What is a metro mayor?
25/04/2024 A metro mayor is directly elected by local people to oversee a region’s combined authority. |
LGA lobbied over income tax devolution
24/04/2024 The Local Government Association’s (LGA) White Paper should make the case for councils to receive a share of income tax, sector experts have urged. |
Addressing regional inequalities
18/04/2024 Andrew Borland, Chief Innovation Officer at the Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC), University of Liverpool discusses the importance of levelling up for growth. |
Devon County Council’s long-serving leader steps down
18/04/2024 The leader of Devon County Council has said it is the ‘right time’ to leave the post after 15 years. |
Government ignores sugar levy calls
12/04/2024 The Government has ignored Local Government Association (LGA) calls for the sugar levy to be spent by councils to tackle physical inactivity. |
Petition calls for creation of new town council
12/04/2024 A petition calling for the creation of a new town council in Salford has been submitted to Salford City Council. |
LocalGov Elections: Vote reformation
10/04/2024 Jonathan Werran, chief exec, Localis draws inspiration from a popular podcast on the Reformation to ponder the question of just how local are our politics. |
Next Government urged to look at devolving air passenger duty
10/04/2024 The leader of a Labour council in the shadow of Heathrow Airport has urged the next Government to look at devolving air passenger duty (APD). |
Think-tank's call for landfill tax devolution
04/04/2024 A think-tank has called for a portion of the proceeds from landfill tax to be devolved to councils. |
Devolve NHS England's £168bn budget to local government, says report
02/04/2024 NHS England’s £168bn budget should be handed to local government in a radical restructure, the Reform think-tank has suggested in a report today. |
Hull and East Riding finalise devolution proposal
28/03/2024 A devolution proposal for a Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is set to be submitted to the levelling up department. |
Parties draw battlelines for local elections
28/03/2024 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has given a speech in Dudley today following campaign launches by the Conservatives and Lib Dems. |
Lincolnshire devolution deal approved
15/03/2024 Lincolnshire CC members have approved a devolution deal for the area which will see the establishment of the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County. |
The elephant in the budget
12/03/2024 The budget provided support to strengthen growth, but bolder action is required to tackle finances, says Amanda Kelly, local government lead at PA Consulting. |
Budget: Chancellor launches productivity push
06/03/2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled a Budget with little respite for local government but demands for increased public sector productivity. |
Coventry to consider £35m for Gigapark investment zone
06/03/2024 Coventry City Council’s cabinet will discuss whether to accept up to £35m of government funding to develop a battery gigafactory as part a new investment zone. |
Budget: Trailblazer devo deal for North East
06/03/2024 The North East has secured a trailblazer devolution deal that could provide a package of new funding potentially worth more than £100m, chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced in his Budget. |
More areas get level four devolution powers
01/03/2024 West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool city region will all receive level four devolved powers, local government secretary Michael Gove has announced. |
Chancellor urged to provide funding certainty for urban transport
27/02/2024 Transport authorities have called on the Government to prioritise long-term funding certainty for public transport and active travel in city regions in next week’s Spring Budget. |
Levelling up requires ‘meaningful’ devolution, business group says
20/02/2024 Business leaders have called for ‘meaningful decision-making powers’ to be devolved to local authorities to help boost left-behind regions. |
Major step towards airport reopening
13/02/2024 Councillors have voted to progress plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport using £138m in devolution funding. |
National Apprenticeship Week: The importance of a national skills strategy
05/02/2024 Nichola Hay MBE, director of Apprenticeship Strategy and Policy at BPP, discusses the importance of a national strategy with a regional approach. |
Devon and Torbay devolution deal announced
25/01/2024 Devon County Council and Torbay Council are set to enter a level 2 devolution deal with the Government. |
Report calls for more devolution to boost creative industries
23/01/2024 The further devolution of powers and funding connected to culture will help tackle economic stagnation and will boost to local communities, study finds. |
Levelling up must continue, urges think-tank
