Business


Council chiefs welcome £4.6bn in lockdown grants to support businesses 05/01/2021 Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000 to support them during the lockdown, the chancellor has announced.
Council chiefs call for funds to support businesses in Tier 4 areas 22/12/2020 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to meet all of the extra costs councils incur during the pandemic.
Guide on the ‘significant role’ of community businesses launched 09/12/2020 A body representing thousands of town and parish councils has published a guide aimed at promoting the opportunities that community businesses can create locally.
Tier 3 communities in North and Midlands ‘stretched to breaking point’ 30/11/2020 Tier 3 communities in the North and Midlands will be ‘stretched to breaking point’ once the grant aimed at supporting local business is cut at the end of the national lockdown, according to Labour.
Hancock unveils England’s tier restrictions 26/11/2020 Only three areas in England - Cornwall, the Isle of Wight, and the Isle of Scilly - will be placed into the lowest level of local restrictions from next next.
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.
Labour calls for creation of 400,000 green jobs 10/11/2020 Labour has called on the Government to ‘build it in Britain’ and to support the creation of 400,000 new jobs with a green economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Public sector exit cap signed into law 15/10/2020 The £95,000 cap on public sector exit payments was signed into law last night and will come into force on November 4.
Minister announces business ‘safety net’ for local lockdowns 10/09/2020 Businesses in England that are forced to shut because of local interventions will now be able to claim up to £1,500 per property every three weeks, ministers say.
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.
More than ever, UK businesses require help to be innovative 09/09/2020 Jessica Antley explains why Worcestershire County Council has set up a new platform to drive crowd innovation across the county.
Birmingham Council given new powers to close businesses 26/08/2020 Birmingham City Council has been given new enforcement powers to help keep the rate of COVID-19 infections reducing.
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.
Leicester calls for permission to spend unallocated grant money 22/07/2020 Leicester City Council has asked for permission to use £10m of unallocated business grants to help struggling local businesses after its lockdown was extended.
Councils yet to hand out £1.7bn of business grant money 09/07/2020 Councils are yet to distribute £1.7bn of funding given to them to support small businesses through the pandemic, new figures have revealed.
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.
Government announces measures to prevent company evictions 19/06/2020 The Government has extended measures to prevent struggling companies from eviction over the summer until the end of September.
Council to sell Bristol Energy 03/06/2020 Bristol City Council has given the go-ahead to put its loss-making energy company up for sale.
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 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.
CIPFA: 17 years to work through council housing waiting list 04/05/2020 It could take up to 17 years to re-house individuals and families on the waiting list for council housing, data analysis by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has revealed.
Councils receive extra £617m funding to support small businesses 04/05/2020 Local authorities will receive a 5% uplift in funding to help support local small businesses.
London boroughs call for urgent increase to rateable value threshold 29/04/2020 London Councils has called for the rateable value threshold to be increased to help more businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic.
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.
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.
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.
Care providers in law change call 01/04/2020 Care providers have pleaded with Prime Minister Boris Johnson to change the law to boost staff numbers in the sector during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Gateshead to look at bring housing back in-house 30/03/2020 Gateshead MBC is to formally consult on proposals to bring its housing services back in-house.
Union and council end dispute amid coronavirus crisis 24/03/2020 Trade union Unite has said its dispute with Veolia over holiday pay for refuse staff working at Tower Hamlets LBC has been resolved.
Councils to enforce business closures during Covid-19 23/03/2020 Local authorities will be responsible for ensuring businesses and other venues are closed to safeguard public health.
Flybe collapse hits council-owned airports 05/03/2020 The airline entered administration this morning, leading to the grounding of all flights.
IfG: Extend outsourcing reforms to councils 04/03/2020 Government reforms of outsourcing to avoid another Carillion collapse must be extended to local government where commercial skills lag behind Whitehall, a report from the Institute for Government (IfG) think-tank has said.
