local government finance

Money advice services across Scotland's local authorities

Report that has been published as part of a two-year action research project funded by the Money Advice Service and the Improvement Service.

The principal aim of the research was to provide an overview of money advice services delivered and commissioned by Scottish Local Authorities. A secondary research aim was to identify potential areas for improvement in money advice services, which could lead to enhanced positive outcomes for citizens and communities.

Government expenditure on the voluntary sector in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

After 25 years of systematic data-collection and publication, the UK Government is currently no longer producing information on its spending in the voluntary sector across the UK: its last publication of these figures was for the years 2005-06.

It is now only possible to analyse current government spending in the voluntary sector in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, where data-gathering continues. This article analyses their data for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09.

Smart cuts? Public spending on children's social care

This report tracks the rise in spending on children’s social care over the last decade in England and Wales, highlights how it is predicted to fall in 2011–12, and projects how this downward trend might develop in future years.

Finally, it estimates how spending reductions (particularly in early intervention) might affect the overall demand for and cost of children’s services over the medium term.