Rise in local election abuse prompts call for stronger protections
TUC chief warns migration curbs risk deepening social care crisis
Reform-led Hartlepool Council leader to stand down
Mayor unveils £500k package for Jaguar Land Rover workers
Digital Transformation, AI and Local Government: The Case for Workforce Upskilling
The new LocalGov and Multiverse report explores how workforce upskilling is driving smarter, more efficient, and inclusive local government transformation.
Activists call for ‘Bristol weighting’ to help council staff with cost of living
04/09/2026 Unison activists are urging Bristol CC to investigate introducing a ‘Bristol weighting’ payment for all council employees. |
WLGA pays tribute to departing Denbighshire council leader
02/09/2026 The WLGA has recognised Cllr Jason McLellan's contribution to local government as he steps down as leader of Denbighshire CC, a role he has held since 2022. |
North Yorkshire Council chief announces retirement
27/08/2026 Richard Flinton has announced he is to stand down as chief executive of North Yorkshire Council. |
Council leader denies fraud charges over fictitious society
26/08/2026 Ashfield District Council leader Jason Zadrozny has appeared at Northampton Crown Court accused of defrauding Nottinghamshire County Council. |
Thanet refuse collectors begin strike ballot over waste service failures
24/08/2026 Refuse collectors have begun an indicative industrial action ballot, with GMB members saying they can no longer bear the brunt of councillor ‘excuses’. |
Rochdale council to stagger backpay after benefit losses
21/08/2026 Rochdale BC will change how it pays backdated wages after staff on Universal Credit found lump-sum payments were cutting into benefits, according to UNISON. |
Anti-corruption body urges UK to toughen council codes of conduct
20/08/2026 The Council of Europe's anti-corruption body has called on the UK to strengthen codes of conduct and integrity training for local councillors. |
Immigration changes deepening social care workforce crisis, says UNISON
19/08/2026 The Government's immigration reforms are worsening the social care staffing crisis, UNISON has warned, citing new analysis of employment figures. |
Unions warn Glasgow's equal pay scheme falls short
17/08/2026 Glasgow CC is preparing to roll out a new pay and grading structure from April 2026, which it says will finally resolve its long-running equal pay dispute. |
Over 500 Kirklees Council workers join equal pay claim
07/08/2026 GMB members at Kirklees Council have submitted claims over potential pay discrimination, with the union urging thousands more workers to come forward. |
Ex-neo-Nazi quits council race, becomes Badenoch adviser
06/08/2026 Former neo-Nazi activist has withdrawn as a Conservative candidate for Somerset Council's elections but has been appointed as an adviser to Kemi Badenoch. |
EXCLUSIVE: LGA redundancies down to just six
06/08/2026 The Local Government Association (LGA) is now proposing axing just six full time equivalent (FTE) posts, it has emerged. |
Shadow council delays permanent boss appointment
04/08/2026 West Surrey's shadow authority has pushed back its recruitment of a permanent chief executive. |
Fly-tipper fined £4k after dumping waste at bingo hall
04/08/2026 A repeat fly-tipper has been fined almost £4,000 following a Redbridge Council prosecution after rubbish was dumped in the car park of a bingo hall. |
Women bear full force of rise in abuse by councillors
29/07/2026 A growing number of council chiefs are reporting abuse and inappropriate behaviour by councillors to their trade union, with women bearing the brunt. |
Call for funding and skills for new development corporations
28/07/2026 New development corporations will need funding, powers, leadership and specialist staff matched to the scale of the places they aim to transform, says report. |
Brum council recovers £5m through tenancy fraud crackdown
24/07/2026 Birmingham CC's tenancy fraud team has saved £5m over the last year through investigations into fraudulent tenancies and Right to Buy claims. |
EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall exploring adding teeth to standards regime
21/07/2026 Whitehall officials are attempting to add teeth to the standards regime despite the lack of a primary legislation vehicle to bring reform, The MJ understands. |
Council worker sentenced for unlawfully accessing personal records
21/07/2026 A former Herefordshire Council employee has been handed a suspended sentence after unlawfully accessing hundreds of personal records. |
Council audit flags ‘unusual’ surge in staff mileage spending post-Covid
21/07/2026 An internal audit of Oldham Council has revealed a sharp and unexplained rise in staff mileage expenses since the pandemic. |
LGR opportunity to rebuild trust as complaints surge, Ombudsman says
15/07/2026 Local government reorganisation (LGR) and devolution represent a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to rebuild trust in councils, Ombudsman says. |
Employers defend pay stance
14/07/2026 Employers have denied they are playing parts of the sector off against each other by offering different pay settlements to different groups of council staff. |
Welsh council chiefs welcome teacher pay consultation plan
14/07/2026 Local authority chiefs have welcomed an announcement that the Welsh Government intends to consult on a 3.5% pay award for teachers and school leaders. |
Fraudster jailed after trying to claim Grenfell support
13/07/2026 A man who used a stolen identity to access a flat near Grenfell Tower before attempting to claim funds meant for fire victims has been jailed, a court heard. |
