The Prudential Code For Capital Finance In Local Authorities: Guidance Notes For Practitioners (2018 edition)

The Prudential Framework for local authority capital investment began in April 2004 and has had a real beneficial impact on service delivery by supporting strategic planning for capital investment at a local level. The Prudential Code was comprehensively updated in 2017 and these changes are incorporated in these updated guidance notes.

The guidance concentrates on providing practitioners with a practical interpretation of the Prudential Code to enable them to meet its key principles of ensuring that capital programmes are affordable, prudent and sustainable and to explain this effectively to those charged with governance.  It provides detailed guidance on how to produce the capital strategy introduced as a new requirement to the Prudential Code in 2017. 

It uses practical examples of how to calculate the prudential indicators which are key to demonstrating compliance with the Code and explains the logic behind their use. It also includes new guidance on the changes to the Prudential Code in 2017 and reflects the latest in the changes to the statutory provisions in the Prudential Framework. The guidance will be helpful for finance professionals within local government and to others, such as service and property managers, seeking a thorough understanding of its technical application. 

The guidance notes are available in hard copy and online.

The digital, online version is available as both searchable HTML and a bookmarked downloadable PDF of the publication that can be shared throughout your organisation. 

Details of licensing arrangements for other categories of purchaser, which includes those organisations operating shared service arrangements, are available from CIPFA’s Publications Department.