Potholes: Treating the illness not just the symptom
With the publication of the ALARM survey, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, David Giles, talks to LocalGov about investing in local roads.
Litter found in 90% of places in England
29/01/2025 A decade-long study by an environmental charity has exposed the extent of England's litter 'crisis', with more than 90% of surveyed sites found to contain rubbish. |
Scottish Government to decide fate of last man on housing estate
01/11/2024 The Scottish Government will determine what happens to the last man living on a housing estate earmarked for demolition by the local council. |
More than £2.5bn for communities ‘stuck in limbo’
28/10/2024 More than £2.5bn in funding agreed by the previous government for local growth is stuck in limbo, a think-tank has found. |
Not appropriate to remain on X, council says
21/10/2024 Chippenham Town Council has announced it will leave social media platform X amid ‘a significant increase in unfiltered and inappropriate content’. |
Think-tank calls for ‘whole place’ reform
12/09/2024 A new report has called for a ‘whole place’ reform of public services to improve local outcomes and support national missions. |
Police defend TV show role after council criticism
06/09/2024 Bedfordshire Police has defended its involvement in television programme 24 Hours in Police Custody after a council urged the force to drop out of the show. |
Haigh: Councils should decide on traffic measures
22/08/2024 The transport secretary has pledged to back councils that implement low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and 20mph limits, with the new government ‘absolutely determined’ to end the Tories’ ‘culture wars’ approach to transport. |
King Charles visits Southport after fatal stabbings
21/08/2024 The King visited Southport yesterday to meet those affected by the 29 July knife attack and the violent disorder that followed. |
Councils urged to use legal powers to tackle riots
15/08/2024 The Government has urged councils to be ready to use their legal powers to combat rioting as authorities remain on high alert for further disorder. |
Councils praise community spirit after peaceful protests
08/08/2024 Local authorities and police have praised the community spirit of counter-protestors who gathered across England yesterday following recent violent disorder. |
Badenoch takes shadow communities role
09/07/2024 Kemi Badenoch has been named shadow communities secretary by opposition leader Rishi Sunak. |
Stronger Things: 'Go deeper to deal with the age of division'
04/06/2024 Using community power to tackle polarisation requires ‘going deeper and deeper until some of the falsehoods clear out’, New Local’s Stronger Things has heard. |
Stronger Things: Chief champions need to 'renew democracy'
04/06/2024 Councils can ‘renew democracy from the grassroots up,’ a borough chief has claimed in a plea for local authorities to become more community-led. |
Gove warns of ‘explosion in antisemitism’
21/05/2024 Communities secretary Michael Gove today warned of an ‘explosion in antisemitism’ since the outbreak of the latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. |
Call for powers to back up funeral director inspections
01/05/2024 Councils have said they ‘urgently’ need more powers and resources after being tasked with inspecting funeral directors. |
Tower Hamlets mayor criticises removal of pro-Palestine murals
29/04/2024 The decision by council officials in Tower Hamlets to remove murals depicting Palestinian journalists has been criticised by the borough’s mayor. |
Government ignores sugar levy calls
12/04/2024 The Government has ignored Local Government Association (LGA) calls for the sugar levy to be spent by councils to tackle physical inactivity. |
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. |
Core Cities in Household Support Fund warning
01/02/2024 Failing to extend the Household Support Fund will be ‘catastrophic for many people in our poorest communities,’ Core Cities has warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. |
Community Ownership: defending the assets that matter most
16/01/2024 Co-operative Party General Secretary, Joe Fortune, explains how community ownership can help revive the struggling British high street. |
The importance of targeted investment in communities
04/12/2023 Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England, discusses how targeted investment is helping people to get active, and how the strategy can be replicated locally. |
Hanukkah installation paused due to rise in hate crime
30/11/2023 Havering has paused the installation of a Hanukkah Menorah in its town hall due to an increase in hate crimes relating to the Israel-Palestine conflict. |
Land value tax could redistribute billions
