Simple steps to improve cybersecurity
Sameer Dixit argues security is a weak point in councils' armour and outlines ways local authorities can anticipate and plan for cyberattacks.
Men dominate top table at combined authorities, research warns
04/11/2019 Only one in five with a vote at the top table in combined authorities are women, new research has found. |
Queen's Speech 19: Devolution White Paper to set out 'structural reform'
14/10/2019 An English devolution White Paper is planned by the Government, it has been confirmed in the Queen’s Speech. |
Rent caps needed to curb housing crisis, report says
04/10/2019 A think tank has called for local leaders to have the power to cap rents in high-cost areas. |
Changing Tynes
03/10/2019 Heather Jameson talks to Jamie Driscoll, North of Tyne Mayor, about the main challenges facing the combined authority, the region’s devolution deal, and putting party politics to one side. |
Treasury 'wasting money' in funding of local government
17/09/2019 The Treasury is wasting money in its funding of local government and needs to have a more place-based focus, according to a report from the respected Institute for Government (IfG) think-tank. |
Combined authority launches West Yorkshire’s ‘largest’ electric vehicle charging network
05/08/2019 The first of 88 chargepoints will go live this week in what is set to be West Yorkshire’s largest electric vehicle rapid-charging network. |
Adult education budget devolved to six combined authorities
01/08/2019 Six mayoral combined authorities and the GLA will be responsible for the adult education budget in their areas from today, the Government has announced. |
Plans to hike business rates in the West Midlands dropped
24/07/2019 Businesses in the West Midlands will breath a sigh of relief after an announcement that a planned business rate hike is unlikely to go ahead. |
Greater Manchester aims to be carbon-neutral by 2038
14/06/2019 Plans by Greater Manchester to become the UK’s 'leading green and digital city-region' have won backing from the Government in its new Local Industrial Strategy. |
Whitehall approves South Yorkshire devolution deal
10/05/2019 The Government has approved the South Yorkshire devolution deal, which will see £900m invested in the region. |
Ministry moves on Brexit
24/10/2018 Senior Marsham Street officials have stepped up their preparations for Brexit after complaints from frustrated councils that they were being shut out of the process. |
Brokenshire considering new devolution models
10/07/2018 James Brokenshire is considering new models of devolution as he seeks to extend further powers to local areas, the communities secretary has insisted. |
Combined authority announces deal to build 40,000 homes
30/01/2018 The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has agreed to work with a coalition of 15 housing associations to deliver up to 40,000 affordable homes. |
LEP moves to become 'most transparent' in England
16/01/2018 A local enterprise partnership (LEP) that had funding restrictions slapped on it by the Government has approved transparency measures that go beyond national guidance. |
Next stage for North of Tyne devolution deal
13/12/2017 Councils in the North East have launched a public consultation over the next stage of a devolution plan for the area. |
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. |
‘Non-mayoral combined authorities’ a possibility, Javid says
21/11/2017 Sajid Javid has raised the possibility of ‘non-mayoral combined authorities’ in rural areas as part of a new devolution framework. |
Combined authority bids for £200m government investment
17/10/2017 The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has bid for more than £200m of government investment in its Autumn Budget submission. |
Whitehall should use Brexit to ‘drive’ devolution, combined authority mayors insist
06/10/2017 The Government should listen to all parts of the North as Britain leaves the EU, leaders of the northern combined authorities have demanded. |
Mayor warns about 'reputational damage' caused by LEP
29/09/2017 The Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in Cambridgeshire is causing the area ‘reputational damage’ the combined authority’s mayor has warned. |
Combined authorities need ‘meaningful’ fiscal devolution, progress report says
26/09/2017 Whitehall should reopen the conversation about ‘meaningful’ fiscal devolution in order to help places attract sustainable investment, says report on the progress of combined authorities. |
Six mayors to pilot innovative new employment schemes
01/08/2017 Thousands of disadvantaged people are to be helped back into work under new pilot schemes being delivered by six combined authorities. |
Councillors may have limited control over combined authorities, warn auditors
06/07/2017 There is a risk local councillors will have limited capacity for the overview and scrutiny of combined authorities, auditors have warned. |
Oxfordshire districts put forward plans for combined authority
19/06/2017 Three district councils have submitted their plan for a combined authority in Oxfordshire to the Government, in response for calls for a unitary council. |
