VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Camden set to appoint new chief executive
08/05/2025 Jon Rowney has been recommended for appointment as Camden Council’s new chief executive. |
Lambeth defends Dosunmu payoff
29/04/2025 Lambeth LBC has defended a payoff totalling almost £88,000 to its former chief who admitted failing to stop after a collision and driving without insurance. |
Newcastle chief defends Saudi investment
22/04/2025 Newcastle City Council’s chief executive has reportedly defended the authority seeking investment from Saudi Arabia following criticism of engagement with the controversial regime. |
EXCLUSIVE: Auditors look into chief's £327k payoff
02/04/2025 Auditors are assessing an objection to Thanet DC's accounts after an ex-councillor said they should declare a £327k payment to its former boss ‘unlawful'. |
Council chiefs defend six figure salaries
01/04/2025 Local authority leaders have defended local government salaries exceeding six figures, arguing it is important to attract the ‘right people’. |
New LGSCO chief exec appointed
05/03/2025 Julie Odams has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). |
Council U-turn on clawing back chief's pay-out
12/12/2024 Croydon London Borough Council has given up trying to recover cash from the settlement payment made to former chief executive Jo Negrini just before its financial collapse. |
London borough appoints chief
15/11/2024 Claire Hamilton is to join Redbridge LBC as its new chief executive. |
Ombudsman chief to retire
08/11/2024 The chief executive of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman will retire in May. |
East Midlands set for first permanent chief executive
28/10/2024 The East Midlands Combined County Authority has announced Amy Harhoff is to be appointed as its first permanent chief executive. |
Council attempts to recover payments to late chief executive
15/10/2024 A council is to launch legal action over payments to a former chief executive, who has since died. |
CQC announces new chief executive
07/10/2024 England’s health and social care regulator has announced that Sir Julian Hartley will be appointed as its new chief executive. |
Former chief given two-year driving ban
17/09/2024 A former Lambeth LBC boss has been banned from driving for two years after admitting failing to stop after a collision and not having insurance. |
Dosunmu steps down as Lambeth chief
10/07/2024 Lambeth LBC has announced that Bayo Dosunmu has stepped down permanently as its chief executive. |
Call for chief to resign over postal vote error
02/07/2024 The chief executive of Uttlesford DC is facing a call to resign following delays to the delivery of postal votes. |
Housing directors association being explored by LGA
25/06/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) is exploring the creation of an association of housing directors. |
Manchester legend Sir Howard Bernstein dies
22/06/2024 Former chief executive of Manchester City Council, Sir Howard Bernstein, has died, aged 71. |
Councils and NHS row over Better Care Fund use
18/06/2024 Some Integrated Care Boards are seeking to challenge the parts of the Better Care Fund earmarked for social care funding, LGA councillors have been told. |
King recognises council chiefs in honours
17/06/2024 Current and former local authority bosses have been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. |
Government digs in over asylum housing target
29/05/2024 Home Office has doubled down on council concerns over asylum targets and insisted Full Dispersal can ‘strike balance between equity and housing availability’. |
Flood councils in urgent £11m cash call
21/05/2024 Councils managing flood risks have urgently called for £11m cash to plug a ‘widening gap’ in Internal Drainage Board (IDB) funding. |
Councils frustrated by Whitehall siloes, says chief
07/05/2024 Whitehall’s siloed approach to city centre renewal has led to ‘frustration’ from councils, slowed down projects and increased costs, council chief warns. |
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’. |
Five million could be disenfranchised by voter ID, polling finds
11/04/2024 Five million voters could be disenfranchised by the Government’s new voter ID rules at the General Election, first-of-its-kind polling has suggested. |
Auditors concerned by slow transformation
27/03/2024 Scotland’s Accounts Commission is ‘extremely concerned’ by slow transformation at Moray Council, which faces a £31m deficit despite years of warnings. |
Slough chief to stand down
15/03/2024 Slough BC’s chief executive Stephen Brown is to stand down, the authority has announced. |
Breaking: Brum chief exec steps down
13/03/2024 Birmingham City Council chief executive, Deborah Cadman, has announced her intention to stand down after three years in charge. |
Two-year Sandwell intervention to end
07/03/2024 Local government minister Simon Hoare has today confirmed that Whitehall’s two-year intervention at Sandwell Council will end. |
'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. |
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. |
Warnings over job cuts repercussions
28/02/2024 Councils embarking on mass job cuts have been warned it will have grave repercussions for the senior managers of the future. |
Regulator calls for 'substantial' planning intervention
26/02/2024 The planning system requires ‘substantial intervention’ by the Government to ensure consistent delivery of new homes, a major study has concluded. |
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. |
