06/01/2025

Lincolnshire County Council has commissioned the animators behind Wallace and Gromit to create a film raising awareness of the dangers of flooding.

25/03/2024

Councils are struggling to tackle threats to social cohesion due to a lack of support from central government, according to a major new review.

03/10/2023

‘Limited’ Home Office communication over asylum – including poor data sharing - continues to stymie efforts to resolve accommodation problems, councils warn.

18/07/2023

The Government should consider requiring councils to have a digital champion to help improve the UK’s rollout of fast broadband, a new study has concluded.

24/04/2023

A national body made up of organisations working together to raise standard of communications in the public sector has warned councils against banning TikTok.

04/04/2023

Councils have reported disruption to their call centres after a Cyber attack on outsourcing giant Capita.

29/03/2023

Robert Turnbull, PA Consulting, and Alyson Scurfield, TEC Services Association, argue that the telephone network upgrade will be an opportunity for councils.

28/03/2023

Jack Fox, senior digital consultant at Orlo, argues that councils need to prioritise reputation management.

03/03/2023

Grade-II listed status has been awarded to nine rare telephone boxes in and around Hull.

21/10/2022

A behaviour change is needed to navigate growing climate concerns. Jonathan Bradley, Granicus Experience Group, asks how community engagement can help.

27/06/2022

Christina Butterfield outlines how citizens and employees can be engaged and have positive and streamlined experiences.

12/04/2022

Kensington & Chelsea LBC has admitted to the Grenfell Tower inquiry its ‘leadership was unable to cope’ in the days after the tragedy.

24/02/2022

Catherine Malloy offers her top tips on how to write external communications with empathy – and why it’s such an important and worthwhile skill.

02/03/2021

Will Hoare gives his three top tips on how local authorities can maintain effective communication as the roadmap out of lockdown begins.

29/01/2021

The pandemic has brought communications to the top table in local government, according to the results of a new survey.

21/12/2020

The pandemic has changed how local government communicates, let’s make sure it’s for the better, says Rick Goud, CIO and co-founder at Zivver.

14/12/2020

James Scott presents four key tips for enhancing communication and uplifting employee engagement within local authorities.

07/10/2020

Karen Steel looks at what councils need to consider when communicating with citizens in the midst of a crisis, and beyond.

03/09/2020

The leader of a scandal-hit council compared to North Korea has been deposed after a vote of no confidence at a fiery meeting.

17/06/2020

Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s chief executive has expressed doubts about whether his region would be able to cope with a second wave of coronavirus infections.

15/05/2020

Areas with higher coronavirus rates have urged residents to stay at home amid fears the Government’s change of message to ‘stay alert’ was confusing.

03/04/2020

Local authorities will be allowed to hold public meetings remotely by video or telephone, under new powers introduced today.

09/03/2020

Ministers and bosses from mobile network operators will meet today to sign a £1bn deal aimed at ending ‘poor and patchy’ rural phone coverage.

05/03/2020

Councils are more likely to use fax machines than other areas of the public sector, a new investigation has revealed.

25/11/2019

Neil Merrick voices his frustration over how different councils interpret purdah rules.

30/10/2019

‘Far better direct communication’ between local authorities and fire and rescue services is needed, an official inquiry has urged.

24/10/2019

Matthew Drage outlines how councils can ensure they best identify and communicate with the most vulnerable members of their communities.

09/09/2019

Southampton City Council has teamed up with local organisations in an effort to make Southampton the first city in the UK to have a hearing loop system in every public building.

09/08/2019

Hackney Council has lost its final legal appeal to keep publishing its fortnightly newsletter, Hackney Today.

14/06/2019

Waltham Forest LBC will appeal after a judge backed Government attempts to stop it publishing a council newspaper every two weeks.

25/04/2019

Communications experts have called on local authorities to embrace the advantages of digital communications with residents.

04/02/2019

Councils are not doing enough to prepare for Brexit and need to step up their game, the concerned Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has told sector figures.

31/01/2019

Chief executives have told communities secretary James Brokenshire Whitehall needs to be more joined up between departments and in its communications with councils over Brexit.

21/01/2019

Campaigners have accused local authorities of being ‘greedy and foolish’ for using premium rate lines for people to pay rent and parking fines.

17/01/2019

The way we talk about councils really matters, says Dr Jonathan Carr-West – and it’s time to speak up for local government and reclaim the powerful origins of the word ‘municipal’.

04/12/2018

Mark Whitehead calls on councils to make a direct apology to the public when something goes wrong.

30/08/2018

Local councils in Wales have been accused of being 'secretive' and anti-democratic after research revealed not all provide electronic access to minutes and meetings.

13/06/2018

Angie Ledgeway looks at the importance of research in delivering effective results for local initiatives.

12/06/2018

The residents of an East Anglian borough see their council as 'Dickensian', according to its mayor - even though leading councillors claim it as a national success story.

08/06/2018

With an East London council confirming it will push ahead with a judicial review over its fortnightly publication, who should decide what councils are allowed to publish? Mark Whitehead reports.

06/06/2018

Waltham Forest council has confirmed it will launch a legal battle over a government instruction to stop publishing its fortnightly newsletter.

01/06/2018

A London council is set to challenge the Government over its right to publish a fortnightly newsletter for residents.

26/04/2018

Councils could do more to help people facing language and communication barriers to access public services, according to the findings of a new report.

26/02/2018

Local government leaders have issued guidance to help protect residents from scammers pretending to be from the council.

13/02/2018

Mark Whitehead finds out why two London councils have defied the Government by continuing to publish their own fortnightly newspapers.

12/02/2018

Local newspaper bosses say they are worried the Government is going to lift its clampdown on councils issuing their own publications.

02/02/2018

Neil Merrick explains how local authorities can get the most from social media and avoid potential pitfalls.

