Northamptonshire County Council

A formal declaration by the council's Section 151 officer that the authority cannot balance its budget.

Why it matters: Section 114 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 requires councils to stop all non-essential spending immediately. It is the local government equivalent of insolvency.

Issued by: Issued internally by the council's statutory finance officer; monitored by MHCLG.

A formal declaration by the council's Section 151 officer that the authority cannot balance its budget.

Why it matters: Section 114 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 requires councils to stop all non-essential spending immediately. It is the local government equivalent of insolvency.

Issued by: Issued internally by the council's statutory finance officer; monitored by MHCLG.