A strong future for SEND services
How did two non-IT people deliver a successful SEND digital transformation project? Vik Verma and Deborah Brooks explain.
Nearly half of councils unsure of their carbon footprint, research finds
28/01/2020 Nearly half of councils in England do not know their own carbon footprint, new research has revealed. |
Tackling the climate emergency
15/01/2020 Duncan Price explores why everyone needs to take responsibility and action in order to meet the Government’s 2050 net zero target. |
Oxford councils propose UK’s first Zero Emission Zone
08/01/2020 The final draft proposals for the UK’s first city centre Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) have been published as part of a drive to reduce Oxford’s ‘toxic air pollution levels’. |
Council ditches plastic parking tickets
19/12/2019 Brent Council has announced it is stopping the use of plastic parking tickets and replacing them with an environmentally friendly replacement. |
Cornwall Council launches tree planting drive
18/12/2019 Cornwall Council’s flagship climate emergency project the Forest for Cornwall will be officially launched next week at a community planting day in Saltash. |
Oxford CC publishes £19m climate emergency budget
17/12/2019 Oxford City Council has outlined a £19m climate emergency budget to help the authority become a zero carbon council in 2020. |
Renewables at no upfront cost?
16/12/2019 Rebecca Lawson explains why local authorities are embracing community energy. |
Creating the right climate for change
13/12/2019 ADEPT has created an expert advisory panel to assess projects and share knowledge throughout the sector. Nigel Riglar explains. |
Millions more to be affected by flooding as Greenland's ice melt faster than expected
11/12/2019 More than 40 million people than expected will be affected by coastal flooding by 2100 a new study has revealed. |
Cycling key to stopping plastic polluting the ocean, charity says
10/12/2019 A charity has called on the next Government to invest more into the promotion of cycling and walking as part of the effort to prevent plastic polluting the ocean. |
‘Greta Effect’ puts climate change on local agenda
02/12/2019 Urban council leaders and elected mayors now rank the climate emergency among the most important issues British cities face, a new study has revealed. |
Welsh council tops Recycling Carbon Index
25/11/2019 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has been named as the best recycler in the UK in terms of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it has saved. |
Is pollution increasing in the UK?
21/11/2019 Giulia Kapp explores what improvements have been made to the UK’s air quality. |
Planners call for stronger direction to tackle climate change
18/11/2019 Stronger direction from the Government and more resources are needed to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, according to town planners. |
Cities can address climate crisis by ‘joining the dots’ between sectors
14/11/2019 Cities can help protect the environment by linking up their policies on transport, energy and the built environment, according to campaigners. |
West Midlands and Google team up to tackle climate change
31/10/2019 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has teamed up with Google to tackle the climate change emergency. |
Bristol council considers banning diesel vehicles
30/10/2019 Bristol City Council is considering banning diesel vehicles in what it claims will be the quickest way to reduce nitrogen dioxide in the air. |
Five things to consider when declaring a climate emergency
28/10/2019 Alex Massie outlines five issues that local authorities should not forget when preparing climate emergency strategies. |
Welsh council trials microchipping bins to encourage recycling
24/10/2019 A Welsh county council is trialling the use of microchipping as part of an effort to encourage recycling as it moves to a four weekly collection. |
Support local industrial strategies to ‘promote a zero-carbon economy’, think tanks say
23/10/2019 Government must support local industrial strategies, with new funding and devolved powers, to promote a zero-carbon economy, according to two think tanks. |
Sturgeon announces £27m to promote walking and cycling
16/10/2019 More than 200 ‘active travel’ projects across Scotland are set to receive a multi-million pound investment, Scotland’s first minister has announced. |
Cities offered over £875,000 to support innovative climate change solutions
14/10/2019 Europe’s largest public-private partnership has called on cities around the world to join its ‘Climathon Global Awards’ to find new systems level solutions to tackle climate change. |
Queen's Speech 19: Brexit, health and devo at the heart of Government plans
14/10/2019 Brexit, the NHS and devolution are at the heart of the next round of Government legislation as outlined in the first Queen’s Speech today. |
Manchester CC joins campaign to plant 50 million trees
