rsshttp://www.localfinancecommission.org/rss/rssrssen{D052BF2A-5BC7-4B75-AC41-E0B772FC2A20}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/documents/iclgf-final-reportFinal Report<p>The <a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/iclgf_final_report.pdf?la=en">final report</a> from the Independent Commission on Local Government Finance has been released on February 18 2015</p> <p>The Commission was set up because Local Government finance urgently needs reform </p> <p>The Commission&rsquo;s vision is for a finance system that:</p> <ul> <li>Promotes self-reliance and self-sufficiency</li> <li>Encourages entrepreneurialism and innovation</li> <li>Promotes local decision-making on service delivery</li> <li>Is transparent in how it works and in the division of responsibilities between central and local government </li> <li>Maintains support for the most vulnerable.</li> </ul> <p>In his&nbsp;<a href="/media-office/final-report">press release</a> Darra Singh, Chair of the Independent Commission on Local Government Finance said:</p> <p>&ldquo;Local government and the services it provides are on a cliff-edge.</p> <p>&ldquo;Councils&rsquo; success at implementing cuts over the past few years has shielded people from the stark reality that the services they use can&rsquo;t carry as they are for much longer.</p> <p>&ldquo;The urgent need for reform is going to be one of the biggest and most important challenges facing the next government. Without it, many of the key services which have been part of everyday life for generations may not be there much longer. </p> <p>The Commission would like to thank all those organisations who contributed to its report. The feedback was varied and informative and ranged from Hampshire Fire and Rescue, Manchester City Council to the National Audit Office.</p> <p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/iclgf_final_report.pdf?la=en">Download final report</a></p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 23:31:50 Z{7DEF68DB-FF6D-40E3-AB2D-F612FC271269}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/media-office/final-reportUrgent Devolution Needed to Make English Local Government Sustainable<p>English local government and the services it provides are no longer sustainable in their current form, an independent commission is warning. </p> <p>The group of leading economists, business, finance and public service experts argue that an urgent devolution of powers, funding and taxes to groups of local authorities is required to save public services like adult social care from collapse. </p> <p>The Independent Commission on Local Government Finance publishes its <a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/iclgf_final_report.pdf?la=en">final report</a>, Financing English Devolution, today (Wednesday). </p> <p>It argues that the future of local services is dependent on local authorities becoming largely self-sufficient and less reliant on central government.</p> <p>Further government cuts to funding for services such as adults and children&rsquo;s social care, police, fire and culture are expected in the next parliament, while demand on many of these services is expected to continue to rise. The commission believes some services will struggle to survive if local areas are not given the freedom to determine their own priorities and how they pay for them. </p> <p>The Commission has set out plans for a 10 year programme of devolution that would see more than &pound;200 billion in annual public expenditure being controlled by groupings of local authorities. Under the plans, Whitehall and Westminster would have a much reduced role in local services like housing, planning, social care and transport and local government funding. </p> <p>The Commission urges that pioneer areas &ndash; such as well-established combined authorities &ndash; take on new freedoms now, with reforms rolled out to other areas over the next 10 years as they become ready. </p> <p>Key reforms include greater freedom over jobs, housing and care, a single budget for public services in an area and a devolved model of taxation based on new arrangements for Scotland. This would include reform of council tax and business rates along with devolution of some existing national taxes like income tax and VAT.</p> <p><strong>Darra Singh, Chair of the Independent Commission on Local Government Finance said:</strong></p> <p>&ldquo;Local government and the services it provides are on a cliff-edge.</p> <p>&ldquo;Councils&rsquo; success at implementing cuts over the past few years has shielded people from the stark reality that the services they use can&rsquo;t carry as they are for much longer.</p> <p>&ldquo;The urgent need for reform is going to be one of the biggest and most important challenges facing the next government. Without it, many of the key services which have been part of everyday life for generations may not be there much longer.</p> <p>&ldquo;Nowhere is this more evident than with adult social care, which is facing financial crisis with minimal scope for further efficiencies. Money available for care is going down at the same time as demand is going up. </p> <p>&ldquo;The need for English devolution has been acknowledged by all of our major political parties. We have concluded that devolution and reform of the local government finance system must go hand in hand.</p> <p>&ldquo;This Commission has set out a path to English devolution which we believe is the only way to save public services in an era of reduced public spending and rising demand. </p> <p>&ldquo;It is clear that if we want local services to survive and support a thriving national economy, a radical devolution of powers, funding and taxes to local areas is urgently needed.&rdquo;</p> <p><strong>Responding to the report, Lord Best said:&nbsp;</strong> </p> <p>&ldquo;As this report makes clear, devolution from central to local government is not only desirable, it is essential.&nbsp; </p> <p>&ldquo;To build the housing the country needs, provide the quality of care that our elderly deserve and support businesses, it is clear that local authorities need much greater freedom from central government. Reform of the way that local government services are funded is a vitally important part of that. </p> <p>&ldquo;This report from the Independent Commission on Local Government Finance sets out a sensible and workable approach to devolution. It should be essential reading for this and the next government.&rdquo; </p> <p>RECOMMENDATIONS</p> <p>For areas, like established combined authorities, ready to take on new freedoms now, the Commission calls for:</p> <p><strong>Greater freedom over jobs, housing and care</strong>. Government should develop additional freedoms to boost economic growth and increasing housing supply. This should include the freedom to develop new ways of integrating health and social care. It should also include councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships taking on the entire responsibility for further and adult education, skills and apprenticeships, regeneration and employment support.</p> <p><strong>A single budget settlement for each area</strong>. This would mean combined authority areas being given all of the funding for public services including health, education, policing and council services which would then be spent according to local priorities.