07/11/2017

The Government has threatened two London councils with court action, claiming they are breaking publicity rules by publishing their newspapers ‘too frequently’.

01/09/2017

Sheffield City Council has agreed to change the start time and length of its full monthly meetings to make them more accessible to the general public.

16/05/2017

Lambeth Council has terminated an agreement to provide ‘communication services’ to Harrow two years earlier than contracted because of staffing issues.

19/04/2017

Local authorities have been praised for ‘vastly enhancing’ their communication about roadworks in their areas over the past three years.

01/03/2017

Councils' communications teams have reached a 'plateau' on staff cuts, new research published today has suggested.

27/02/2017

Party leaders at an Essex council have joined forces to express outrage at Highways England 'again' writing to residents without informing the council.

12/01/2017

Welsh councils have been urged to cut the amount of money they are spending on ‘propaganda’ after new figures showed they spent more than £1.6m on bulletins and newsletters in the past three years.

05/12/2016

Three councils that have continued to publish regular newspapers have been given a ‘last chance’ to abide by government rules.

04/11/2016

William Eichler finds out why Ealing Council has moved its telephony system to the cloud.

11/10/2016

The executive board of Wrexham council has approved a five-year strategy to promote, facilitate and increase the use of the Welsh language in the county borough.

22/09/2016

Sleight of hand is not confined to the Magic Circle and local government must be aware of the wizardry going on behind devolution, warns Abdool Kara.

16/08/2016

Oxford City Council has approved plans to add the gender neutral title ‘Mx’ to official forms in order to become more inclusive.

05/08/2016

A council has defended its decision to spend £15,000 on a new logo as necessary for the ‘digital age’.

19/07/2016

Calderdale Council has become the first local authority to provide a 24-hour instant messaging services for customers.

04/07/2016

Robin Bingeman shares his top tips for email management in local government.

17/06/2016

Wirral Council could be set to defy Government guidelines by launching a new monthly publication.

06/06/2016

Most councils in Wales are breaking the law by failing to offer Welsh language swimming lessons at their leisure centres, according to campaigners.

13/05/2016

Council press officers have warned that the BBC’s initiative to support local journalism should come with a proper education of how local government operates.

09/05/2016

Local government one of the worst sectors in the UK when it comes to collecting debt, report finds.

04/05/2016

Michael White explains what unified comms can do for councils

22/04/2016

Cornwall Council has condemned the government's decision to cut all its funding to support the Cornish language.

17/03/2016

Councils have called for new powers to ban junk food advertising near schools, nurseries and children's centres in a bid to tackle child obesity.

04/02/2016

The growing number of local government meetings are a significant and seemingly unavoidable budget consideration in themselves. But, that's not to say they can't be run more cost-effectively with a more efficient meeting management process, argues Alister Esam.

18/11/2015

Councils have thrown themselves into the national #OurDay tweetathon today to spread the word about work done by local authorities.

05/11/2015

A new plan to help protect and promote the Cornish language has been approved by Cornwall Council.

21/09/2015

Haringey council in north London today launched its new look following controversy over a £86,000 rebranding exercise.

17/09/2015

We live in image-conscious times. But we also live in cost-conscious times: this is the rub with a plan by a north London council to spend almost £86,000 on a rebranding exercise.

14/09/2015

The leader of Lewes District Council is facing calls to step down after accusing councillors in Seaford of having a ‘victim mentality

01/09/2015

A new ‘child safe zone’ has been launched in Glasgow to protect children who get lost in the city centre.

01/09/2015

A request for help with a crossword clue, advice on cooking instant noodles and an enquiry about a website’s opening hours have been among the 50 million queries made to council call centres in the last year.

24/08/2015

Britain's biggest local authority has hit back at claims in a national newspaper that it has 'wasted' huge sums of money checking how it is reported in the media.

12/08/2015

A council has unveiled shocking new posters showing a man urinating in his fireplace and a dog pooing on a living-room floor in a bid to combat street mess.

10/08/2015

John Read argues that the only sustainable solution to Britain’s litter problem is a national behavioural change campaign

29/06/2015

Up to £90m in savings could be required at East Sussex County Council over the next three years, a report to cabinet has indicated.

15/06/2015

More people are having a free NHS health check since local authorities took over the responsibility for delivering them, new figures have revealed.

06/05/2015

A London borough has been accused of ‘social cleansing’ after sending a letter offering to pay local tenants to move 129 miles away to Birmingham.

06/05/2015

Birmingham City Council is bang up to date with information technology for the General Election.

20/04/2015

The Conservatives had the most ‘political clichés’ in their manifesto compared to the other parties, according to new analysis.

13/04/2015

Local government employs twice as many communications officers than central government, according to new research conducted by Press Gazette.

02/04/2015

‘Town hall Pravdas’? No. Information is the lifeblood of local government and constricting its flow will cause injury and even death, writes David Walker

30/03/2015

The Government is to take Greenwich LBC to the High Court for failing to comply with an order to stop publishing its weekly newspaper.

23/03/2015

Councils are failing to provide a good customer service over the telephone, according to the results of a new survey.

19/03/2015

Greenwich RBC is to take legal action over the government’s decision to ban it from publishing its weekly newspaper.

13/03/2015

The Government is investing an extra £150,000 to help develop and protect the Cornish language.

11/03/2015

Three more councils could be banned from publishing their fortnightly newspapers, ministers have warned.

04/03/2015

Ministers have stepped in to ban a London borough from publishing its weekly council newspaper more than four times a year.

17/02/2015

A city council has taken down posters stating ‘beggars can be choosers’ following a local backlash.

02/02/2015

Lambeth Communications - a local authority trading company - has been chosen to provide services to Harrow Council until 2019.