Software glitch means some people wrongly told they can vote 11/12/2019 Councils have been urgently checking their electoral registers after being told to install a last-minute software release.
Council to buy back estates from developer 19/11/2019 Hammersmith and Fulham LBC is to take back ownership of two housing estates 12 years after they were sold off by a previous administration.
Council offers £10,000 package to attract foreign companies 14/11/2019 Torbay Council in Devon is offering foreign-owned companies up to £10,000 to relocate all or part of their operations to the region.
Oxford and Reading top city performance list 11/11/2019 Cities have largely recovered economically from the 2007/08 financial crisis but must now focus on housing affordability and health-related issues, according to PwC and Demos.
British Steel rescue deal agreed ‘in principle’ 11/11/2019 A rescue deal for the manufacturer British Steel looks set to go ahead as China's Jingye Group agrees in principle to purchase the struggling business for £70m.
Councils need billions more in funding, research finds 10/11/2019 Councils will need billions of extra pounds worth of funding in the next parliament, if they are to meet the rising cost of adult social care, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has calculated.
London businesses support devolving housing powers to councils 31/10/2019 Businesses in London have urged Whitehall to give local authorities more power to deliver infrastructure and housing in their communities.
Small businesses call for ‘radical’ business rates reform 21/10/2019 Representatives of small businesses have written to the chancellor calling on him to introduce business rates reform to help struggling firms.
Thomas Cook collapse could cost councils £12m a year 24/09/2019 The collapse of Thomas Cook could see councils lose around £12m a year in business rates, new estimates have suggested.
Market to close after trading for nearly 800 years 18/09/2019 Rochdale’s outdoor market and indoor food hall are to close next month because they are ‘no longer financially viable’, according to the local council.
Maidstone’s growth accelerator 18/09/2019 William Eichler discovers how Maidstone BC managed to improve business survival rates and promote new start-ups through the creation of the Business Terrace.
Councils consider launch of new regional community bank 13/09/2019 Liverpool City Council is working with Wirral and Preston councils to help drive forward a plan to create an ‘ethical, council-led’ regional community bank.
New rules to increase housing deal transparency 02/09/2019 Councils will be legally required to publish deals with housing developers after new rules were introduced.
£450m flagship regeneration project scrapped 28/08/2019 Southampton City Council has terminated an agreement for a multi-million pound regeneration project.
Labour announce plans to ‘revive’ high street 19/08/2019 A Labour Government would give councils the power to reopen abandoned shops to ‘revive Britain’s struggling high streets’, it was announced over the weekend.
Deal to secure British Steel nearly ‘over the line' 16/08/2019 A deal is close to being finalised that could see the struggling steel manufacturer British Steel brought out of insolvency.
Sheffield CC drops £1bn China deal 10/07/2019 Sheffield City Council is hoping to maintain business links with a Chinese construction firm despite a £1bn deal being dropped.
Minister announces £100,000 to boost town centres 02/07/2019 High Streets Minister Jake Berry has announced the latest round of funding to make shopping centres more attractive to business.
EXCLUSIVE: Victory on variation 26/06/2019 The Treasury’s view of children’s services has been dealt a further blow after research linked 70% of spend variation to factors outside councils’ control.
Kier to cut 1,200 jobs and ditch housing division 17/06/2019 Kier Group is to cut around 1,200 jobs and make savings of £55m over the next two years, amid a planned sell-off of many of its commercial interests.
Government pays £15m to councils after business rate 'error' 03/06/2019 The Government may have to pay out up to £15m to councils after it made yet another error in its business rate pilot administration.
Khan launches £100m SME investment fund 31/05/2019 The mayor of London yesterday launched the largest ever fund for small and medium enterprises, which includes £14m to support the transition to a circular economy.
Companies House reforms to make detection of criminal behaviour ‘easier’ 30/05/2019 The Government has launched a consultation on proposals it says will bring about the ‘biggest changes’ to Companies House in nearly two centuries.