</p> <p><strong>Council tax reform</strong>. Local areas should be given the freedom to determine the number and value of council tax bands and when properties are revalued. The current system, based on 1991 prices and nationally set bands, lacks credibility and fairness and exacerbates housing problems by forcing local authorities to levy taxes which are disproportionately low in some areas and disproportionately high in others. The commission also urges the next government to scrap council tax referendums and give councils the freedom to set their own discounts. </p> <p><strong>Devolution of national taxes. </strong>The funding of locally delivered services should resemble the Scottish model. Local government should be funded through a combination of council tax, business rates, government grant, a portion of existing national taxes like VAT or income tax and some newly assigned taxes such as stamp duty, tourism taxes or airport taxes. </p> <p><strong>Local Public Accounts Committees. </strong>These should be established in areas which take on these new freedoms to scrutinise value for money for all public services. <br /> The Commission also sets out recommendations for all areas which it urges should be applied to all areas now. These include: </p> <p><strong>The creation of a new independent funding body</strong>. This would carry out an urgent review of local government&rsquo;s sustainability before this year&rsquo;s spending review and would advise and scrutinise government&rsquo;s distribution of funding to local areas. </p> <p><strong>Business rates reform</strong>. The business rates system should be localised in its entirety in the next 10 years, with the retention of 100 per cent of business rates, including business rates growth by local government. As part of its review of business rates, government should consult on options for localisation of business rates relief. </p> <p><strong>Multi-year settlements. </strong>The government which takes office in May should introduce full and clear multi-year settlements to enable effective long-term planning for local authorities and other public services. </p> <p><strong>Raising additional revenue. </strong>Councils being given the freedom to determine fees and charges locally is seen as vital to a number of council services being sustained. </p> <p><a href="/documents/iclgf-final-report">View the Final Report</a></p> <p>ENDS</p> <p>CONTACT: Simon Ward, Independent Commission on Local Government Finance, 020 7664 3333</p> <p>NOTES TO EDITORS </p> <p>The Independent Commission on Local Government Finance was set up in June 2014 and has been tasked with making recommendations for the reform of local government finance and finding better ways to fund local services and promote economic growth in England. </p> <p>Its recommendations will be presented to all of the main political parties with the aim of shaping the debate on the future of local government finance and influencing the next government. </p> <p>The Commission was established by the Local Government Association (LGA), the national voice of local government, and the Chartered Institute for Public Finance (CIPFA), the professional body for public finance professionals. Its views and recommendations are independent of those two organisations. </p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 23:15:41 Z{137CB3CA-9C92-45A6-967D-76A8E56E8A78}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/media-officeMedia Office<p><strong><a href="/media-office/final-report">18-02-2015 -&nbsp;Final report</a></strong></p> <p><a href="/media-office/interim-report"><strong>30-10-2014 -&nbsp;Interim report</strong></a></p> <p><a href="/media-office/independent-commission-on-local-government-finance-launched"><strong>02-06-2014 - Launch of ICLGF</strong></a></p> <p>If you&nbsp;wish to get in contact with the Media Office please contact:<br /> Simon Ward<br /> T: +44 (0)207 664 3147<br /> E:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:[email protected]">Media Office</a></p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 23:13:04 Z{838360CD-3A5D-46D8-B5D0-593863FC7561}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/documentsDocuments<p><a href="/documents/iclgf-final-report">ICLGF&nbsp;Final Report</a>&nbsp;(18/02/2015)</p> <p><a href="/documents/interim-report">ICLGF Interim Report</a> (30/10/2014)</p> <p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/iclgf call for evidence.pdf?la=en">ICLGF Call for Evidence </a>(01/07/2014)</p> <p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/iclgf_terms_of _reference.pdf?la=en">ICLGF Terms of Reference</a> (30/06/2014)</p> <p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/iclgf background paper.pptx?la=en">ICLGF Background paper on the local government finance system</a>&nbsp;(30/06/2014)</p> <p><a href="/documents/iclgf-minutes">ICLGF Minutes </a>(14/05/2014)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 23:09:34 Z{CAEF8CF7-7B6A-466B-8893-B50573E01336}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/media-office/interim-reportInterim report<p>Overhaul of Local Government Finance 'Essential' for England</p> <p>Urgent reform of the way in which local public services are paid for in England will be essential to avoid a decline in the economy and people's quality of life over the next five years, an independent commission today warns.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Current proposals for devolving greater powers to Scotland highlight the need for a proper settlement for England, the Independent Commission on Local Government Finance has argued. </p> <p>In the Commission&rsquo;s <a href="/documents/interim-report">interim report</a>, published today, it says that a new system of local government finance is essential to underpin the devolution of funding and decision making England needs. It sees an opportunity for local government to be largely funded by money raised locally, which would help give local areas the freedoms to build new homes, create jobs, support businesses and maintain local services.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> The report &lsquo;Public Money, Local Choice&rsquo; sets out early proposals for making local areas more independent, and creating a clearer link between where money is raised and where it is spent.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> It argues that in an era of reduced funding and increasing demand, public services provided by councils, which include adult social care, child protection and road maintenance, will become unsustainable unless councils are given more freedom to make decisions for their local areas<br /> &nbsp;<br /> The Commission cites evidence which shows English towns, cities and local areas lag significantly behind international cities when it comes to control of their finances. For instance, London looks to central government for 74 per cent of its funding. This compares to 8 per cent for Tokyo, 24 per cent for Berlin and 31 per cent for New York.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> It will now consult on proposals for how greater financial independence for local government in England could work to better tackle national challenges like building more homes, creating more jobs and supporting people into work. These include:<br /> &nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Self-sufficiency. By 2018/19 there is scope for local government to become self-sufficient if it keeps all of the business rates it collects. Currently more than 50 per of business rates collected by councils is redistributed by government. By 2018/19, further cuts to government funding mean council tax and business rates revenue are on course to overtake local government&rsquo;s projected total funding. Reducing dependence on central government could create a more stable and predictable source of funding for local authorities. This could help them to promote economic growth. For this to work there would need to be an element of equalisation between local authorities &ndash; where those with the most income &lsquo;top up&rsquo; those with the least. The Commission suggests one approach could be for this to work at two levels &ndash; first between different parts of the country, and then at a more localised level between areas within a unit such as a combined authority.