Staffordshire CC reveals proposals for stricter councillor dress code
10/07/2026 Staffordshire County Council has proposed a new dress code for councillors when attending civic or public events. |
Newcastle council culture improving but 'trust issues' remain, report finds
09/07/2026 The organisational culture at Newcastle City Council has improved but ‘significant behavioural and trust issues’ still remain, according to an LGA Peer report. |
200,000 council and school staff begin voting on pay strikes
09/07/2026 Around 200,000 council and school staff across England and Wales began voting today on whether to take strike action over pay, UNISON has announced. |
Over half of council workers say they do not have enough staff
07/07/2026 Council employees are under sustained pressure, with more than a quarter (26%) reporting mental exhaustion by day's end, according to CSG research. |
Union calls for fully-funded teacher pay offer
02/07/2026 A union has criticised the Government’s latest pay offer for teachers, which proposes a partially funded settlement. |
Leeds CC still faces equal pay claims 'worth hundreds of millions'
29/06/2026 Leeds CC is still facing equal pay claims worth hundreds of millions of pounds, with more than 4,000 women having taken action against the council, GMB says. |
Reform council leader defends sharing confidential IT contract details
25/06/2026 The leader of Lincolnshire CC has defended sharing confidential information about a multimillion-pound IT contract with former Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf. |
Council chiefs sound alarm over 'deteriorating' behaviour
25/06/2026 Poor behaviour in local government is worsening, with 92% of chief executives and senior officers saying they have experienced it in the past three years. |
Social care vacancy rate falls to decade low but challenges ahead
24/06/2026 Adult social care vacancies have fallen to a decade low, according to Skills for Care. |
Mayor pays tribute to train driver killed in Bedford collision
22/06/2026 The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has paid tribute to train driver Shaun Burton, who died in Friday's train collision near Bedford. |
EXCLUSIVE: Officers warn of looming elections systems failure
18/06/2026 The elections system is under ‘increasing strain' and ‘likely to fail' if put under further pressure, officers have warned. |
Cowan to chair London Councils
17/06/2026 London Councils has confirmed Hammersmith and Fulham LBC leader Stephen Cowan as its new chair as well as announcing the group's executive committee. |
Three in four council workers 'one bill away from crisis'
16/06/2026 A survey of local government employees has found that 72% are financially vulnerable, meaning a single unexpected cost could tip them into crisis. |
Planning staff shortages threaten 1.5 million homes target, warns union
15/06/2026 One in 10 council planning posts in England are vacant, putting the Government's housebuilding ambitions at serious risk, according to new research by UNISON. |
Council enforcement officers sacked after threatening resident
15/06/2026 Two enforcement officers have been dismissed after footage emerged of them threatening to assault a member of the public while working for a London council. |
Union issues strike threat over 3.3% local government pay offer
15/06/2026 Hundreds of thousands of council and school workers could walk out on strike after their union vowed to ballot members over what it called an unacceptable pay offer. |
Bonus scheme launched to drive nursery staff recruitment
12/06/2026 Deprived communities are to benefit from a higher number of qualified nursery teachers following the introduction of a £4.5k boost for graduates. |
Union calls for body cams for refuse workers and street cleaners
10/06/2026 Refuse workers and street cleaners should be equipped with body cameras to protect them from escalating verbal and physical attacks, GMB has demanded. |
Council craftworkers to strike over pay and conditions
09/06/2026 Over a thousand local government craftworkers are set to walk out later this month in a dispute over pay and threatened changes to their working conditions. |
Somerset housing workers lobby council over outsourcing fears
28/05/2026 Housing maintenance workers at Somerset Council are lobbying councillors over plans to transfer staff to a building services contractor. |
LGPS: Council pension costs fall by a fifth
27/05/2026 Local government employers are set to benefit from significantly lower pension costs following a sharp improvement in the financial health of the LGPS. |
GMB branch secretaries to go on strike against own union
27/05/2026 GMB branch secretaries are to stage two days of strike action against their trade union over their ‘two tier' employment status. |
Derby council defends ceremonial use of Dr Dre track
26/05/2026 Derby CC has defended the use of Dr Dre's 1999 hit ‘Still D.R.E.’ at its Mayor Making ceremony, after a councillor branded the choice 'highly inappropriate.' |
Cotswold councillor who became UK's youngest mayor resigns
26/05/2026 A Liberal Democrat councillor who was once one of the youngest elected politicians in England has resigned after 15 years in local government. |
Minister says chief candidates must have 'critical skillset'
26/05/2026 Ministers have urged Surrey's shadow unitary authorities to prioritise permanent recruitment of heads of paid service due to Woking's ‘financial challenges'. |
Historic first as gay couple take Leeds's top civic roles
26/05/2026 Cllr Stephen Holroyd has been confirmed as Lord Mayor of Leeds, becoming part of the first openly gay couple to hold the offices of Lord Mayor and Consort. |