Yorkshire purchasing authority signs deal with Amazon 29/05/2019 The YPO has signed a deal with Amazon Business to supply goods and services to public sector bodies including local authorities.
Coming to terms with late payments 02/05/2019 Neil Washington explains how the public sector can strengthen SMEs by ensuring their contractors operate fair payment terms.
Think tank calls for ‘new relationship’ between employers and communities 24/04/2019 A new relationship is needed between major employers and their local communities, according to a new report.
Sheffield City Council promotes trade with Beijing 17/04/2019 Nine businesses from Sheffield have traveled to China as part of the local authority’s efforts to strengthen trade with Beijing.
Council property firm records losses 10/04/2019 The property company run by Barking & Dagenham LBC has reported losses of almost £4m in its first year of operation.
Review finds lack of due diligence over council's commercial workspace project 21/03/2019 King’s Lynn & West Norfolk BC should ‘build on the lessons learned’ from the construction of a state-of-the-art commercial workspace, the council’s chief executive has said.
Local authority business provision ‘lacks transparency’, MSPs say 20/02/2019 Scottish MSPs have criticised a local authority provision that helps businesses grow for lacking ‘transparency, accountability and alignment’.
Call for tourism tax review 05/02/2019 An inquiry into cultural investment in cities has called for a UK-wide review of the benefits of a tourism tax.
Whitehall makes £50,000 available for high streets 25/01/2019 Communities across the country can bid for up to £50,000 to help make local areas more attractive for business, the high streets minister has announced.
Whitehall 'leadership' needed to help councils cope with financial pressures 15/01/2019 The Government must improve oversight and transparency over local authorities to ensure their financial sustainability, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said.
‘Tougher penalties’ needed to protect small businesses against late payment 15/01/2019 Small businesses have called for ‘tougher penalties’ for large companies that pay their suppliers late to protect them from another Carillion-style collapse.
Care Management Group sold for £200m 11/12/2018 A care provider has been sold in a multi-million pound deal, with another company expected to be flogged in the coming months.
Rise in number of listed buildings occupied by businesses 06/12/2018 A growing number of businesses are basing themselves in historic buildings to convey a positive image, according to heritage experts.
Council opens country's first dedicated business Growth Hub 22/11/2018 Tewkesbury Borough Council is claiming a first for a new 'growth hub' where local business people can work, meet and get access to important resources.
Mears agrees £35m deal to purchase housing arm of Mitie 20/11/2018 Mears Group has agreed to buy the social housing maintenance arm of Mitie Property Services in a deal worth up to £35m.
Council hits back at 'illegitimate' loan claim 31/10/2018 Newham LBC has denied claims that decisions to enter into controversial high-interest loans were illegitimate.
Reform Apprenticeship Levy ahead of Brexit, CBI says 09/10/2018 Business leaders have urged the Government to reform the Apprenticeship Levy in order to help solve some of the economy’s challenges ahead of Brexit.
Workspace: Sky-high rents and dwindling supply 25/09/2018 Cllr Asima Shaikh explains how councils can make a meaningful difference to fledgling businesses and create decent, secure jobs.
Wolverhampton launches ‘retail revival’ partnership with eBay 24/09/2018 The City of Wolverhampton has launched a 12-month partnership with eBay to help small retailers start up or expand their online presence.
Whitehall demands in-year cuts to improvement programme 19/09/2018 The sector’s ability to respond to crises such as a care provider failure could be hit after Whitehall demanded cuts to a key improvement programme, senior councillors have been warned.
‘No deal’ Brexit will lead to labour shortages, study reveals 22/08/2018 A 'no deal' Brexit will lead to labour shortages in the South East of England unless the Government extends freedom of movement, leading think tank warns.
Business leaders call for Apprenticeship Levy ‘overhaul’ 19/07/2018 London’s business leaders have called for a ‘radical overhaul’ of the Apprenticeship Levy and warned changes need to be made to skills provision.