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Council tax. Evidence given to the commission suggests that council tax is one of the major obstacles to efficient and effective local government. It heard that the current national system of council tax &ndash; based on 1991 prices and nationally-set bands &ndash; is distorting the housing market and is forcing local authorities to levy taxes which, relative to the value of properties, are disproportionately high in some areas and disproportionately low in others. The Commission argues that like the poll tax and domestic rates before it, the council tax system is heading for collapse. It is consulting on whether giving councils the power to revalue properties and set council tax bands locally could help make public services sustainable and tackle the inherent unfairness in council tax. <br /> &nbsp;<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Housing. The commission believes that the marginalisation of councils in the supply of housing means the chronic shortage of new homes &ndash; particularly for those on low incomes &ndash; will never be overcome. It supports recommendations for government to review its approach to the classification of housing debt. Currently, the legitimate desire to control borrowing is being pursued without regard to wider social and economic imperatives. It is estimated that councils could build an extra 15,000 &ndash; 17,000 homes per year if the housing borrowing cap was removed.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Welfare and work. Councils understand local skills needs through their work with local businesses, but have limited powers to shape the supply of local labour. National skills programmes will never be as successful as local ones because they cannot hope to meet those specific needs. Giving local government and businesses more control over skills development would benefit the UK economy. The Commission believes that policy around housing, welfare support and training could be developed in local areas a single coherent framework. This would support the vulnerable, help people find work by developing the skills that local businesses need, and shift public spending from subsidising rents to investing in social housing. These are ideas which the commission will explore further.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Commission Chair Darra Singh said:</p> <p>&ldquo;The current local government finance system is broken. The way it allocates money is irrational and unintelligible. It is virtually impossible for government ministers to understand, let alone the public.</p> <p>&ldquo;We need a better way of funding public services which is fit for an era of lower funding and rising, more complex demand. Reform of the local government finance system goes to the heart of our ability to grow local economies, improve the well-being of our communities and spend every public pound well. Liberating our towns, counties and cities to develop skills, build houses, improve transport, reduce welfare dependency and support the vulnerable is essential to our national future. Local leaders are concerned that excessive central control is holding back success.</p> <p>&ldquo;The Commission believes the need for reform is urgent, and sees an opportunity to establish a funding system for local government which is largely self-sufficient. This should include powers to set council tax bands and revalue properties locally.</p> <p>&ldquo;The current outdated and unfair system of council tax has been identified as one of the major obstacles to the reform of local government finance. This is an inherently unfair tax and the lack of revaluation for the last 23 years has exacerbated that unfairness.</p> <p>&ldquo;Clearly a system which leads to a smaller than average terraced house in the north being charged more than a multimillion pound mansion in central London is past its sell-by date.</p> <p>&ldquo;Like the poll tax and domestic rates before it, the council tax system is heading for collapse. The one way government can avoid the pain of again having to invent a new local tax system is to devolve control of council tax to local areas.&rdquo;</p> <p>NOTES TO EDITORS<br /> &nbsp;<br /> The Independent Commission on Local Government Finance was set up in June 2014 and has been tasked with making recommendations for the reform of local government finance and finding better ways to fund local services and promote economic growth in England.</p> <p>Its recommendations will be presented to all of the main political parties with the aim of shaping the debate on the future of local government finance and influencing the next government.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> The Commission was established by the Local Government Association (LGA), the national voice of local government, and the Chartered Institute for Public Finance (CIPFA), the professional body for public finance professionals. Its views and recommendations are independent of those two organisations.</p> <p>Darra Singh is chairing the Commission in a personal capacity.</p> <p>The Commission will publish its final recommendations in early 2015.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> ENDS</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 23:02:38 Z{564BC309-965C-4F19-9620-1EA111CD3C73}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/media-office/independent-commission-on-local-government-finance-launchedIndependent Commission on Local Government Finance launched<p>An independent commission has been tasked with making recommendations for the reform of local government finance and finding better ways to fund local services and promote economic growth in England.</p> <p>The Commission on Local Government Finance is to be chaired by Darra Singh, partner in the Government and Public Sector team at EY (formerly Ernst &amp; Young).</p> <p>Its recommendations will be presented to all of the main political parties with the aim of shaping the debate on the future of local government finance and influencing the next government.</p> <p>The Commission has been established by the Local Government Association (LGA), the national voice of local government, and the Chartered Institute for Public Finance (CIPFA), the professional body for public finance professionals.</p> <p>Last year both the LGA and CIPFA individually set out proposals for the urgently needed reform of public services to make them fit for the 21<sup>st</sup>&nbsp;century.</p> <p>The commission will build on this work. It will examine the need for reform of local government finance and the ways in which the current system stands in the way of the transformation needed to tackle real world problems from the need to create more jobs and grow local economies to tackling the housing shortage.</p> <p>It will explore how an improved local government finance system could help to address five key challenges facing the country within the context of lower public spending:</p> <ul> <li>Promoting economic growth and investment in infrastructure &nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Ensuring sufficient housing is provided in every place&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Integrating the health and social care systems to promote independent living, including preventing unnecessary health interventions</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Achieving a welfare benefits system that promotes work and protects the vulnerable</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Supporting families and developing young lives through early intervention.