Metro mayors should place digital at ‘the heart’ of their plans
26/04/2017 The new metro mayors should put digital devolution at the ‘heart of their plans’, tech industry campaigners say. |
Combined authorities risk being 'preserve of men' finds report
18/04/2017 Nearly all (93%) of senior positions in the new combined authorities will be appointed to white men, new research has revealed. |
New Tees Valley mayor granted powers to ‘drive’ economic development
14/03/2017 Tees Valley Combined Authority has become the first authority outside of London to be granted the power to create locally-accountable Mayoral Development Corporations. |
Combined authorities the ‘natural leaders’ for driving reform of criminal justice system
22/02/2017 Metro mayors should use newly-devolved criminal justice powers to cut reoffending rates, report urges. |
West of England devo deal gets the go-ahead
17/02/2017 Communities minister Andrew Percy has given the go-ahead for the west of England combined authority headed by a directly-elected mayor. |
West Yorks leader calls for end to 'devolution deadlock'
15/02/2017 Calls to reignite the Leeds City Region devolution proposals submitted almost 18 months ago have been made by chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. |
Warrington Council approves Cheshire devolution deal
15/02/2017 Warrington Borough Council’s executive board yesterday approved plans for a devolution deal with Cheshire. |
Hampshire CC opposition makes Solent combined authority deal ‘unlikely’
27/01/2017 Opposition from Hampshire County Council has made it ‘highly unlikely’ the Solent combined authority deal will proceed, council leader claims. |
Hughes is new Urban Transport Group chair as Tees Valley joins
25/01/2017 The new chair of the Urban Transport Group has welcomed the Tees Valley Combined Authority as a new associate member and is looking to expand the group further. |
Stockport chief to head up Manchester's 'super' council
23/01/2017 The chief executive of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has been confirmed as the first chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). |
Isle of Wight approves combined authority
25/10/2016 Plans for a Solent Combined Authority have been approved by Isle of Wight Council, following a U-turn on local support. |
Council approves combined authority plans
13/10/2016 Portsmouth City Council has agreed to be a part of the formal application to form the Solent Combined Authority. |
Public back plans for a Solent Combined Authority
06/10/2016 The public have given their support for plans to form a combined authority covering the Solent area. |
North Lincolnshire Council set to join combined authority
29/09/2016 North Lincolnshire Council is set to accept a metro mayor by signing up to a Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority (GLCA). |
Land commission launched by combined authority
09/09/2016 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has put together a panel of property and infrastructure experts in a bid to ‘unlock hundreds of hectares’ of undeveloped land. |
Council leaders reject devolution deal
07/09/2016 The future of a devolution deal in the North East of England is in doubt after council leaders voted yesterday to reject a government deal. |
West Midlands receives multi-millions in devo deal
24/08/2016 The West Midlands has received a multi-million pound cash boost from Whitehall in order to ‘fire up the Midlands Engine’, the communities secretary announced yesterday. |
Consultation on town’s services ‘misleading and flawed’, says Derbyshire
11/08/2016 Derbyshire has launched a legal challenge against the Sheffield City Region accusing it of attempting to take over services in its biggest town. |
Manchester agrees strategy to tackle air pollution deaths
01/08/2016 Council leaders in Greater Manchester have agreed a new strategy to tackle air pollution in an attempt to prevent thousands of premature deaths. |
Three councils push ahead with Solent combined authority proposal
01/07/2016 Leaders of three Hampshire councils are assessing a review outlining plans for a new combined authority. |
Report calls for financing restrictions on combined authorities to be lifted
30/06/2016 Local authorities should be given greater access to ‘flexible financing streams’ to enable them to invest in infrastructure and the skills to deliver it, a new report has said. |
Chair of combined authority steps down
22/06/2016 The chair of a combined authority in the North East has announced he will be standing down after more than two years in the position. |
Hampshire councils fall out over 'underperforming' accusations
10/06/2016 Councils in Hampshire have exchanged heated words, following disagreements on how best to change the structure of local government in the county. |
North Somerset Council rejects £1bn devolution deal
08/06/2016 North Somerset Council has rejected proposals to join the £1bn West of England devolution deal. |
Council chiefs fearful of service failures in next three years
26/05/2016 More than half of council chief executives (56%) said the fear facing financial crisis within the next year, a new survey has revealed. |
North East agree devolution deal
