Protecting public spaces
Local Government News finds out why local community organisations and councils must work together to save public spaces.
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. |
The December issue of Local Government News looks at the consequences a council may face if it is unable to provide statutory services, the launch of Liverpool’s housing company and how councils can best manage roles in local authority companies.
It also has a special section on green building and energy efficiency including what funding is available to enable councils to deliver heat networks and how councils can pay for ‘smart buildings’.
