a passion for Local government finance, with extensive knowledge and hands-on experience of the challenges being faced…

We explore whether a shift towards a more commercially minded approach to ensure local authorities are making best use of these assets, could yield significant benefits, reduce cost exposure and enhance the supply of TA.

It’s clear that while upper-tier authorities grapple with the challenge of Adults and Children’s social care; a critical challenge for Unitary, Districts and Boroughs is the huge weight of discharging their homelessness obligations by providing immediate emergency accommodation and temporary accommodation.  

Once the dust has settled, it will be essential to plan for regular progress reviews to ensure success. How are former LEP functions delivering against the local vision agreed in planning for integration? 

There is the opportunity for residual funding from LEP integration to be safeguarded and reallocated to support future economic development initiatives. However, making a compelling case for ringfencing this funding is essential in the context of the many other local authority funding pressures and priorities.

A well-prepared business case is the cornerstone of successful project implementation. However, navigating the intricacies of business case preparation can be challenging, and common pitfalls can undermine and derail the decision-making process.