Local Government | Rate Cut, Higher PWLB: Capital Plans Under Pressure

Local Government

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⏱️THE MINUTE READ

UK GovTech Has Another Exciting Event For You! ​

​We have taken the summer off on hosting events, giving our hardworking readers some needed time off! ​However, as the new school year kicks off in a couple weeks – we have a fantastic slate of events for you. ​

Starting off, we hear Agilisys is hosting a webinar with one of their council partners on the use of the Agilisys EHCP tool in transforming SEND services. ​

​Many local authorities are exploring Generative AI use cases across their service areas, but do not know where to start. The Agilisys EHCP tool could be a good first step to exploring AI in a critical area of service delivery: SEND.​

​Interested in attending the webinar, press the button below:

📌WEEKLY MUST-KNOWS

FUNDING & DIGITAL INCLUSION
£9.5m Government Funding Pledged To Tackle Digital Exclusion
The UK Government has launched the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, inviting councils and charities to bid for a share of £9.5m to deliver skills workshops and provide devices. With 19m residents lacking basic digital access, the move targets barriers to employment, public service use and the “poverty premium”. This is a near-term lever to align with channel shift, adult skills and cost-of-living strategies.

TREASURY & CAPITAL FINANCE
‘Hawkish’ Rate Cut Keeps PWLB Costs High For Councils
Room151 reports that long-term PWLB rates have risen despite the Bank of England cutting base rates, as markets priced a slower easing path. Elevated gilt yields are keeping debt expensive, pressuring HRA and general fund capital programmes and refinancing plans. Finance leads should revisit timing, affordability assumptions and treasury strategies.

GOVERNANCE & RISK
Calls For AI Ethics And Data Ethics Boards
LGA research finds only 10% of councils have data ethics boards and 14% have AI ethics boards. As AI tools proliferate across services, the gap raises governance, procurement and transparency risks. Establishing cross‑functional oversight is shifting from optional to expected.

⚡QUICK READS

Garden Village In Wirral Gets Green Light On Former Gasworks Site: Wirral Council has signed a master development agreement for a garden village on a former gasworks, signalling momentum for brownfield housing, remediation and associated infrastructure procurement. (More)

Who Is Amy Rees? All You Need To Know About New Homes England Chief: Amy Rees’s appointment to lead Homes England signals potential shifts in funding priorities and partnership models that underpin local housing delivery pipelines.(More)