22/01/2024 Efforts to level up the country and devolve more powers to local government should continue following the General Election, a think-tank has urged. |
First North Yorkshire mayoral election to cost £2m
17/01/2024 The election of the first mayor of a new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority is set to cost £2.2m, a council report has revealed. |
West Midlands pilots £24m energy support scheme
16/01/2024 Small businesses across the West Midlands are being offered support to cut their gas and electricity usage. |
Manchester leads list for local government in New Year honours
02/01/2024 The chief executives of both Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority have been recognised in the New Year Honours List. |
‘Growth zones’ for West Midlands in UK first
22/12/2023 The West Midlands is to become the first UK region to receive new ‘growth zone’ powers, which the combined authority said could generate £1.7bn. |
Five unitaries moot devolution deal
18/12/2023 A ‘non-binding expression of interest’ is expected to be submitted to the Government in February. |
Local authority leaders criticise minimum service levels
11/12/2023 'Unfair’ and ‘undemocratic’ minimum service levels will lead to ‘more frequent and longer strikes’, according to mayors and council leaders from across UK. |
Lincolnshire consults on devolution plan
05/12/2023 Residents across Greater Lincolnshire are being consulted on a devolution proposal for the region. |
Norfolk devolution schedule delayed
04/12/2023 Norfolk’s level 3 devolution deal is set to be pushed back to 2025. |
Rotheram threatened over Covid restrictions
27/11/2023 Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram was assigned 24-hour police security after he received threats during the Covid pandemic, he revealed today. |
Autumn Statement: Hull and East Yorkshire leaders welcome devolution deal
23/11/2023 Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council have welcomed the announcement of a proposed devolution deal for Hull and East Yorkshire. |
Autumn Statement: Lancashire devolution ‘amazing news for county’
23/11/2023 The Lancashire devolution announcement in the Autumn Statement is ‘amazing news for county’, local authority leaders in the region have said. |
Autumn Statement: Councils remain ‘chronically underfunded’
23/11/2023 Support for private renters, devolution, and planning departments is welcome but councils remain ‘chronically underfunded’, council chiefs tell Chancellor. |
Autumn Statement: Level 4 devolution unveiled
22/11/2023 More powers will be offered to areas with a level 3 devolution deal, the Government has announced as part of the Autumn Statement. |
Expected devo boost in Autumn Statement
22/11/2023 Seven counties are expected to be among a swathe of non-mayoral devolution deals being lined up by the Government. |
Plymouth pulls out of ‘unreasonable’ devolution deal
20/11/2023 Plymouth City Council has withdrawn from a proposed devolution deal after its leader branded it ‘unreasonable and unrealistic’. |
Somerset declares ‘financial emergency’
09/11/2023 Somerset Council has declared it is facing a ‘financial emergency’ and agreed that ‘urgent actions’ are required to tackle a £100m shortfall. |
Call for local income tax collection for biggest city regions
08/11/2023 More taxation powers, including the ability to keep a proportion of income tax, should be devolved to England’s three biggest city regions, a think-tank has argued. |
‘Nothing for local government’ in King’s Speech
07/11/2023 Councils have expressed disappointment that the King’s Speech offered no commitment to improving local government finances or furthering devolution. |
Manifesto push for statutory economic powers
07/11/2023 The Institute of Economic Development (IED) has launched an ‘agenda for change’ with a continued call for councils to be given statutory duties on economic development. |
Street calls for PCC powers
02/11/2023 West Midlands mayor Andy Street has formally asked the Government to transfer police and crime commissioner (PCC) powers to the mayoralty. |
'Devolution hopes rest on combined authorities'
24/10/2023 Combined authorities represent the greatest hope for devolution in England, according to a new report based on interviews with 95 former ministers and Whitehall mandarins. |
Skills devolution call
17/10/2023 Control of UK skills funding should be devolved to councils to ensure it is tailored to local jobs and economies, a national network of 27 cities has urged. |
WMCA trailblazer devolution deal ratified
16/10/2023 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has ratified a ‘deeper devolution deal’ worth an estimated £1.5bn. |
Dorset eyes cross-boundary devolution bid
09/10/2023 Dorset Council is looking beyond its borders for potential partners in a devolution deal bid. |
Liverpool to 'take back control' with franchised buses