Majority of councils ‘in breach’ of payment practice rules 17/07/2018 Almost nine out of 10 local authorities are currently in breach of the rules governing payment practices, according to freedom of information data.
MPs call for 'credible, long-term plan' for social care 09/05/2018 MPs today called on ministers to outline a ‘credible, long-term plan’ to reverse the perception of English social care as a ‘source of national shame’.
Survey reveals extensive support for community-run businesses 04/05/2018 Over 34 million members of the public would like to see more community action to save local resources and provide local services, a new poll finds.
Rural business ‘stifled’ by planning system, warn landowners 19/04/2018 Delays by local authority planning departments are viewed as a ‘barrier’ to economic growth and development in rural areas, survey reveals.
York terminates £9m Interserve contract 10/04/2018 York City Council has terminated a £9m contract with Interserve to redevelop the historic Guildhall after it judged the firm’s cost estimates to be too high.
Salisbury receives £2.5m after Skripal poisoning incident 29/03/2018 The Government has made £2.5m available to help Salisbury meet ‘unexpected costs’ in the wake of the Skripal poisoning incident.
Government oversight of LEPs not good enough, MPs say 16/03/2018 The Public Accounts Committee has stressed its lack of faith in the Government’s oversight of local enterprise partnerships in a critical report published today.
Hammond offers little respite for council finances 13/03/2018 Council finances were offered little respite in chancellor Philip Hammond’s Spring Statement today.
Havering selects Wates for £1bn scheme 13/03/2018 Havering LBC has announced construction firm Wates as its joint venture partner in a regeneration project being touted as London’s ‘biggest social housing regeneration’ scheme.
Unison calls for windfall tax on PFI corporations 19/02/2018 Trade union Unison has backed a Labour MP’s call for a windfall tax on private companies delivering public services.
Government fostering report calls for councils to work with agencies 07/02/2018 Collaboration between local authorities and the private sector would improve foster care for children, a new Government report has suggested.
Javid finds extra £166m in final settlement 06/02/2018 Local government secretary Sajid Javid has found an additional £166m to ease spending pressures in social care and rural areas in the final 2018/19 settlement.
Seven south Essex councils form 'association' 05/02/2018 Seven councils in south Essex have taken the ‘momentous’ decision to form an association to give the region a national voice.
Councils urged to form joint ventures with housing associations 02/02/2018 Local authorities should ‘seriously consider’ entering into joint venture partnerships with housing associations, a think-tank has urged.
Outsourcing giant Capita announces profit warning and massive debt 31/01/2018 Local government outsourcer Capita has launched a major transformation programme as it grapples with a predicted £1bn debt and attempts to generate more cash.
Councils lack PFI management skills, claims report 18/01/2018 Local authorities lack the skills necessary to manage Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts and risk not getting the best value for money, new research has warned.
Government pledges to protect public services following collapse of Carillion 15/01/2018 One of the country’s biggest construction and facilities management companies, Carillion, has gone into liquidation after struggling for the last few months.
Government’s ‘pre-occupation’ with housing costs business 04/12/2017 The Government’s focus on new homes is leading to increased pressure on the availability of employment land and premises, businesses say.
Virgin Care drops case against Surrey 29/11/2017 Private healthcare provider Virgin Care’s legal proceedings against Surrey CC and NHS England have been dropped.
Councils face child sex abuse compensation claims 28/11/2017 Two local authorities are facing a string of compensation claims following the exposure of historical sexual abuse linked to staff at council-run care homes.
Industrial Strategy snubs councils 27/11/2017 Business secretary Greg Clark has snubbed councils and empowered local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) in the Government’s long-awaited Industrial Strategy.
Brexit, automation and poorly skilled workforce threaten economic future 06/11/2017 Half of England’s local labour markets are at risk from imminent 'migration squeeze' posed by Brexit, automation and an unskilled workforce, report warns.

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