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Commission chair Darra Singh</strong>&nbsp;said:</p> <p>&ldquo;We know that public spending will continue to fall, there is growing demand for social care and promoting growth is vital. Previous commissions have looked at reforms to local government finance. But the challenges are now much more critical which means the work of the Commission could not be more timely. It is a privilege to be invited to chair the Commission. I am looking forward to working with the other commissioners to identify practical solutions that will help enable local and central government&rsquo;s vision for our communities.&rdquo;</p> <p><strong>LGA Chairman Sir Merrick Cockell</strong>&nbsp;said:</p> <p>&nbsp;&ldquo;Reviews of local government finance have been undertaken before. What is different this time is that the nature of the challenge and the prize have never been clearer. Without reform of public services, a combination of rising demand and reducing resources will make the public services people value unsustainable and undermine the nation&rsquo;s future prosperity.</p> <p>&ldquo;Our work to date leads both CIPFA and the LGA to the conclusion that reform of the&nbsp; local government finance system is central to developing new ways of delivering public services and growing local economies.&nbsp; The purpose of the local government finance system is to help solve these real world problems. I am really looking forward to the independent commission&rsquo;s ideas on how this could be done more effectively.&rdquo;</p> <p><strong>CIPFA Chief Executive Rob Whiteman</strong>&nbsp;said:</p> <p>&ldquo;For many years CIPFA has expressed its growing concerns with the way that local government is financed in England.</p> <p>&ldquo;Governments of all persuasions have let the public down with their refusal to reform the system and the way in which they have allocated precious public resources has repeatedly demonstrated the urgent need for change.</p> <p>&ldquo;CIPFA hopes that this independent commission into local government finance will help to redress this issue and provide impartial and insightful advice to all those involved in the future funding of local government.&rdquo;</p> <p>The Commission is expected to publish interim findings in the Autumn ahead of a final report in early 2015.</p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 23:02:38 Z{1759AD6D-7CE4-4E03-8879-88E0E5557EE3}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/documents/iclgf-minutesICLGF Meeting Minutes<p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/summary from the meeting on 4 november 2014 of the independent commission on local government finance.pdf?la=en">ICLGF Summary of November Meeting</a></p> <p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/summary from the meeting on 5 october 2014 of the independent commission on local government finance.pdf?la=en">ICLGF Summary of October Meeeting</a></p> <p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/summary from the meeting on 6th september 2014 of the independent commission on local government finance.pdf?la=en">ICLGF Summary of September Meeting</a></p> <p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/iclgf minutes of may meeting.pdf?la=en">ICLGF&nbsp;Summary of May Meeting</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 22:58:52 Z{E480D6E8-06BA-4958-BA1C-84D0EC07CDA4}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/documents/interim-reportInterim report<p>The commission was set up because Local Government finance urgently needs reform and this&nbsp;<a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/l14536 interim_report_web_v2.pdf?la=en"> interim report</a></p> <p>&bull;&nbsp;Identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the local government finance system<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Brings forward practical options for reform in the next Parliament and suggests a range of measures to make local government financially self-sufficient<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Seeks reform across all areas of Local government including&nbsp; growth, housing supply, effective welfare provision, affordable health and social care, and early support to families and children.</p> <p>The report is essential reading for those that agree with Chair of the Commission on Local Government Finance, Darra Singh.&nbsp; who says &lsquo;The challenges are staring us in the face and we just need to try to be more radical,&rsquo;.</p> <p><a href="/~/media/iclgf/documents/l14536 interim_report_web_v2.pdf?la=en">Download interim report</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 22:58:52 Z{4E5CFE3A-4849-4CE7-8598-C8CB3A79ADF1}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/peopleCommissioners<p><strong>Darra Singh, OBE - Chair<br /> </strong>Darra is a member of EY&rsquo;s leading local public sector advisory team. In his role as partner he leads in advising local authorities on how to achieve efficient and enhanced services in the face of financial and delivery challenges. Darra is also a member of the Advisory Government leadership team leading on strategy.<br /> <br /> Darra was previously Chief Executive at Job Centre Plus, also of Ealing and Luton Councils, and chaired the government-appointed Communities and Victims Panel, which investigated the London riots. <br /> <br /> Before joining the DWP, in November 2009, Darra had been the Chief Executive Officer of Ealing Council for four years and prior to that had been the Chief Executive of Luton Council.<br /> <br /> He started as a housing case worker in Tyneside and London in 1984, and then worked for a variety of housing bodies in the voluntary sector before becoming a director of the North British Housing Association in 1991. He was later appointed Chief Executive of the Asra Greater London Housing Association, which specialises in housing ethnic minority tenants, and then worked for Hexagon, another London-based housing association.<br /> <br /> In 2004 Darra was awarded an OBE for services to local government.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Alan Downey<br /> </b>Alan Downey began his career in 1981 as a fast-stream civil servant at the Department of the Environment, where he worked in a number of policy areas, including local government finance, housing, inner cities and environmental protection, and was private secretary to successive Ministers of Local Government.&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">He left the civil service in 1989 to join KPMG, spending the next 25 years as an adviser to numerous public sector clients, including government departments, arm&rsquo;s length bodies, local authorities and NHS trusts.&nbsp; He became a partner in 1997 and held various leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer of the Management Consulting practice and latterly Head of Public Sector for Europe, Middle East &amp; Africa.&nbsp; </p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">He retires from KPMG in June 2014 and is taking up a number of non-executive positions on the boards of public sector and charitable organisations.&nbsp; <br /> <br /> <b>Anita Charlesworth <br /> </b>Before joining the Health Foundation Anita worked at the Nuffield Trust as Chief Economist from 2010. She led the Trust&rsquo;s work on health care financing and market mechanisms. </p> <p>Previously Anita was Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and Director of Public Spending at the Treasury, where she led the team working with Sir Derek Wanless on his reform of NHS funding in 2002. Anita has a Masters in Health Economics from York University and has worked as an Economic Advisor in the Department of Health and for SmithKline Beecham pharmaceuticals in the UK and USA.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Anita is a non-executive director of the Whittington NHS Trust and a Trustee of Tommy&rsquo;s, the baby charity (charity number: 1060508).