06/10/2023 The Liverpool City Region will bring its buses back under public control, mayor Steve Rotheram announced today. |
Battery-powered trains hit tracks in UK first
06/10/2023 The first UK passenger trains to run using battery technology have been launched in the Liverpool City Region. |
Leicestershire settles for ‘thin gruel’ devo deal
05/10/2023 Leicestershire County Council said it has agreed to pursue a level two devolution deal after failing to reach agreement on a directly elected mayor. |
Wales to automatically register voters
03/10/2023 The Welsh Government is set to establish automatic voter registration for local government and Senedd elections. |
Council leaders create roadmap for a Starmer government
26/09/2023 A plan for a future Labour administration to ‘reform public services and rebuild trust’ has been drawn out by local authority leaders. |
Bentley insists level two devolution 'best option' for county
21/09/2023 Essex CC’s Conservative leader Kevin Bentley has insisted that a level two devolution deal is the ‘best option’ for the county. |
Optimism about Greater Manchester’s economy ‘badly misplaced’
21/09/2023 Greater Manchester should expand its city centre, improve connectivity, and build 126,000 more homes to boost its productivity, the Resolution Foundation says. |
London council calls for power to impose overnight levy
20/09/2023 Westminster City Council has called on the Government to enable local authorities to tax tourists on stays. |
EXCLUSIVE: Mayors press for trailblazer devolution powers
04/09/2023 Mayors are pressing for devolved powers currently reserved for their trailblazer counterparts in ongoing talks with the Government. |
County leaders call for ‘adult education revolution’
04/09/2023 County council leaders have urged the Government to ‘fast track’ devolution deals to help boost the number of people taking part in adult education. |
Cornish headland transferred to Falmouth for £1
15/08/2023 Cornwall Council has transferred the historic Pendennis Headland to Falmouth Town Council for £1. |
Government rejects unitaries' devo bid for Solent
27/07/2023 Ministers have rejected a devolution bid by three south coast unitaries after the trio turned down the chance to join neighbouring Hampshire’s offer. |
Cities call for new devolved powers
18/07/2023 A group of cities today demanded new devolved powers and investment to help the UK become a science and innovation ‘superpower’. |
Haldane: Levelling up a 'mixed bag'
17/07/2023 Most people have yet to see the fruits of levelling up, according to a key Government adviser. |
Seven in 10 support more control over local services
17/07/2023 Nearly 70% of people say they would like their community to have more control over how local services are delivered, a new poll has revealed. |
Councils need more power to level up, says think tank
05/07/2023 The Government should give local authorities more financial powers to improve public services across the country, according to a new report by Localis. |
Warwickshire in talks over WMCA move
04/07/2023 Senior Government ministers are brokering talks between Mayor Andy Street and Warwickshire CC as the county looks at joining the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), The MJ understands. |
Labour promises councils ‘control over own destiny’
04/07/2023 A Labour government will build more houses and devolve power to local authorities, according to the party’s deputy leader. |
Council to meet to discuss independence from UK
03/07/2023 Orkney Islands Council will meet this week to discuss potential independence from the UK as it seeks to improve its financial position amid revenue challenges. |
Kent to vote on devolution deal
27/06/2023 Kent CC councillors will vote this week on plans for a devolution deal in a bid to secure more power and resources for the area. |
'No progress' on devolution to London
21/06/2023 The capital appears to have ‘taken a step backwards’ on devolution, a former chair of London Councils has said. |
Progress on devolution 'too slow' - LGA vice-president
16/06/2023 A Local Government Association vice-president has expressed ‘serious concerns about the Government’s increasing desire to centralise local service delivery across England out of Whitehall’. |
Fire up Northern Powerhouse 2.0, urges Osborne
12/06/2023 Former chancellor George Osborne has urged the Government to ‘fire up Northern Powerhouse 2.0’ as he backed more devolution for the North. |
Manchester 'frustrated' at pace of devolution
08/06/2023 Manchester’s leader has said there is ‘a long way to go’ to meet the city’s devolution ambitions. |
Labour blocks Driscoll mayoral bid
05/06/2023 North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll has been blocked by Labour from standing as the party’s mayoral candidate for the proposed North East combined authority. |
Oxford and Swindon top ‘good growth’ index
26/05/2023 Oxford and Swindon have come out top in a ranking of cities according to their residents’ economic wellbeing, with Bristol and Exeter following closely behind. |
