Local Government Association | LocalGov

Council to announce chief after capacity criticism

15/04/2024

East Devon DC is hoping to announce its new chief executive early next month after peers said senior level capacity was currently ‘limited’.

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.

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.

Officer-councillor tensions affecting outcomes, review finds

20/03/2024

Tensions between Teignbridge DC’s executive and senior leadership team are ‘inhibiting progress and damaging the council’s reputation,’ review warns.

LGA warning over XL Bully dogs ban

19/03/2024

Councils face a double whammy of soaring costs and declining police support as they try to enforce a ban on XL Bully dogs.

Four-day week council decision 'disappointing and arrogant'

14/03/2024

South Cambridgeshire DC’s decision to continue with its four-day week is ‘disappointing and arrogant,’ local government minister Simon Hoare has said.

Right to Buy lobbying fails as temporary boost ended

08/03/2024

The Treasury has confirmed councils will no longer keep 100% of Right to Buy (RTB) receipts after the current financial year despite lobbying by the sector.

'Culture of mistrust' found at Newham

04/03/2024

Newham LBC’s chief executive has vowed to tackle the ‘culture of mistrust’ among politicians and officers laid bare by a critical peer review.

Lending rates could spike after audit reset, LGA warns

01/03/2024

Proposals to reset the local audit system and clear the backlog of accounts could drive up the lending rates offered to the sector, councils have warned.

Local government launches cultural services alliance

01/03/2024

Organisations representing local government have joined forces to form a new National Alliance for Cultural Services.

LGA 'strengthens' peer challenge but still won't name and shame resistant councils

01/03/2024

The Local Government Association (LGA) has launched its ‘strengthened’ corporate peer challenge (CPC) to help neutralise the threat from Oflog.

Chiefs: Sector can afford senior pay hike

20/02/2024

Council chiefs have insisted their pay settlement must match the award for local government staff after years in which senior wage rises have fallen behind.

Local government figures made peers

12/02/2024

Local government has been recognised in the latest round of peerages, with two senior figures heading to the House of Lords. 

Local government recruitment drive launches

10/01/2024

Councils in the North East of England will pilot a new campaign to encourage people to take up a job in local government.

LGA calls for powers to withhold councillors' address

10/01/2024

Monitoring officers should be allowed to withhold councillors’ home addresses from public registers to help tackle rising levels of abuse and hate, Smith Square has said.

Councils welcome PWLB rate extension

27/11/2023

Councils have welcomed Jeremy Hunt’s decision to extend preferential Public Works Loan Board borrowing rates for Housing Revenue Account (HRA) expenditure.

EXCLUSIVE: Oflog pushes ahead with early warning system

16/11/2023

Senior Oflog officials are pressing ahead with their plans to create an early warning system for councils in trouble despite continuing LGA resistance.

Land value tax could redistribute billions

09/11/2023

A plan to reform business rates could lead to billions of pounds being redistributed from high land value areas to other parts of the country.

DLUHC blasted over levelling up failure

08/11/2023

The levelling up department has been blasted for failing to deliver its remit by a senior sector figure.

Emergency summit held amid temporary accommodation warnings

31/10/2023

More than 150 councils this week attended an emergency summit as the cost of temporary accommodation to local authorities increases rapidly.

DCN in cuts warning

24/10/2023

Cultural services, community support and parks and green spaces are all at risk of cuts without a boost to the local government finance settlement, respondents to a District Councils’ Network (DCN) survey have warned.

LGA chief departs

06/10/2023

Local Government Association chief executive Mark Lloyd will be leaving with immediate effect, the association has announced.

EXCLUSIVE: LGA chief under threat

27/09/2023

The future of Local Government Association (LGA) chief executive Mark Lloyd today hangs in the balance as the new Labour-led regime considers changes.

Brum braced for Government intervention

12/09/2023

Birmingham City Council is braced for a wide-ranging Government intervention to help rescue the authority’s bleak finances, and improve political and officer leadership.

EXCLUSIVE: Housing pressures may push councils into effective bankruptcy

04/09/2023

Rising housing pressures will force some councils to effectively declare bankruptcy, a local authority chief executive with more than 40 years of experience in the sector has warned.

South East Councils to consider devolution of vehicle excise duty

01/09/2023

The devolution of vehicle excise duty (VED) will be among the options expected to be considered by a London Finance Commission-style investigation.