18/05/2016 Councillors in the North East have moved a step closer to launching a devolved authority with an elected mayor for the region. |
Sandwell becomes final member of combined authority
10/03/2016 Sandwell has become the seventh and final council in the West Midlands to sign up to a proposed new combined authority. |
Date announced for election of Greater Manchester’s first mayor
02/02/2016 The first-ever mayor of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority will be elected on Thursday 4 May 2017, the Government announced yesterday. |
District reconsiders joining combined authority
27/01/2016 Stratford-on-Avon District Council has confirmed it will join the West Midlands combined authority, after voting not to become a member three months ago. |
Commission calls for Hull and East Riding council merger
13/01/2016 Hull and East Riding councils should join to boost the region’s economy, according to commission. |
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire unveil devolution deal
06/01/2016 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have published the draft plans for their devolution bid and declared 'now is the time to do the deal'. |
Liverpool mayor appointed to lead the region’s combined authority
21/12/2015 Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson has been appointed to lead the region’s combined authority following the decision by Wirral council leader Phil Davies to step down from the role. |
West Midlands signs devolution deal
17/11/2015 A devolution deal for the West Midlands has been agreed, which includes £1bn of Government investment and an elected mayor. |
West Midlands sets out details of combined authority
28/10/2015 The shadow West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has submitted its final plans for becoming a combined authority to the Government. |
Chancellor unveils two new devolution deals
23/10/2015 The North East and the Tees Valley will both receive extra funding and powers in return for having a directly-elected mayor, under two new devolution deals confirmed today. |
Sandwell votes to join combined authority
21/10/2015 Sandwell Council has voted in favour of joining the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). |
Can devolution boost council revenues?
19/10/2015 Waheed Nazir outlines how devolution agreements can kick-start projects and generate income for local authorities. |
Solihull signs up to combined authority
14/10/2015 Solihull Council has voted in favour of joining the West Midlands Combined Authority as a constituent member. |
Telford & Wrekin Council to join forces with West Midlands Combined Authority
01/10/2015 Telford & Wrekin Council is looking to become a non-constituent member of the West Midlands Combined Authority, to help establish a formal link to the Midlands engine for economic growth. |
Driving forward a future of devolution
24/09/2015 How will the local and strategic highway networks be managed in the future? As new cross-county proposals are being considered, Jon Masters gets industry opinion on devolution. |
Poor leadership could delay West Midlands devo deal, minister warns
17/09/2015 A devolution deal for the West Midlands could be delayed because of poor leadership, local government minister Greg Clark has warned. |
Combined authority to review public transport
28/08/2015 The North East Combined Authority is conducting a review of public transport across the region. |
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Deals behind closed doors
14/08/2015 Chief executive of Swale BC, Abdool Kara says local government would be foolish to accede to the rules of a game set behind closed doors. |
£55m secured for Leeds city region growth
27/07/2015 West Yorkshire has been given the go ahead for £55m of funding to help deliver thousands of new jobs and homes. |
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Leadership Board for Lancashire?
20/07/2015 Could a county-wide devolution deal be on the cards for Lancashire, asks leader of Blackpool Council, Cllr Simon Blackburn |
West Midlands leaders agree power sharing deal
17/07/2015 Each of the seven councils in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is poised to take responsibility over a different regional portfolio. |
West Midlands Combined Authority reveals its plans
06/07/2015 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has published its plans to tackle infrastructure, economic growth and public sector reform across the region. |
Fifth of councils predict they will be in a combined authority in five years
01/07/2015 More than one in five local authorities expect to become part of a new combined authority by 2020, according to a new report into decentralisation. |
Council rules out combined authority referendum
15/06/2015 Coventry City Council has ruled out holding a referendum on its decision to consider joining the West Midlands combined authority, saying it would be too expensive and difficult to organise in the timeframe available. |
Party of Wales in new push for combined authorities
15/06/2015 Plaid Cymru is set to reject the proposed council mergers in Wales in favour of regional combined authorities. |
Rocky road for Combined Authorities?
