The unfairness of the government's financial grant settlement for Manchester, one of the five worst in the country, has been widely reported.
The number of people granted settlement, which is to be the subject of fresh curbs to be announced next week, fell by 32% last year to 163,477.
1.50pm: The umbrella body for town halls, the Local Government Association, has issued a statement in response to the 2,000 jobs Manchester city council says it needs to lose to make ends meet as a result of its grant settlement (see 8.39am).
In a ruling highly critical of the Ministry of Defence, Mr Justice Blake said its advice to the Home Office on whether to grant settlement to the Gurkhas was confusing, resulting in "irrational and unlawful" restrictions being applied.
The majority of Australian adults agree with Abbott's turnback policy, but 57% do not support the Rudd-introduced policy that sees no person seeking asylum by boat granted settlement in Australia.
This contrasts sharply with the special grant settlement that the Home Office has reached with police forces in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, which have had 100% of their compensation liabilities under the Riot Damages Act reimbursed and 85% of their operational policing costs.
The search for savings would also be enhanced by allowing councils to plan their spending with a five-year horizon, rather than stumbling from budget to budget, with the government announcing each grant settlement barely weeks before the new financial year.
It expects to hear the level of its grant settlement on 10 February.
In a statement, a Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman described the council's grant settlement as "tough but fair".
Joe Anderson, leader of the Labour-run authority, has asked the government for "fairness" in the council's grant settlement.