Health backing for police withdrawal delay

08/08/2023

Senior healthcare figures have backed councils’ demand to delay police withdrawal from non-urgent mental health callouts.

Pay dispute to stretch into autumn

07/08/2023

The local government pay dispute is destined to stretch into the autumn as trade union Unite warned ‘coordinated industrial action’ was ‘inevitable’.

Fresh LGA drive to influence MPs over skills

07/08/2023

The Local Government Association has proposed to establish a skills and employment working group as it seeks to influence MPs ahead of the election.

Trust in councils plummets following pandemic

04/08/2023

Public approval of councils has reached record lows in key areas, according to the latest polling for the Local Government Association (LGA).

EXCLUSIVE: LGA stance on corporate peer challenges starts to shift

31/07/2023

Elements of the LGA are privately moving towards accepting that corporate peer challenges should be put on a statutory footing, The MJ understands.

Hastings' financial controls 'not fully developed'

31/07/2023

Senior Hastings BC councillors will be urged next week to ‘bring in and embed more stringent financial controls and accountability to urgently reduce spending’.

Exploitation warning after Illegal Migration Bill becomes law

20/07/2023

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) could be in danger of being exploited after the Illegal Migration Act created an incentive for them to run away.

Lloyd: Pandemic simulation kept secret from sector

12/07/2023

Lessons from a Whitehall-run pandemic simulation exercise in 2016 were kept secret from local government, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has heard.

Overton rejects breakaway Green group idea

10/07/2023

The re-elected leader of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) independents has rejected the idea of a breakaway Green group.

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’.

Poor pandemic planning criticised

13/06/2023

Public health directors have criticised the Government’s Covid-19 preparedness – warning Whitehall must utilise council expertise to avoid repeat.

Council urged to address low reserves

12/06/2023

Senior managers at Eastbourne BC must address the council’s low levels of reserves given current cost pressures within sector, an LGA-led review has warned.

Councils 'not ready' for Met's mental health withdrawal

30/05/2023

Councils are not ready for the consequences of the Metropolitan Police Services’ decision to withdraw from non-emergency mental health callouts, experts warn.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘It’s time for a new Audit Commission’

12/04/2023

An ex-senior mandarin has today called for a new Audit Commission as The MJ reveals the draft metrics the Government is considering for its new watchdog.

Councils warning over Prevent reforms

28/03/2023

Councils have raised serious concerns about the Government’s proposed Prevent counter-extremism strategy reforms.

Croydon pushes ahead with drive to hold former leaders to account

23/03/2023

Croydon LBC has announced ‘unprecedented action’ to hold ex-senior leaders to account for ‘misconduct, wrongdoing and failures in governance’.

LGA to beef up council oversight amid Oflog fears

07/03/2023

The Local Government Association (LGA) today revealed plans to beef up its oversight of councils in an effort to stave off Government interference.

Children's social worker numbers drop for first time since 2017

27/02/2023

The Government has been urged to act after official figures showed the number of children’s social workers has fallen for the first time since 2017.

Investigator says 'heads must roll' after Croydon collapse

24/02/2023

An independent report into the reasons for the financial collapse of Croydon LBC that has finally been officially published has said ‘heads must roll’.

LGA-backed coalition in fresh plea for Government leisure support

22/02/2023

A coalition including the Local Government Association has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warning of the ‘final straw’ for many gyms, pools and clubs.

Peer review calls for statutory officers to meet more

21/02/2023

Stockport MBC statutory officers should meet more regularly, a peer review team has advised the council.

Sector given role in NHS plan

31/01/2023

Local government will join an ‘expert group’ with the community sector and care providers to ‘build adult social care capacity’ as part of a new NHS plan.

DLUHC: No more section 114 notices expected

10/01/2023

Whitehall officials are not expecting councils to issue further section 114 notices in the coming weeks, crediting the sector’s ‘positive’ settlement.

Worsening audit backlog revealed

08/12/2022

Councils are managing financial challenges and planning for the future with ‘limited assurance about their underlying financial positions,’ auditors warn.

Long-buried report reveals 'organisational dysfunction'

03/10/2022

‘Organisational dysfunction at the most senior level’ of Croydon LBC has been laid bare in a long-buried report leaked to The MJ.