</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Anita is a member of the Outcomes Framework Technical Advisory Group, the Social Investment Advisory Group and the Economics of Social and Health Care Research Unit Advisory Group.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>Bridget Rosewell, OBE</strong><br /> Bridget&nbsp;is a professional economist and business woman.<br /> <br /> She has founded several economic consultancies, all of which are still successfully operating, and also has several non-executive roles with major organisations.<br /> <br /> Her interests include risk and risk management, infrastructure and its funding, public and private sector co-operation, planning policy and corporate management.&nbsp; She publishes and presents in these areas as well as working with clients.<br /> <br /> Bridget&rsquo;s current business interests include chairing Volterra Partners, Chair of Audit for Network Rail, Chair of Risk for Ulster Bank, With Profits Committee for the Co-operative Bank, and providing professional assistance to a variety of clients.<br /> <br /> Bridget was the Consultant Chief Economic Adviser to the Greater London Authority from 2009 to 2012 and between 2002 and 2008 she was the Chief Economist to the GLA.<br /> <br /> Her research interests focus on the economic performance of local economies, the role of infrastructure, the performance of markets, and business organisations. She is especially interested in the application of the tools of complex systems analysis to these issues.<br /> <br /> Bridget was awarded an OBE in the 2013 Birthday Honours list for services to the economy.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>Jonathan Portes</strong><br /> Jonathan is the Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR).<br /> <br /> Previously, he was Chief Economist at the Cabinet Office, where he advised the Cabinet Secretary, Gus O&rsquo;Donnell, and Number 10 Downing Street on economic and financial issues.<br /> <br /> Since joining HM Treasury in 1987, he has held various positions in the civil service and the private sector. He was Chief Economist at the Department for Work and Pensions and Chief Economist at the Cabinet Office before becoming the director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) in February 2011.<br /> <br /> His main areas of interest include fiscal policy, labor markets and immigration.</p> <p style="line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 5.65pt; text-autospace: ; vertical-align: middle;"><b>Paul Gray CB</b></p> <p style="line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 5.65pt; text-autospace: ; vertical-align: middle;">Paul Gray CB, currently the Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee, is a retired Civil Servant who was formerly Executive Chairman of HM Revenue and Customs and, before that, the Second Permanent Secretary in the Department for Work and Pensions.<br /> <br /> He originally trained as an economist, and his earlier career included a wide range of posts in HM Treasury and periods as the Economic Affairs Private Secretary to the Prime Minister and as a corporate planner in the private sector. <br /> <br /> Paul is now an associate of Praesta Partners LLP, an executive coaching and mentoring firm. He also serves as Chair of Governors of a comprehensive secondary academy, and as a member of the Council, and its Strategy and Resources Committee, at the University of Essex.</p> <p><strong>Stephen Hughes</strong><br /> Stephen Hughes is a strategic adviser to CIPFA on local government after leaving&nbsp;the post of&nbsp; Chief Executive at Birmingham City&nbsp;in February which he held for eight and half years.</p> <p>At Birmingham he led the ambitious Business Transformation process and drove the Council's commitment to the local economy.&nbsp; Prior to that Stephen's career was in finance, having led the Finance function at Islington and Brent councils and gone to Birmingham as Director of Resources.&nbsp; He has also been a finance policy officer at two local authority associations and spent a year on secondment managing Council Tax and Business rates policy for the then DETR.&nbsp; Apart from CIPFA, Stephen has a number of other roles including as a Board Member of Housing and Care 21.</p> <p><strong>Stephen Lewis<br /> </strong>Steve Lewis is the CEO of Zurich&rsquo;s UK General Insurance business, a leading general insurer dedicated to customers in the public and private sectors through direct and intermediated channels. He joined the Zurich Financial Services Group when it was still Eagle Star in December 1989, and has filled a number of appointments in different Zurich companies and locations since. </p> <p>Steve held several finance and operational roles in the UK prior to moving overseas early in 2002.&nbsp; He then held the role of Strategic Finance Director for Zurich&rsquo;s Asia Pacific Region, responsible for driving improved performance in the Region and in 2004 moved to Switzerland to Head the performance reporting function for the Group.&nbsp; Since then he has been responsible for Finance and Operations for Zurich&rsquo;s Global Corporate business across Europe and most recently has been Head of Group Operations, Planning and Performance Management for the Zurich Group, based in Switzerland. </p> <p>Steve is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, having qualified in 1990.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong>Professor Tony Travers</strong><br /> Tony Travers is Director of LSE London, a research centre at the London School of Economics. He is also a Visiting Professor in the LSE&rsquo;s Government Department. His key research interests include local and regional government and public service reform.<br /> <br /> He is currently an advisor to the House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Select Committee and the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. He has published a number of books on cities and government, including Failure in British Government, The Politics of the Poll Tax (with David Butler and Andrew Adonis), Paying for Health, Education and Housing: How does the Centre Pull the Purse Strings (with Howard Glennerster and John Hills) and The Politics of London: Governing the Ungovernable City.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">&nbsp;</p>Tue, 27 May 2014 12:11:42 +0100{E0D159BF-79EC-452E-9716-6F3C1467DDBD}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/aboutAbout the Commission<p>The Independent Commission on Local Government Finance is tasked with making recommendations for the reform of local government finance and find better ways to fund local services and promote economic growth in England.</p> <p>The commission&rsquo;s final recommendations on the future of local government finance will be presented to all of the main political parties with the aim of shaping the debate on the future of local government and influencing the next government.</p> <p>The&nbsp;Commission on Local Government finance was established by the Local Government Association (LGA), the national voice of local government, and the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy&nbsp;(CIPFA), the professional body for public finance professionals.</p> <p>The Commission will explore how an improved local government finance system could help to address five key challenges facing the country within the context of lower public spending:</p> <p>&bull;&nbsp;Promoting economic growth and investment in infrastructure.<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Ensuring sufficient housing is provided in every place.<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Integrating the health and social care systems to promote independent living, including preventing unnecessary health interventions.