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.
Wallace & Gromit creators to make flooding awareness film
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. |
Councils 'struggling' to tackle cohesion threats
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. |
EXCLUSIVE: Council warning over asylum communication
03/10/2023 ‘Limited’ Home Office communication over asylum – including poor data sharing - continues to stymie efforts to resolve accommodation problems, councils warn. |
Digital champions important for broadband ‘consistency’
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. |
Councils warned against banning TikTok
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. |
Cyber attack hits councils
04/04/2023 Councils have reported disruption to their call centres after a Cyber attack on outsourcing giant Capita. |
The coming digital shift
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. |
Reputation management in hard times
28/03/2023 Jack Fox, senior digital consultant at Orlo, argues that councils need to prioritise reputation management. |
Hull’s cream-coloured phone boxes awarded listed status
03/03/2023 Grade-II listed status has been awarded to nine rare telephone boxes in and around Hull. |
Encouraging behaviour change to navigate climate concerns
21/10/2022 A behaviour change is needed to navigate growing climate concerns. Jonathan Bradley, Granicus Experience Group, asks how community engagement can help. |
Local government needs to measure for citizen and employee experience
27/06/2022 Christina Butterfield outlines how citizens and employees can be engaged and have positive and streamlined experiences. |
Grenfell council admits leadership was 'unable to cope'
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. |
Once more with feeling
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. |
Maintaining effective local authority messaging as the national lockdown lifts
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. |
Communication now at the top table in local government, survey reveals
29/01/2021 The pandemic has brought communications to the top table in local government, according to the results of a new survey. |
COVID-19 presents opportunity to enhance local government communications
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. |
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How to drive employee engagement within local authorities
14/12/2020 James Scott presents four key tips for enhancing communication and uplifting employee engagement within local authorities. |
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Communicating with citizens in a crisis and beyond
07/10/2020 Karen Steel looks at what councils need to consider when communicating with citizens in the midst of a crisis, and beyond. |
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Leader of Northumberland Council is deposed
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. |
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Combined authority 'spending reserves like it's going out of fashion'
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. |
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Councils resist government's changed 'stay alert' message
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. |
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Councils given power to hold meetings remotely
03/04/2020 Local authorities will be allowed to hold public meetings remotely by video or telephone, under new powers introduced today. |
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Government signs £1bn deal to end ‘patchy’ phone coverage
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. |
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More than 500 fax machines being used across local government
05/03/2020 Councils are more likely to use fax machines than other areas of the public sector, a new investigation has revealed. |
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Navigating the rules of purdah
25/11/2019 Neil Merrick voices his frustration over how different councils interpret purdah rules. |
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Grenfell inquiry: Better communication between councils and fire services needed
30/10/2019 ‘Far better direct communication’ between local authorities and fire and rescue services is needed, an official inquiry has urged. |
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Supporting community members in vulnerable circumstances
24/10/2019 Matthew Drage outlines how councils can ensure they best identify and communicate with the most vulnerable members of their communities. |
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Council backs £54,000 hearing loop scheme
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. |
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Council loses appeal to keep publishing fortnightly newspaper
09/08/2019 Hackney Council has lost its final legal appeal to keep publishing its fortnightly newsletter, Hackney Today. |
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Council to appeal 'town hall Pravdas' ruling
14/06/2019 Waltham Forest LBC will appeal after a judge backed Government attempts to stop it publishing a council newspaper every two weeks. |
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Survey reveals lack of confidence in council communication
25/04/2019 Communications experts have called on local authorities to embrace the advantages of digital communications with residents. |
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Councils accused of not doing enough to prepare for Brexit
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. |
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Brokenshire gets Brexit breakdown from chiefs
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. |
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Councils using premium rate phone lines branded 'greedy'
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. |
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Be the talk of the town (hall)
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’. |
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Saying sorry goes a long way
04/12/2018 Mark Whitehead calls on councils to make a direct apology to the public when something goes wrong. |
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Welsh local councils accused of operating in 'secretive ways'
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. |
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Bouquets or Brickbats?
13/06/2018 Angie Ledgeway looks at the importance of research in delivering effective results for local initiatives. |
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Council leaders dismiss 'Dickensian' perception of authority
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. |
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Council publications: Shameless propaganda or cost-effective communication tool?
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. |
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London council to take legal action over fortnightly newsletter
06/06/2018 Waltham Forest council has confirmed it will launch a legal battle over a government instruction to stop publishing its fortnightly newsletter. |
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Waltham Forest council defends ‘right’ to publish newsletter
01/06/2018 A London council is set to challenge the Government over its right to publish a fortnightly newsletter for residents. |
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Councils urged to implement effective interpretation and translation services
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. |
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Councils protect residents from 'fake news' and scammers
26/02/2018 Local government leaders have issued guidance to help protect residents from scammers pretending to be from the council. |
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Should councils be allowed to publish their own freesheets?