Employers warn against local pay deals

19/07/2022

Councils have been warned against undermining the ‘fundamental integrity’ of national talks by agreeing local deals as pressure grows on pay.

LGA Conference: Sector should consider offering four-day week

29/06/2022

Councils may have to consider offering a four-day week in order to attract the staff desperately needed by the sector, a workshop at the Local Government Association’s (LGA) annual conference has heard.

Gove says new body will 'shine light' on sector failures and successes

28/06/2022

Michael Gove has reaffirmed his plans to ‘shine a light’ on both the failures and successes of councils with a new Office for Local Government.

Council chiefs warn of 'disastrous' financial crisis

27/06/2022

More councils could be tipped into financial crisis while others face emergency cuts due to soaring inflation and living wage increases, the LGA warned today.

Rising wage bill could lead to service cuts

21/06/2022

Government pledges on the National Living Wage (NLW) could cost councils at least £400m over the next two years and force further service cuts, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.

There is no more cash for COVID, Government confirms

31/03/2022

There will be no more funding to help councils deal with outbreaks of COVID, the Government has confirmed.

Ministers urged to reverse public health cuts

22/03/2022

The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged ministers to reverse public health cuts amid warnings the COVID-19 pandemic has left staff exhausted and exacerbated recruitment difficulties.

Gove urges pension funds to add to Russian pressure

14/03/2022

Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has urged local government pension scheme (LGPS) committee chairs to consider what more they can do to exert pressure on Russia.

Councils warn of 'staffing crisis' amid exodus

03/03/2022

Councils have warned of a ‘staffing crisis’ as the number of children and family social workers quitting the profession hits a five-year high.

Oxfordshire councils look to scrap partnership

18/01/2022

Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council have announced they are looking to end their formal partnership.

LGA warning over soaring care costs

23/11/2021

Soaring adult and children’s care costs mean councils could ‘soon fail to support everyone they need to,’ town halls have warned.

Think-tank makes call for wellbeing budgets

18/10/2021

The Government should introduce ‘wellbeing budgets’ that look beyond gross domestic product (GDP) to reduce regional health inequalities, a think-tank has urged.

Reed accuses government of dropping devolution

07/07/2021

Shadow communities secretary Steve Reed has accused the Government of dropping its commitment to devolution.

Social housing shortage blamed for rising bed and breakfast use

02/07/2021

Rising numbers of people who are homeless are being placed in bed and breakfasts due to a severe shortage of social housing, council leaders have warned.

Councils can issue traffic fines from December

15/06/2021

Powers to enforce moving traffic offences will not be extended to local authorities in England outside London until the end of the year, a Department for Transport (DfT) minister has said.

Virtual insanity: Councils hit out at refusal to extend meeting rules

26/03/2021

Councils will not be able to hold virtual council meetings after 6 May after the Government refused to budge on changes to legislation.

Councils to be given five years to spend Right to Buy receipts

22/03/2021

Councils will be given five years to spend receipts from Right to Buy sales as part of an overhaul of the key housing policy, local government secretary Robert Jenrick has announced.

Unison call for election safety measures

01/03/2021

The Government needs to implement strict measures in May’s local elections to keep staff safe, trade union Unison urged today.

Councils call for extra cash for expanded shielding list

17/02/2021

Councils have called for more access to data and extra cash to deal with sharp spike in the number of people shielding from coronavirus.

Commission proposes third option on integrated care

11/01/2021

The Health Devolution Commission (HDC) has called for a third 'health and prosperity' model of Integrated Care Systems.

Leisure centre collapse warning

20/11/2020

Under-pressure leisure centres will go under without further rescue funding on top of the £100m already pledged by the Government, district councils have warned.

Councils bid for vaccine role

16/11/2020

Councils have made a bid to play a key role in distributing the new coronavirus vaccine.

Coronavirus leads to scrapping of three-year Spending Review

21/10/2020

Plans to create a three-year settlement for public spending have been abandoned as latest figures show the havoc coronavirus is wreaking on the public finances.

Fragmented council funding risks to value for money, report warns

05/10/2020

The increasing fragmentation in council funding ‘undermines central government’s understanding of service delivery’ and ‘risks impeding value for money,’ a report has warned.

Sector surprise at COVID marshal scheme

09/09/2020

Local government has been blindsided by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that an army of COVID marshals will enforce tough new rules.