Council probe leads officers to ‘step back’
19/02/2024 Two senior Guildford and Waverley officers have agreed to temporarily ‘step back’ from their roles amid intensifying investigations into housing maintenance contracts. |
Mapley to take over from Whiteman at CIPFA
16/02/2024 Hertfordshire CC boss Owen Mapley will take over as Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) chief executive officer when Rob Whiteman retires, it has been announced. |
Wales could drive agenda on council tax, report argues
12/02/2024 Wales could have a chance to deal with unfairness in the council tax system and drive the agenda for other nations and regions to follow, says think-tank. |
Health boost for Housing First residents, research finds
01/02/2024 Housing First – under which homeless people are guaranteed a home while they access support – reduces demand on health and social care services, study finds. |
LGA appoints new chief exec
04/01/2024 Surrey County Council boss Joanna Killian has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Croydon cleared of discrimination claims
02/01/2024 Croydon LBC and its chief executive Katherine Kerswell have been cleared of allegations of racial discrimination by an employment tribunal. |
Fourth commissioner appointed at Woking
13/12/2023 The Government has appointed Richard Carr as a managing director commissioner at Woking BC. |
Current climate making it ‘impossible’ for councils to carry on
15/11/2023 Soaring demand, rising pay bills and inflationary costs are making it ‘virtually impossible’ to keep councils going, a senior chief executive has said. |
Brum commissioners warn council will need further help to agree lawful budget
09/11/2023 Commissioners at Birmingham City Council have warned it will struggle to agree a lawful budget next year without further help. |
Council chiefs to receive 3.5% pay increase
02/11/2023 Local authority chief executives will receive a 3.5% salary increase backdated to the beginning of April after agreement was reached on this year’s pay award. |
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. |
Labour regeneration plans will fail 'without radical action'
31/10/2023 An incoming Labour government’s regeneration plans will fail without radical action to devolve financial decision-making, researchers have warned. |
Croydon improvement panel details exit strategy
17/10/2023 Croydon LBC’s Government-appointed improvement panel has outlined a timetable for withdrawing from the authority amid ‘strong progress’ in fixing its finances. |
Chief executive retires following resignation calls
13/10/2023 East Devon DC chief executive Mark Williams has announced his retirement. |
London Councils eyes apprenticeship levy devolution
09/10/2023 London Councils has named securing devolution of the apprenticeship levy to its boroughs to fund skills and employment activity as a key short-term priority. |
LGA chief departs
06/10/2023 Local Government Association chief executive Mark Lloyd will be leaving with immediate effect, the association has announced. |
Coroner's deadline for council after Rottweiler mauling
02/10/2023 A licensing team has been given until 13 November to respond after being urged to take a ‘more proactive approach’ following a fatal dog attack. |
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. |
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. |
EXCLUSIVE: Government rejects sector's Oflog concerns
04/09/2023 The Government has rejected council concerns about key Oflog metrics that have been labelled ‘misleading and meaningless’. |
South Lanarkshire begins search for new chief
23/08/2023 The chief executive of South Lanarkshire Council, Cleland Sneddon, has announced he is to retire at the end of the year. |
‘Mass exodus’ claims at North Lincolnshire
14/08/2023 North Lincolnshire Council is facing a ‘mass exodus’ of senior staff, opposition members have claimed. |
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. |
Croydon elections 'secure' despite 'justified' criticism
08/08/2023 A review of Croydon’s 2022 elections has backed chief executive Katherine Kerswell’s handling of the delayed result but said some criticism was ‘justified’. |
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’. |
Appointments could spark finance review, says CIPFA chief
03/08/2023 Appointment of a new chief executive, finance director or political leader could provoke an independent review of finances under plans mooted by Rob Whiteman. |
Hackney chief to stand down
17/07/2023 Mark Carroll is to step down as chief executive of Hackney LBC at the end of next month. |
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. |
East Devon chief exec urged to resign
10/07/2023 East Devon DC's chief exec has been urged to resign after the publication of a report into the council's handling of serious allegations against a councillor. |
Tributes to 'rare gem' Lord Kerslake
03/07/2023 Figures across local and national government have paid tribute to ‘champion of local democracy’ Lord Bob Kerslake. |
Sheffield apologises 'unreservedly' for trees dispute
21/06/2023 Sheffield City Council has apologised ‘unreservedly’ after a report found the authority mishandled a dispute over the felling of thousands of healthy trees. |
Council chiefs named in King's Birthday Honours
19/06/2023 Council officers and members were among those to be named on the King’s Birthday Honours list this year. |
Long-term solution sought to drainage board pressure
12/06/2023 Councils are seeking a ‘long-term solution’ as internal drainage boards (IDB) warn increasing energy costs will pile further pressure on council budgets. |
