Financing/funding of councils and new bodies

One of the nine sub-groups of the DOE Taskforce is charged with addressing the issue of financing/funding of councils and new bodies for local government.  The Finance Sub Group will consider and report on the following issues:

• An overview of the present financing arrangements for those public services that are or will become the responsibility of the new district councils.
• Consideration of the financial regulatory framework and examination of recent developments (including the Prudential Code for Borrowing) in other UK regions and in other countries.
• An analysis of the implications of the new rating system for the present and future systems of financing public services delivered at district and regional levels.
• Identification and evaluation of options for financing the future responsibilities of district councils, to include options that would involve varying combinations of services supported by locally raised rates revenues and/or supported via grants from Government.
• Consideration of the potential for the financing options available to lead to varying standards in the delivery of certain services at local level, due to local decisions on funding priorities.
• Consideration of how delivery of equality in line with the statutory equality duty can be guaranteed.
• An analysis of any future need for funding equalisation arrangements, in line with the statutory equality duty as between different district council areas and identification of possible models for such equalisation.
• Consideration of the implications of the overall levels of local taxation for strategic public expenditure and public borrowing levels in NI.

Information on progress on the cross-cutting theme of financing/funding of councils and new bodies, including recommendations to the DOE taskforce, can be accessed on the DOE website.