09/11/2023 A plan to reform business rates could lead to billions of pounds being redistributed from high land value areas to other parts of the country. |
EXCLUSIVE: Home Office accused of misleading council over asylum plans
24/10/2023 The Home Office faces accusations in the High Court it misled a council over controversial plans for an asylum centre at a former military base. |
Councils try to tackle rising community tensions
19/10/2023 Councils have taken a key role as they seek to tackle rising community tensions stoked by events in Israel and Gaza. |
Council to shut 39 facilities
02/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has decided to close 39 community facilities in response to its financial shortfall. |
How citizens hold the key to decarbonising Britain
18/09/2023 Jonathan Bradley, head of Business and Practice at Granicus Experience Group (GXG) UK, argues that citizens hold the key to decarbonising Britain. |
Empowering local businesses to reach net zero
18/09/2023 Power to Change chief executive Tim Davies-Pugh calls on local councils to empower community business to help achieve their climate goals. |
Councils must think differently to save community hubs
22/08/2023 Jack Woodley, senior consultant, BookingsPlus and Kajima Community urges councils to think differently about how they save community hubs. |
The case for low-traffic neighbourhoods
16/08/2023 Tanya Braun, Living Streets makes the case for low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and argues for an area-by-area approach to reducing the impact of traffic. |
What planning authorities can learn from Garden Cities
09/08/2023 The Garden City idea can help planning authorities reimagine the UK’s towns and cities in an innovative and holistic manner, says Charlotte Llewellyn, TCPA. |
Increased connectivity means increased community
08/08/2023 Nick Wiggin, Freshwave, looks at the relationship between connectivity and community, and discusses the importance of digital champions. |
Trust in councils plummets following pandemic
04/08/2023 Public approval of councils has reached record lows in key areas, according to the latest polling for the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Hertsmere to stop funding community support officers
02/08/2023 Hertsmere Borough Council will no longer pay for police community support officers (PCSOs) and plans to establish its own scheme of enforcement officers. |
Harlow Council seeks injunction over missing community facilities
27/07/2023 Harlow Council said it has applied for an injunction against the three housebuilders of a new development who have failed to provide community facilities. |
Piloting North Yorkshire’s community partnerships
07/06/2023 North Yorkshire Council has given the go-ahead for a series of community partnership pilots. Council leader Carl Les explains the thinking behind the move. |
North Yorkshire Council green lights community partnerships
31/05/2023 North Yorkshire Council yesterday gave the go-ahead for a series of community partnership pilots in an effort to ensure local voices are heard. |
How do you manage the risk of community tensions?
15/05/2023 Community tensions damage lives and local economies. How can we empower local government to recognise and respond to the factors behind them? |
‘Red Wall’ areas score poorly on social fabric index
02/05/2023 Local communities in areas won by the Conservatives from Labour in 2019 have continued to face decline despite the levelling up agenda, think tank finds. |
Councils better placed to deliver welfare than DWP, leaders claim
26/04/2023 Sector representatives were brought before the Work and Pensions Committee to hear their experiences of delivering the Household Support Fund. |
Campaigners call for ‘community-led approach’ to youth violence
25/04/2023 Police powers should be reduced and a ‘community-led approach’ to violence among young people adopted instead, according to campaigners. |
Councils warning over Prevent reforms
28/03/2023 Councils have raised serious concerns about the Government’s proposed Prevent counter-extremism strategy reforms. |
Glasgow seeks more powers
28/03/2023 Glasgow is to formally approach Holyrood and Westminster for more powers to help revitalise its city centre. |
Councils to get more powers over anti-social behaviour
27/03/2023 Councils will be handed extra powers alongside increased accountability for tackling anti-social behaviour. |
Budget’s lack of social care support ‘disappointing’
16/03/2023 Council leaders welcomed the new funding in yesterday's budget but were disappointed by absence of investment in social care, health and children’s services. |
Labour should tackle erosion of local government, report says