Chiefs reject pay offer
31/05/2023 Senior officers have formally rejected the ‘full and final’ pay offer tabled by employers. |
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. |
Court case looms after election blunder
16/05/2023 A councillor who gained the most votes at a recent election faces a court case for her seat after a blunder led officials to announce the wrong winner. |
London borough hit by 'severe maladministration' finding
09/05/2023 The Housing Ombudsman has issued seven findings of ‘severe maladministration’ against Hammersmith & Fulham LBC. |
Council staff respond to Sudan evacuation
02/05/2023 Councils have been urged to ‘apply maximum flexibility’ when UK nationals returning from Sudan present as homeless. |
Hackney chief steps back from duties
24/04/2023 Hackney LBC chief executive Mark Carroll has announced he will be stepping back from his council duties to attend to family matters. |
Number of council staff earning over £100k down post-pandemic
19/04/2023 The number of council staff receiving more than £100,000 is nearly at 2,800, according to campaigners, which is down slightly from last year. |
County recruits London borough chief
13/04/2023 Staffordshire CC has announced the appointment of Pat Flaherty as its next chief executive. |
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 concerned over Afghan removal plan
12/04/2023 Councils have expressed deep concerns about Government plans to remove Afghan refugees from hotel accommodation amid ‘chronic’ shortage of affordable housing. |
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’. |
Exeter City Council recruits first female chief executive
15/03/2023 A council officer with nearly two decades of experience in local government has become Exeter City Council's first female chief executive. |
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. |
Grievance forces Scottish councils to increase pay for chiefs
03/03/2023 Scottish councils have been forced to axe the pay cap on chief executives after a successful grievance was raised. |
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’. |
Bed blocking down by just 3% a month on from £250m plan
22/02/2023 The Government’s £250m initiative to speed up hospital discharges reduced the number of bed blockers by less than 3% in its first month. |
Growth for pension pool despite Covid
13/02/2023 One of local government’s biggest joint pension partnerships has now pooled £47.5bn of the £60bn assets under its management. |
Auditor calls for national changes after public interest report
01/02/2023 External auditor Grant Thornton has called for national changes after cataloguing a ‘toxic’ culture and ‘dysfunctional environment’ at Cheshire East 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. |
Rossendale names next chief executive
12/01/2023 Rossendale BC has announced Rob Huntington will become its next chief executive. |
Bradford Council chief executive to step down
12/01/2023 Bradford City Council Kersten England has announced she will retire in June. |
Council pleads guilty to health and safety breach after Ella Henderson death
10/01/2023 Newcastle City Council’s boss has said new procedures have been put in place after the local authority pleaded guilty to a health and safety breach. |
Brown to ask Government to bypass referendum limit
05/01/2023 The chief executive of troubled Slough Council is preparing to ask the Government for permission to increase council tax above the 5% legal limit. |
Section 114 notice issued for Thurrock
20/12/2022 Thurrock Council’s interim director of finance, Jonathan Wilson, has issued a section 114 notice as the authority faces a £470m in-year funding gap. |
Labour outlines huge devolution push
05/12/2022 Labour proposes removing ‘dead hand of centralisation’ by devolving to local government wide-ranging powers over employment, growth, transport and education. |
£470m in-year budget gap at Thurrock revealed
29/11/2022 Troubled Thurrock BC has revealed it has no way to fill its £470m in-year budget gap without a Government bailout. |
Interim chief given role permanently
23/11/2022 Swansea City & CC has appointed its interim chief executive on a permanent basis. |
Stark Solace survey gives thumbs down to Autumn Statement
21/11/2022 Nine in 10 council managers believe the Autumn Statement will impact negatively on residents, with many frontline services expected to be axed. |
Rural services 'may be lost' without funding formula
16/11/2022 Ministers should implement the 2013-14 funding formula which promised to improve rural finances before measures were dampened or risk losing key countryside services, experts have argued. |
Think-tank urges litter and fly-tipping crackdown
07/11/2022 Councils should be required to use outsourced firms if they fail to enforce litter and fly-tipping laws, a think-tank has suggested. |
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. |
Clarke appointed as local government secretary
06/09/2022 Local government has given new local government secretary Simon Clarke a guarded welcome after he was appointed by new Prime Minister Liz Truss. |
Nottingham escapes commissioners threat
02/09/2022 Ministers have held back from appointing commissioners at Nottingham City Council, instead deciding to strengthen the powers of its improvement and assurance board. |
Police charge trio of former council chiefs
23/08/2022 Three former council chief executives have been charged as part of an investigation into financial irregularities. |