Council chiefs call for statutory powers to boost economy
16/05/2023 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to give councils statutory powers over economic development. |
Greater Manchester unveils skills devolution plan
15/05/2023 The shape of skills devolution in the trailblazer devolution deals has been outlined by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. |
Councils call for more powers to address climate crisis
11/05/2023 Government must provide more powers to councils and provide clarity, capacity and funding to address the climate crisis, a national cities network has urged. |
Report shows stark variations in levelling up funding
25/04/2023 Competitive bidding has led to a £0.5bn gap in levelling up cash between the best and least funded combined authorities, according to new analysis. |
Cornwall abandons devolution deal
05/04/2023 Cornwall County Council has dropped its plans to accept a devolution deal which included an elected mayor. |
Cornwall devolution consultation delivers mixed results
31/03/2023 A consultation on whether Cornwall should have an elected mayor and a devolution deal has produced mixed results. |
Lincolnshire districts back unitary idea
28/03/2023 A partnership of three district councils has backed the idea of becoming a unitary to help secure a Lincolnshire-wide devolution deal. |
Glasgow seeks more powers
28/03/2023 Glasgow is to formally approach Holyrood and Westminster for more powers to help revitalise its city centre. |
Empowering cities could bring £420m economic boost
23/03/2023 Bringing together employment and skills services in urban areas could result in a £420m boost to the national economy, according to local government leaders. |
Mayors welcome devolution plans
16/03/2023 The mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands Combined Authority welcome major devolution plans following the Spring Budget. |
Budget’s lack of social care support ‘disappointing’
16/03/2023 Council leaders welcomed the new funding in yesterday's budget but were disappointed by absence of investment in social care, health and children’s services. |
Budget 2023: Hunt sounds the death knell for LEPs
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled a Budget which has sounded the death knell for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), but revived the levelling up agenda. |
Budget 2023: Hunt to boost mayors' financial autonomy
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced the Government will ‘boost mayors’ financial autonomy’ in his Budget. |
MPs call for more power to be granted to London’s councils
13/03/2023 MPs have called for more power and resources to be devolved to London’s local authorities in order to boost the capital’s productivity. |
Labour should tackle erosion of local government, report says
01/03/2023 Labour must overcome obstacles including the erosion of local government if it wants to carry out its pledge to empower communities, says campaign group. |
Levelling up Bill ‘insulting’ to districts
28/02/2023 Peers have called for greater recognition of district councils in combined county authorities (CCAs). |
Council welcomes ‘significant’ £20m Blyth investment
24/02/2023 The Government has announced a multi-million-pound funding package to help spread opportunity and boost local pride in Blyth. |
Council chiefs call for devolution of skills powers
24/02/2023 Local authority leaders have called for the devolution of skills budgets and powers to help them support young people into education, employment or training. |
North Yorkshire Council chair appointed after predecessor’s death
23/02/2023 A new chair has been appointed to head the soon-to-be launched North Yorkshire Council after the death of the former chair Cllr Margaret Atkinson. |
Holyrood urged to empower councils to reach net zero
24/01/2023 Scotland will not reach its net zero targets without first empowering the local government sector, MSPs have warned. |
Districts' legal threat over devolution deal
17/01/2023 Four Norfolk districts have threatened to take legal action over the county’s handling of a devolution deal struck with Government. |
Starmer makes devolution bill pledge
05/01/2023 A swathe of new powers would be devolved from central Government under a Labour administration, leader Sir Kier Starmer has promised in a key speech. |
Deal reached on North East devolution package
03/01/2023 Details of a proposed mayoral devolution deal for the North East of England have been released. |
Lincolnshire in mayoral devolution deal push
21/12/2022 Lincolnshire’s upper-tier councils are to press for a devolution deal including an elected mayor. |
Mayors do not lead to better outcomes, polling finds
19/12/2022 People do not think mayors lead to better outcomes for their community, polling by a coalition of community groups has found. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.