01/03/2023 Labour must overcome obstacles including the erosion of local government if it wants to carry out its pledge to empower communities, says campaign group. |
£165,000 fund available to make Liverpool a ‘greener place’
20/02/2023 Community groups across Liverpool City Region are able to bid for a share of a £165,000 fund as part of a push to make the area a ‘cleaner and greener place’. |
Council officer praised after crossbow-wielding man arrested
02/02/2023 A Barking and Dagenham Council community ranger has been praised after their actions led to the arrest of a man armed with a crossbow. |
It’s time to re-think the retail-dominated model of our high streets
25/11/2022 With levelling up back on the agenda, Nick Plumb argues there is a need for a new approach to our high streets that moves beyond the retail-dominated model. |
Exempt accommodation system a ‘complete mess’
26/10/2022 MPs have called for more powers for councils in an overhaul of supported housing. |
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. |
Council chiefs welcome call for £1bn skills funding
22/09/2022 Council leaders have welcomed a call to move away from the top-down approach to skills, and to provide communities with the funding needed to boost employment. |
Mayor 'baffled' by community unrest
20/09/2022 Leicester’s directly-elected mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, has said he is ‘baffled’ by the widespread disorder in the city. |
Preparing for climate change on the ground
30/08/2022 Duncan Shaw explores the impact of unprecedented and unpredictable weather patterns in the UK, and the role local authorities have to play in ensuring communities can cope. |
New £350m fund could help communities revive high streets
10/08/2022 A new study has called for the creation of a fund that can help local communities takeover empty high street buildings as a record number of shops stand empty. |
Civic pride about more than just ‘hanging baskets’, experts say
04/08/2022 Experts from the University of Cambridge have called on the next Prime Minister to invest £1bn in local communities to boost civic pride. |
Local faith-based groups receive £1.3m boost
01/08/2022 Sixteen faith-based groups are set to benefit from a £1.3m investment to support their work with the most vulnerable people in local communities. |
Council to create 'warm spaces' for residents unable to heat their homes
14/07/2022 Gateshead Council is looking to create a network of 'Warm Spaces' to help residents that can't afford to heat their homes this winter. |
Communities to have more control over changes to street names
07/07/2022 Councils will need agreement from two-thirds of local residents and business owners in order to change street names, under plans by the Government. |
First Big Local area distributes £1.15m grant
28/06/2022 The first of 150 areas taking part in a long-term funding programme helping residents deliver community projects has distributed all of its £1.15m grant. |
Campaigners call for ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ to cut emissions
28/06/2022 All new homes should be within 10 minutes’ walk from shops and schools if the UK is to reduce its carbon emissions, sustainable transport campaigners say. |
Second round of £150m Community Ownership Fund opens for bids
13/06/2022 Community groups are being urged to bid for a share of £150m to rescue cultural buildings that would otherwise be lost. |
Activating our high streets by rethinking housing models and embracing co-living
06/06/2022 Simon Bird argues that by finding different ways to live and activate spaces, we can create new communities and boost the vitality of our urban economies. |
Over 100 village halls to share £3m improvement fund
31/05/2022 More than 100 village halls will be refurbished as part of a £3m fund to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. |
Council launches West Midland’s first community investment fund
20/05/2022 Telford & Wrekin Council has launched the West Midland’s first crowdfunding campaign to try and raise half a million pounds for green initiatives. |
Eight more projects benefit from Community Ownership Fund
19/05/2022 Community groups have been given more than £2.2m of government funding to take control of eight venues at risk of being lost forever. |
Communities should be empowered to tackle cost of living crisis
06/05/2022 Over two thirds of people responding to a recent poll argue that more power should be given to local communities to tackle the cost of living crisis. |
A deep dive into levelling up
28/04/2022 A new research programme is developing a prototype for levelling up rooted in the local through a series of focused studies of communities. Adam Hawksbee reports from the first visits to Oldham and Walsall. |
New £10m fund to help create traveller sites