Hancock scraps Public Health England

17/08/2020

Ministers have been accused of making Public Health England (PHE) a scapegoat by scrapping the body for alleged failures in the testing and tracing of coronavirus.

Councils urge extension for grants support scheme

03/08/2020

Fresh calls have been made for councils to be allowed to dole out to businesses the £1.6bn unspent from the Government’s small firms grant funds.

Better response to pandemic from European councils, says think-tank

16/07/2020

Local government across Europe has been able to react to the coronavirus crisis with greater power and autonomy than in the UK, a report published today has found.

Immigration plans branded an 'embarrassing shambles'

14/07/2020

The Government’s latest plans for post-Brexit immigration rules have been branded an ‘embarrassing shambles’ after they failed to include care workers.

Councils in local virus data call

03/07/2020

Councils have called for the Government to go further after it finally started to publish more coronavirus testing data.

COVID funding gap hits £7.4bn, LGA estimates

01/07/2020

The funding gap created by COVID-19 now stands at £7.4bn, the Local Government Association has said.

Councils back evictions ban in face of landlord criticism

15/06/2020

Councils have insisted police powers can still be used to evict perpetrators of domestic violence amid the evictions ban.

Seven out of 10 happy with council support

09/06/2020

Seven out of 10 people are very or fairly satisfied with the way their council is supporting them and their household during the coronavirus pandemic, Local Government Association research has found.

LGA split over worker bonus

26/05/2020

A cross-party agreement that the Local Government Association (LGA) would lobby for a coronavirus payment to staff was ditched after senior councillors blocked the move, The MJ can reveal.

Councils call for single supply system for PPE

22/05/2020

Councils have called for a single system for the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid local government employees being treated as ‘second class workers’.

Councils given £300m and key tracking role

22/05/2020

Councils in England will be handed £300m by the Government as they are given a key role in driving forward testing and tracing. 

Rejection of coronavirus bonus a 'slap in the face'

19/05/2020

A top union official has branded English councils’ refusal to rally behind a campaign for a workers’ coronavirus bonus as a ‘slap in the face’.

Unite expected to urge council pay offer rejection

11/05/2020

Trade union Unite is expected to recommend that its members reject the employers ‘final’ 2.75% pay offer at a national committee meeting later this week.

Councils warn leisure providers at 'crisis point'

05/05/2020

Leisure providers are at a ‘crisis point’ as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, English and Welsh councils have warned.

Councils need another £12.8bn to cope with coronavirus - LGA

27/04/2020

Councils may need up to another £12.8bn from the Government to get through the coronavirus crisis, the chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA) has suggested.

PPE supplies to 'run out within days'

24/04/2020

Dwindling supplies of vital life-saving personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline care workers will run out within days, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned today.

Call for lifting of immigration rules

20/04/2020

Council leaders in England, Scotland and Wales have called for a temporary lifting of the immigration rules that stop some migrants accessing public funds.

Government league table plan causes fury

17/04/2020

Plans to publish a league table of how quickly councils are doling out grants to help businesses have been met with anger from local government.

More PPE promised for social care

15/04/2020

Health secretary Matt Hancock has promised to increase supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) to social care.

Thousands of firms receive financial help from councils

14/04/2020

Almost 100,000 small businesses across the country have already been paid a share of more than £1bn to help support them through the coronavirus crisis, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

End of week rough sleeping deadline

27/03/2020

Councils have been asked to support rough sleepers into accommodation by the end of the week amid the coronavirus pandemic.

£3bn bed blocking coronavirus cash injection

19/03/2020

Almost £3bn of the Government’s £5bn Covid-19 funding will go towards freeing up at least 15,000 English hospital beds by the end of next week, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced.

Government urged to 'think big' to tackle regional inequalities

02/03/2020

A comprehensive review of economic decline and social division has called for a ‘large-scale, comprehensive, long-term and devolved’ plan of action to deliver change.

Councils overspent £3bn on children's social care in five years

21/02/2020

Demand and funding pressures have forced councils to overspend on children’s social care budgets by more than £3bn in the past five years, new analysis has revealed.

Banning urban pesticide use image

Banning urban pesticide use

RSPB and PAN are working on a letter from local councillors calling on the Government to introduce a national ban on urban pesticide use. Find out more below.
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