<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Achieving a welfare benefits system that promotes work and protects the vulnerable.<br /> &bull;&nbsp;Supporting families and developing young lives through early intervention.</p> <p><strong>Timeline</strong></p> <p>The&nbsp;Commission held its first meeting in May 2014. It will publish an interim report in autumn 2014 with a view to publishing its final recommendations in early 2015.</p> <p><strong>Members of the Commission</strong></p> <p>The commission is constituted of independent <a href="/people">members</a>, all experts in their field . </p> <p><strong>Submissions to the Commission</strong></p> <p>The Commission welcomes&nbsp;<a href="/submissions">submissions</a> from any interested parties. </p> <p><strong>About CIPFA</strong> </p> <p>CIPFA is the only professional accountancy body exclusively dedicated to public finance in the world.<br /> <a href="http://www.cipfa.org" target="_blank">CIPFA</a>, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, is the professional body for people in public finance. Our 14,000 members work throughout the public services, in national audit agencies, in major accountancy firms, and in other bodies where public money needs to be effectively and efficiently managed.</p> <p>CIPFA&rsquo;s portfolio of qualifications are the foundation for a career in public finance. We also champion high performance in public services, translating our experience and insight into clear advice and practical services. <br /> <br /> Globally, CIPFA shows the way in public finance by standing up for sound public financial management and good governance. </p> <p><strong>About the LGA<br /> <br /> </strong>The LGA is the national voice of local government. The <a href="http://www.local.gov.uk/" target="_blank">LGA</a>, the Local Government Assocaition&nbsp;works with councils to support, promote and improve local government.</p> <p>The LGA are a politically-led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. We aim to influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils so they are able to deliver local solutions to national problems.</p>Fri, 23 May 2014 13:09:22 +0100{BD782153-97C5-48BC-BCBD-EE13A9DA39B5}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/terms-of-useTerms of use<p style="line-height: 24.75pt; margin: 12pt 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>Terms of use</b> </p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>1. General</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">These terms (including the Privacy Policy and any other documents referred to) are the terms (the " <b>Terms</b>") which apply to your use of the website <b><a href="http://www.localfinancecommission.org/">www.localfinancecommission.org</a> </b>&nbsp;and the services offered by us via that website (the " <b>Website</b>").</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">Please read these terms carefully before you start to use the Website. If you have any questions or issues please Contact Us.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>By accessing the Website you are deemed to have read and accepted the Terms. </b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We may make changes to these Terms at any time and such changes will take effect and be binding upon you from the point at which they are posted on the Website. Therefore, you should check these Terms regularly to make sure you are abiding by the most current version. We may also make changes to the Website from time to time.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>2. Information about us and the website</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">The Website is operated by the Independent Commission on Local Government Finance which was established by the Local Government Association (LGA), the national voice of local government, and the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy&nbsp;(CIPFA), the professional body for public finance professionals. </p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">The Independent Commission on Local Government Finance is based at 3 Robert Street, London, WC2N </p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>3. Access and availability</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We reserve the right to withdraw, suspend or amend access to all or any part of the Website or cease its operation temporarily or permanently at any time without notice.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the Website is accessible 24 hours per day but the Website is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, and we give no warranties or guarantees that the Website will meet particular levels of availability or functionality. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not post any business critical information or material on the Website and that you keep copies of all information and content you post on the Website in accordance with your employer's policies and processes.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">You are responsible for making all arrangements necessary for you to have access to the Website. We cannot guarantee that the transmission of any information over your internet connection will be secure nor can we guarantee that the Website will be compatible with any or all hardware and software that you may use to visit the Website.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>4. Your personal information</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We collect personal information about you when on completion and submission of website forms. We have explained what this information is, what we do with it, and who we share it with and other related matters such as cookies in more detail in our Privacy Policy.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>5.</b> <b>Your conduct</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">As a user of the website you must not do any of the following:</p> <ul> <li style="color: black;">defame, abuse, harass, stalk, intimidate, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy or intellectual property rights where applicable) of others; impersonate any other person or entity, whether actual or fictitious or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent yourself, your age or your affiliation with any person or entity or use or attempt to use another Registered User's account;</li> <li style="color: black;">upload, post, transmit, share or otherwise make available any content that we deem to be obscene, indecent, unlawful, harmful, threatening, defamatory, infringing, abusive, inflammatory, harassing, vulgar, fraudulent, hateful, or racially, ethnically, sexually or otherwise objectionable;</li> <li style="color: black;">upload, post, transmit, share or otherwise make available any material which contains a statement which you know or believe, or have reasonable grounds for believing, that members of the public to whom the statement is, or is to be, published are likely to understand as a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism; or</li> <li style="color: black;">use the Website for commercial purposes; upload, post, transmit, share or otherwise make available any unsolicited advertising (although you may advertise events you think may be of interest to other Registered Users acting in their professional capacity),</li> <li style="color: black;">unauthorisedadvertising, solicitations, promotional materials, "junk mail", "spam", "chain letters", "pyramid schemes", or engage in any other form of solicitation;</li> <li style="color: black;">upload, post, transmit, share or otherwise make available content unless you are sure there are no restrictions on your ability to do so;</li> <li style="color: black;">upload, post, transmit, share or otherwise make available any material that contains software viruses or any other computer code, corrupted files, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment;</li> <li style="color: black;">delete any required author attributions, legal notices or proprietary designations or labels in, or falsify the origin or source of, any material that is uploaded;</li> <li style="color: black;">use automated scripts to collect information from or in any way seek to change the Website or otherwise interact with the Website;</li> <li style="color: black;">register for more than one user account, register for a user account on behalf of an individual other than yourself, or register for a user account on behalf of any group or entity; or</li> <li style="color: black;">upload, post, transmit, share or otherwise make publicly available on the Website any private information of any other party, including, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and credit card numbers without first having obtain their written consent to this.