09/10/2019 Manchester City Council has thrown its weight behind a campaign to encourage the Government to support the planting of a large forest in the North of England. |
Climate change targets ‘unlikely to be met’ without funding, council chiefs say
03/10/2019 National climate change targets are ‘unlikely to be met’ unless local authorities are given long-term funding and more powers, council chiefs say. |
Councils call for new taskforce to tackle climate change
25/09/2019 Council leaders have proposed setting up a national taskforce with Whitehall departments to tackle climate change. |
New online tool to help councils calculate carbon footprint launched
23/09/2019 Climate scientists have developed an online tool that can help local authorities calculate their carbon budget and cut down on emissions. |
Whitehall announces £400m for rapid charging points
10/09/2019 The Government has launched a £400m fund to help develop rapid charging infrastructure points for electric vehicles. |
APSE to launch Local Government Commission
10/09/2019 A new commission to develop a practical vision for local government in 2030 will be launched by APSE later this month. |
Council to pilot electric bin lorries powered by waste
04/09/2019 Electric bin lorries that are powered by the waste they have collected will be trialled by Sheffield City Council. |
Lawyers warn 100 local authorities over climate change plans
02/09/2019 Environmental lawyers have threatened legal action against 100 local authorities across England unless they introduce new climate change plans. |
Council hits carbon reduction target early
28/08/2019 Herefordshire Council has hit its 2020 carbon reduction target early, an outcome the authority says shows their ‘commitment to tackling the climate emergency’. |
Whitehall carbon emission target ‘undeliverable’, MPs warn
22/08/2019 MPs have warned the Government that there are no policies in place to deliver the net-zero carbons emissions target by 2050. |
Declaring a climate change emergency
09/08/2019 Local authorities can play a key role in tackling climate change – and there is plenty for them to do. Never before has thinking globally and acting locally been more important, says Mark Whitehead. |
Over half of councils declare ‘climate emergency’
31/07/2019 More than half of UK councils have committed to reducing carbon emissions by declaring a 'climate emergency'. |
Liverpool submits £230m ‘Green City Deal’
30/07/2019 The mayor of Liverpool has submitted a proposal to the new prime minister for a £230m Green City Deal to tackle climate change and boost the economy. |
Local government's relationship with Extinction Rebellion
23/07/2019 Several cities throughout the UK have been hit by protests involving climate change protestors. Mark Whitehead assesses how councils are dealing with it. |
New toolkit launched to help councils go green
20/06/2019 A new toolkit designed to help local authorities reduce their carbon footprint and ‘trigger the wider benefits of bold climate action’ has been launched. |
Keeping road networks running
10/04/2019 Manish Jethwa explains how councils can use IoT technology to mitigate the impact of climate change on highways. |
Councils declare a ‘climate emergency’
26/02/2019 A climate emergency declaration has been made by 27 councils across the country following a campaign by the Green Party. |
Leeds aims for zero carbon energy economy
17/12/2018 Leeds City Region could become one of the world’s first zero carbon energy economies thanks to a new energy strategy. |
Council pension funds at financial risk from climate change, report warns
09/11/2018 Local Government Pension Funds (LGPFs) are failing to protect themselves from the financial risk posed by climate change, a new report has warned today. |
Councils must ‘act now’ to tackle carbon emissions
09/10/2018 Councils must ensure all plans have carbon-reduction targets, charity says after report warns global warming will lead to ‘unprecedented changes' in society. |
Councils begin judicial review against Heathrow expansion
07/08/2018 Five London councils, Greenpeace and the mayor of London have started judicial review proceedings against the expansion of Heathrow airport. |
Guide launched to help councils cope with climate change through planning
16/05/2018 Planning experts have joined forces to offer councils practical advice on how to cope with climate change. |
London council approves £150m low-carbon pension investment
26/01/2018 Southwark Council has agreed to move £150m of its pension fund into a low-carbon investment. |
Council pension funds benefit from climate change investment policy framework
13/11/2017 The first climate change investment policy framework has been launched for local government pension funds. |
Councils investing £16bn of pensions into fossil fuels
09/11/2017 More than £16bn of council pension funds have been invested into fossil fuel companies, new research has revealed. |
Council launches ‘pioneering’ climate commission