13/02/2018 Mark Whitehead finds out why two London councils have defied the Government by continuing to publish their own fortnightly newspapers. |
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Newspapers call for 'swift legal action' on town hall Pravdas
12/02/2018 Local newspaper bosses say they are worried the Government is going to lift its clampdown on councils issuing their own publications. |
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Local government guide to social media
02/02/2018 Neil Merrick explains how local authorities can get the most from social media and avoid potential pitfalls. |
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Two London councils accused of breaking publicity rules
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’. |
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Council to trial new meeting time to improve accessibilty
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. |
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Lambeth terminates £400,000 communications contract early
16/05/2017 Lambeth Council has terminated an agreement to provide ‘communication services’ to Harrow two years earlier than contracted because of staffing issues. |
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Councils ‘vastly enhance’ roadworks communication
19/04/2017 Local authorities have been praised for ‘vastly enhancing’ their communication about roadworks in their areas over the past three years. |
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One in ten councils to cut comms teams this year
01/03/2017 Councils' communications teams have reached a 'plateau' on staff cuts, new research published today has suggested. |
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Essex council hits out over 'unacceptable' letter to residents
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. |
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Welsh councils urged to cut 'propaganda spend'
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. |
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Town hall 'pravdas' given final warning
05/12/2016 Three councils that have continued to publish regular newspapers have been given a ‘last chance’ to abide by government rules. |
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Who needs telephones? Rolling out Skype for Business in Ealing
04/11/2016 William Eichler finds out why Ealing Council has moved its telephony system to the cloud. |
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Wrexham to implement five-year Welsh language strategy
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. |
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Tricks of the trade
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. |
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Council to adopt gender neutral title on forms
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. |
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Council spends thousands redesigning logo
05/08/2016 A council has defended its decision to spend £15,000 on a new logo as necessary for the ‘digital age’. |
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Council launches 24-hour chat service
19/07/2016 Calderdale Council has become the first local authority to provide a 24-hour instant messaging services for customers. |
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Getting on top of your emails
04/07/2016 Robin Bingeman shares his top tips for email management in local government. |
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Council to rebel against publicity guidelines
17/06/2016 Wirral Council could be set to defy Government guidelines by launching a new monthly publication. |
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Councils 'failing' legal duty to use Welsh language in sport centres
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. |
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BBC deal 'must address democratic deficit'
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. |
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Councils high on worst practice list for debt collection
09/05/2016 Local government one of the worst sectors in the UK when it comes to collecting debt, report finds. |
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Council hits out at funding cut for Cornish language
22/04/2016 Cornwall Council has condemned the government's decision to cut all its funding to support the Cornish language. |
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Councils call for power to protect children from junk food advertising
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. |
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Practise what you preach: Instilling good governance within local government
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. |
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A day in the life of local government
18/11/2015 Councils have thrown themselves into the national #OurDay tweetathon today to spread the word about work done by local authorities. |
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Council approves new Cornish language plan
05/11/2015 A new plan to help protect and promote the Cornish language has been approved by Cornwall Council. |
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Haringey unveils controversial new look
21/09/2015 Haringey council in north London today launched its new look following controversy over a £86,000 rebranding exercise. |
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£86,000 for a new image: money well spent?
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. |
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East Sussex row over 'victim mentality'
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 |
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Safety zone scheme aims to aid lost children
01/09/2015 A new ‘child safe zone’ has been launched in Glasgow to protect children who get lost in the city centre. |
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Revealed: Top 10 daftest queries to council call centres
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. |
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Councils refute 'wasting' millions on media monitoring
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. |
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Council unveils shocking posters in clean-up push
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. |
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Winning the fight against litter
10/08/2015 John Read argues that the only sustainable solution to Britain’s litter problem is a national behavioural change campaign |
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County faces ‘new scale of challenge’ in finding £90m savings
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. |
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Councils successfully getting high-risk people to have a free health check
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. |
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Council accused of 'social cleansing' over tenant relocation letter
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. |
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Birmingham deploys latest apps for election results
06/05/2015 Birmingham City Council is bang up to date with information technology for the General Election. |
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Tory manifesto contains the most ‘political clichés’ finds research
20/04/2015 The Conservatives had the most ‘political clichés’ in their manifesto compared to the other parties, according to new analysis. |
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Councils employ more than double the comms staff than central gov
13/04/2015 Local government employs twice as many communications officers than central government, according to new research conducted by Press Gazette. |
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Importance of imparting information
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 |
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Council newspaper ban to go to High Court
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. |
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Research shows councils providing poor telephone service
23/03/2015 Councils are failing to provide a good customer service over the telephone, according to the results of a new survey. |
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Council to challenge newspaper ban
19/03/2015 Greenwich RBC is to take legal action over the government’s decision to ban it from publishing its weekly newspaper. |
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Funding boost to help Cornish language thrive
13/03/2015 The Government is investing an extra £150,000 to help develop and protect the Cornish language. |
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Councils warned over printing fortnightly newspapers
11/03/2015 Three more councils could be banned from publishing their fortnightly newspapers, ministers have warned. |
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Borough banned from printing weekly newspaper
04/03/2015 Ministers have stepped in to ban a London borough from publishing its weekly council newspaper more than four times a year. |
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Council removes controversial ‘beggars can be choosers’ posters
17/02/2015 A city council has taken down posters stating ‘beggars can be choosers’ following a local backlash. |
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Harrow selects council company to transform communications services
02/02/2015 Lambeth Communications - a local authority trading company - has been chosen to provide services to Harrow Council until 2019. |