15/06/2015 Max Lempriere identifies four main challenges and lessons for councils creating Combined Authorities. |
Council duo inch closer to joining West Midlands Combined Authority
20/05/2015 A pair of councils has moved a step closer to joining the West Midlands Combined Authority, as town halls leap on Osborne’s devolution vows. |
Combined authority to consult public on elected mayor
15/05/2015 West Yorkshire Combined Authority has confirmed it will consult local people on introducing a directly elected mayor in exchange for extra powers from Whitehall. |
Local government restructure must be 'sustainable and enduring', says committee
06/05/2015 Planned restructuring of local government in Wales must be 'sustainable and enduring', a committee of the Welsh Assembly has warned. |
Budget 2015: West Yorkshire 'disappointed' by devolution deal
18/03/2015 Chancellor George Osborne confirmed an agreement on a ‘new City Deal’ with the West Yorkshire combined authority in his Budget speech today. |
Tees Valley combined authority moves one step closer
13/02/2015 Plans to create a combined authority for the Tees Valley have been endorsed by local communities and businesses. |
Conwy slams ‘disrespectful’ language of Welsh Government in merger spat
05/02/2015 A Welsh council has slammed a government vision for local government reorganisation, branding it ‘disrespectful’ and a ‘threat to local democracy’. |
Sheffield signs devolution deal
15/12/2014 Sheffield has secured a deal with the Government to transfer more powers over transport, housing and economic growth to the council. |
Ten Welsh councils to develop combined authority
12/12/2014 Ten councils are to develop plans for a combined authority in South East Wales, in a bid to change the way local government operates. |
Coventry will never be run from Birmingham, leader insists
11/12/2014 Coventry’s council leader has vowed the city will never be run from Birmingham if it joins the West Midlands combined authority. |
Lancaster to explore combined authority proposal
10/12/2014 Lancaster is considering proposals to set up a county-wide combined authority. |
Autumn Statement: Further devolution deals fail to materialise
03/12/2014 Chancellor George Osborne failed to announce any further devolution deals in today’s Autumn Statement. |
Tees Valley unveils ambition to form combined authority
14/11/2014 Proposals have been launched to create a combined authority in Tees Valley designed to boost investment in the area and give it a ‘stronger voice’. |
Wigan at forefront of world’s first smart energy system pilot
14/11/2014 Hundreds of homes across Greater Manchester will become the first in the world to trial new green technology designed to reduce energy bills. |
Councils reveal West Midlands combined authority plan
07/11/2014 Birmingham and four Black Country council leaders have announced plans to unite as a West Midlands combined authority. |
Greater Manchester wins ‘momentous’ devolution package
03/11/2014 Greater Manchester will be handed powers over housing, transport and planning, under an historic devolution settlement agreed upon today. |
Greater Manchester set to win 'metro mayor'
31/10/2014 Chancellor George Osborne is set to announce plans for a new mayor for Greater Manchester, as devolution rhetoric builds before the General Election. |
Politicians urged to rule out council reorganisation
29/10/2014 The reorganisation of local government should be ruled out for the next parliament in favour of more joint working, according to a think tank. |
Denbighshire to explore merger with Conway
10/09/2014 Councillors at Denbighshire County Council have voted to explore the possibility of a voluntary merger with Conwy County Borough Council. |
Bucks crowdfunds £25k for local government review
15/08/2014 Businesses in Buckinghamshire have crowdfunded £25,000 to pay for an independent review of local government in the county. |
Hull leader denies council land grab
13/08/2014 The leader of Hull City Council has denied a land grab as a review looks at merging it with a neighbour against its wishes. |
Combined authority secures £23m funding
11/04/2014 The Liverpool City Region has been awarded £23m from the government’s Regional Growth Fund. |
Grant cities powers of London mayor, think tank says
27/03/2014 The UK’s largest cities could fail to deliver on financial expectations if they are not granted greater powers, a report claims. |
North East ‘super council’ secures government backing
06/03/2014 The Cabinet Office has begun the legal process to set up a new combined authority in the North East. |
Combined authority naming row relegates Liverpool
18/02/2014 The mayor of Liverpool has hit out at the decision to give the region’s combined authority a name featuring all six of the districts. |
Combined authority gets Government backing
17/02/2014 A new combined authority for Liverpool City Region has been given the green light by Government, and could come into effect 1 April. |
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.