07/09/2017 Leeds is launching today a ‘pioneering’ new Climate Commission to encourage investment in low-carbon, climate-resilient developments. |
Local authority pension funds ‘ratcheting up’ climate change engagement
06/06/2017 Local authority pension funds are going to ‘ratchet up’ their efforts to encourage companies to be more aware of climate change and how it will impact the value of their stocks. |
Creating resilient cities
20/12/2016 Giles K Bailey and Stefano Mainero explore the challenges for UK cities in considering resiliency planning. |
Campaigners call for increased protection for Green Belt
12/12/2016 Campaigners have called on the government to prioritise investment in the Green Belt in the forthcoming 25-year plan for the environment. |
Scottish pension fund rated a world leader in tackling global warming
11/05/2016 A council pension fund in Scotland has been rated one of the best in the world for addressing climate change. |
Public sector failing to prepare for climate change
11/02/2016 The UK is 'largely unprepared' for the effects of climate change, according to the Carbon Trust. |
Heathrow third runway recommended, yet council fears remain over noise
01/07/2015 Recommendations that a third runway be built at Heathrow on the condition of stricter noise and environmental demands have failed to assuage concerns in local government. |
Lancashire rejects fracking application
29/06/2015 Lancashire County Council has rejected a planning application to frack at Preston New Road, in an unexpected move following months of deliberation. |
Legal warning over fracking issued to Lancashire councillors
26/06/2015 Lancashire councillors have been warned the town hall risks being fined if it blocks local fracking as the move could be considered ‘unreasonable’. |
Landmark Lancashire fracking decision postponed
25/06/2015 Councillors in Lancashire have postponed a decision on giving the go ahead to a controversial plan for fracking. |
Hundreds of planned wind farms likely to be scrapped, admits government
23/06/2015 Around 250 planned wind farms are now unlikely to be built because of the early termination of subsidies, the Government has said. |
Protest grows as Lancashire ponders key fracking decision
23/06/2015 Protesters have been gathering in Preston ahead of a decision by Lancashire County Council on controversial plans for fracking. |
Council stalls again on key fracking decision
24/04/2015 A landmark council decision on whether to allow fracking in Lancashire has been delayed until after the General Election. |
England's climate disadvantage 'hot spots' mapped for first time
04/02/2015 An online map charting the effect of climate change and social disadvantage in England has been launched to support local decision makers. |
MPs call for halt on UK fracking
26/01/2015 An influential committee of MPs has called for a moratorium on fracking because it could hamper climate change efforts and pose significant health risks. |
£97m weather supercomputer will make regions ‘more resilient’ to flooding
28/10/2014 Local areas could become more resilient to flooding and snowfall under Government plans for a new £97m Met Office supercomputer. |
Climate change goals wil be missed, warns charity
22/10/2014 The Government will fail to meet climate change targets unless it ramps up efforts to create warm, affordable low-carbon homes, campaigners have warned. |
Low carbon vehicles projects get £6m funding
17/09/2014 Two projects to help develop low carbon vehicles technologies have been awarded £6m funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). |
Low-carbon economy could increase UK GDP says report
17/09/2014 Reducing emissions from road transport, in line with the carbon budgets set by the Committee on Climate Change, could reduce healthcare spending by £96m by 2030, according to a new report. |
MPs ‘red card’ green policies
16/09/2014 The Government’s green polices have been handed a ‘red card’ by the Environmental Audit Committee, who is calling for an overarching Environmental Strategy be implemented. |
Invasion of the bees: 120,000 descend on Glasgow
28/08/2014 Glasgow City Council has told people not to be alarmed by the 120,000 bees currently 'invading' the City Chambers. |
Government inaction puts thousands at risk from flooding, Labour warns
11/08/2014 Some 330,000 more properties will be at serious risk of flooding in 2035 thanks to Government inaction over climate change, Labour will warn. |
This issue of Public Property examines how public sector organisations can unlock the hidden value in their land, and why a new approach to construction could help boost the outcomes of the Government’s One Public Estate programme.
The December issue also considers why learnings from ancient cities could provide the key to promoting wellbeing in the modern built environment. It also contains a case study on how the London Borough of Westminster has provided high quality care for the elderly alongside a block of luxury apartments.