</li> </ul> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We will determine, in our sole discretion, whether a contribution to the Website or any other activity breaches these Terms.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>6. Virusues, hacking and other ofences</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">You must not misuse the Website by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material which is malicious or technologically harmful. You must not attempt to gain unauthorisedaccess to the Website, the server on which the Website is stored or any server, computer or database connected to the Website. You must not attack the Website via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of service attack.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We will report any such action to the relevant law enforcement authorities and we will co-operate with those authorities by disclosing your identity to them. In the event of such a breach, your right to use the Website will cease immediately.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>9.</b> <b>Content</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">The majority of the information, data, text, software, photographs, graphics, messages, tags, or any other material (" <b>Content</b>") on the Website is generated by the Commission..</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">Content may be out of date and we make no commitment to update or remove Content. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, integrity or quality of any Content on the Website.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">Content is for information only and cannot be regarded as constituting advice or recommendations (professional or otherwise) and should not be relied on without taking independent advice. You are solely responsible for any decisions you take based on Content. We disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on such materials from any Registered User or other visitor to our site, or by anyone who may be informed of any of its contents.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>We recommend that you do not include your home address, telephone number or other sensitive personal information in any messages you send via the Website and that you do not post any Content on the Website unless you are willing for it to be shared with other Registered Users and made public. Please make sure you have complied with your employer's information disclosure and confidentiality policies when posting Content on the Website.</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We reserve the right to consider and respond to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (" <b>FOI</b>") for information which might or might not be held on the Website.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We may from time to time disclose Content provided by Users to the police or other enforcement or regulatory bodies if (i) the disclosure may assist their investigations or (ii) the disclosure is required by law or any regulatory obligation, or (iii) we believe that such disclosure is necessary to assist in the prevention or detection of any criminal action (including fraud).</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>11.</b> <b>Posting content on the website</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">The Website supports collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and information.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">By making Content available on the Website you grant us (and our agents, successors and assignees) an irrevocable, royalty-free, perpetual licence (with the right to sub-license) to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, and publicly display your Content on the Website (a) for the purposes of our providing the Website to users and promoting the specific community or other part of the Website to which such Content was made available; and (b) so that the Content can be made available and be used, viewed and downloaded by those Registered Users that have access to the specific community or other part of the Website to which such Content was made available.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">As a User, you agree to comply with these Terms applying to Content you use, and agree to acknowledge the source of the Content when using it and retain any proprietary notices which may apply to it.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">All copyright, trade marks, design rights, database rights and other intellectual property rights in or relating to the Content on the Website (" <b>Our Content</b>") belong to us or our third party licensors. You may access, use and reproduce Our Content (excluding any software code) solely for the purposes of your use of the Website.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">You may also print, copy or download Our Content provided always that:</p> <ul> <li style="color: black;">you acknowledge us as the source of Our Content;</li> <li style="color: black;">all titles credits and URLs are included; and</li> <li style="color: black;">you comply with any legal notice contained in Our Content.</li> </ul> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">The permission to use Our Content is revocable by us at any time.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>12. Links to and from the website</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">Where the Website contains links to websites provided by third parties, these links are provided for your information only. We have no control over the availability or content of such other websites, nor for any products or services available from them. Any such link should not be seen as an endorsement of such websites, or any products or services contained on them.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">Please bear in mind that your use of such other websites may be subject to additional terms and conditions imposed by the owners of those websites. Your dealings with such third parties are between you and the third party, and we accept no liability as a result of you accessing such websites or entering into contractual arrangements with the third parties.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">You may link to our home page, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it, but you must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on our part where none exists.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">You must not establish a link from any website that is not owned by you or your public sector employer.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">The Website must not be framed on any other site except with our permission. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">If you wish to make any use of material on the Website other than that set out above, please Contact Us.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b>13. Disclaimers</b></p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">We do not warrant that the Website is uninterrupted or error free or free of viruses, worms, Trojan Horses or technical defects of any description, and we accept no responsibility for any technical problems arising from your use of the Website.</p> <p style="line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">Unless we specifically state otherwise, we provide the Website to you without any conditions, warranties, or guarantees which are expressly excluded to the extent permitted by law.</p>Fri, 16 May 2014 16:08:28 +0100{BF723F31-0011-4B8F-A62B-1B791BE4615C}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/submissionsSubmissions<p>The commission welcomes submissions from anyone with an interest in local government finance.</p> <p>&nbsp;If would like to make a submission to the commission please read the guidance note.</p>Fri, 16 May 2014 11:50:02 +0100{DFACBEB4-DEDB-4471-8186-7016884C819E}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/cookiesCookies<p>You should be aware that when you use the Commission's website(s), we may collect information by using 'cookies'. <br /> <br /> The Commission and our third party partners may set a range of cookies when you visit our websites. Below we explain the types of cookies we use.</p> <p><strong>Essential for making our site work properly.(Strictly Necessary)</strong><br /> These cookies let you move around the website and use essential features like secure areas, shopping baskets and online billing. These cookies don't gather any information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you've been on the internet.</p> <p><strong>Collect information about how you use our website.(Performance)</strong><br /> 'Performance' cookies collect information about how you use our website e.g. which pages you visit, and if you experience any errors. These cookies don't collect any information that could identify you &ndash; all the information collected is anonymous and is only used to help us improve how our website works, understand what interests our users.<br /> We use performance cookies to</p> <p>1.Provide statistics on how our website is used.<br /> 2.See how effective our adverts are (we don't use this information to target adverts to you when you visit other websites).<br /> 3.Help us improve the website by measuring any errors that occur.<br /> 4.Test different designs of our website.</p> <p>Using our site indicates that you accept the use of 'Performance' cookies. Accepting these cookies is a condition of using the website, so if you prevent them we cannot guarantee how our site will perform for you.</p> <p>Examples: <br /> Google analytics</p> <p><strong>Used to provide services or to remember settings to improve your visit. (Functionality)<br /> </strong>&lsquo;Functionality' cookies are used to provide services or to remember settings to improve your visit. We use 'Functionality' cookies to</p> <p>1.Share information with partners to provide a service on our website. The information shared is only to be used to provide the service, product or function and not for any other purpose.</p> <p>Cookies defined as 'Functionality' will not be used to target you with adverts on other websites.</p> <p>Some of these cookies are managed for us by third parties &ndash; where this is the case we don't allow the third party to use the cookies for any purpose other than those listed above.</p> <p>Preventing these cookies may mean we can't offer you some services, and will reduce the support we can offer you. It's also possible that preventing these cookie stops us remembering that you didn't want a specific service.</p> <p>Examples: <br /> Twitter and YouTube cookies that capture your preference.</p> <p><strong>Are linked to services provided by third parties.(Targeting)</strong><br /> 'Targeting' cookies are linked to services provided by third parties, such as 'Like' buttons and 'Share' buttons. The third party provides these services in return for recognising that you have visited our website.</p> <p>We use 'Targeting' cookies to<br /> 1.Link to social networks like Facebook, Sharethis who may subsequently use information about your visit to target advertising to you on other websites.</p> <p>Preventing these cookies may stop us from offering you some services. All of these cookies are managed by third parties, and use the third parties' own tools to prevent these cookies.</p> <p>Examples: <br /> include sharethis</p> <p><strong>How do I turn cookies off?</strong></p> <p>It is usually possible to stop your browser accepting cookies, or to stop it accepting cookies from a particular website. For example, we cannot tell if you are signed in without using cookies, so you would not be able to post comments.</p> <p>All modern browsers allow you to change your cookie settings. These settings will typically be found in the 'options' or 'preferences' menu of your browser. In order to understand these setttings, the following links may be helpful, otherwise you should use the 'Help' option in your browser for more details.</p> <p><a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196955" shape="rect">Cookie settings in Internet Explorer</a><br /> <a href="http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Cookies" shape="rect">Cookie settings in Firefox</a><br /> <a href="http://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&amp;answer=95647" shape="rect">Cookie settings in Chrome</a><br /> <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5042" shape="rect">Cookie settings in Safari web</a> and <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1677" shape="rect">iOS</a>.</p> <p><a shape="rect" name="ad-cookies-off"></a>If you are primarily concerned about third party cookies generated by advertisers, you can turn these off by going to the <a href="http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk" shape="rect">Your Online Choices site</a>.</p> <p>You can also visit the trade body representing these advertising platforms for more information: <a href="http://www.networkadvertising.org/" shape="rect">Network Advertising Initative</a>.</p> <p>They have provided a one-stop place that gathers all of the opt-out controls. Please bear in mind that the are many more networks listed on this site than those that we use at CIPFA.<br /> <a href="http://networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp" shape="rect">http://networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp</a></p> <h3 class="plain">Useful links</h3> <p>If you would like to find out more about cookies and their use on the Internet, you may find the following links useful:</p> <p><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/info/cookies.mspx" shape="rect">Microsoft Cookies guide</a><br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutcookies.org/" shape="rect">All About Cookies</a></p> <p>The IAB has provided the following website to give information specifically about privacy issues around Internet advertising:<br /> <a href="http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/" shape="rect">youronlinechoices.co.uk/uk</a></p> <p>For further legal information about privacy issues, you may find these links useful:</p> <p><a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/ukpga_19980029_en_1" shape="rect">Data Protection Act 1998</a><br /> <a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/" shape="rect">The Information Commissioner's Office</a></p>Fri, 16 May 2014 11:49:41 +0100{1B9896E0-6B31-420F-9574-4490B45CE958}http://www.localfinancecommission.org/contactContactFri, 16 May 2014 11:49:36 +0100