21/03/2022 Local authorities are being given access to a £10m fund to support the creation of new traveller sites, the Government announced yesterday. |
Birmingham becomes the UK’s first Compassionate City
16/03/2022 Birmingham has been crowned the UK's first Compassionate City for the way it supports people who are grieving, living with a serious illness and caregivers. |
Twenty-five areas awarded £3m to create local design standards
11/03/2022 Twenty-five areas across England have been awarded a share of £3m by the Government to help them set their own standards for design locally. |
The role of ‘citizen science’ in air monitoring
21/02/2022 LocalGov caught up with Claudio Parrinello, CEO and founder of PlanetWatch, to find how air quality monitoring is being disrupted on a global scale by leveraging advanced technologies and the power of communities. |
Citizen expectations for local authority reporting services revealed
21/02/2022 More transparency and fewer apps top requirements from citizens for local authority reporting services, new research from citizen-centred digital services provider SocietyWorks reveals. |
Citizen expectations for local authority reporting services revealed
18/02/2022 More transparency and fewer apps top requirements from citizens for local authority reporting services, new research from citizen-centred digital services provider SocietyWorks reveals. |
Welsh communities 'least empowered in Britain' to protect assets
17/02/2022 Welsh communities are the least empowered in Britain to protect land and assets, a new report has warned today. |
How councils can harness the power of 'collective intelligence'
14/02/2022 Can councils use collective behavior to ensure that policy translates into effective action? William Eichler investigates. |
Improving the lives of UK social housing residents
12/01/2022 A new report has revealed UK social housing residents want to feel a greater sense of community and improved safety, finds Doug Sarney. |
Management team split for Hampshire councils
06/01/2022 East Hampshire DC and Havant BC will establish their own management teams after a 12-year partnership, the councils have announced. |
Bury council welcomes £1m bid to buy football ground
24/12/2021 Town hall leaders have welcomed the news that a bid to acquire Gigg Lane and bring back football to the stadium has won Government funding. |
A unique moment in time
15/12/2021 At The MJ’s recent Future Forum, BT outlined the immense opportunities digital and online services are currently offering councils – and the chance for true innovation must be taken. |
Campaigners call for new law to empower communities
01/12/2021 Campaigners have called for a new Community Power Act to give communities a legal right to self-determination. |
The case for building back resilient
18/11/2021 Chris Clarke warns that new research show that widening inequalities have the potential to fuel political polarisation and division. |
Heritage Development Trusts: Helping create distinctive futures for our towns and cities
12/11/2021 Matthew Mckeague explains how in Coventry a pioneering new model – known as a Heritage Development Trust – is helping revive historic buildings in the city and take community ownership and asset transfer in an ambitious direction. |
13 councils chosen to pilot new ways of working
09/11/2021 The Government has announced which 13 councils in England have been chosen to trial new ways of working to help target specific issues in local areas. |
20 councils urge Gove to ‘level up’ social capital
05/11/2021 The Government has been urged to ‘level up’ social capital in order to ensure community resilience, leaders from 20 councils have said. |
How Redbridge is taking a bold approach to cutting crime
03/11/2021 Dr Javed Kahn explains how other local authorities can use the Redbridge Community Crime Commission as a blueprint for finding solutions to crime in their community. |
Eight Scottish community groups awarded £1m
14/10/2021 Eight local community groups in Scotland have been awarded £1m to help them take ownership of land and buildings that matter to them. |
Think tank calls for more community involvement in local plans
04/10/2021 A think tank has called for the setting up of two new national funds to help communities have more of a say in local plans and to ensure plans are sustainable. |
Tory MPs make case for 'double devolution'
04/10/2021 New agreements that ensure power is shared between councils and local communities would help really level up the country, a new report has argued today. |
More than £1m to help city recover from Keyham shootings
23/09/2021 More than £1m has been allocated to help Plymouth recover from the Keyham tragedy. |
National and local governments must do more to support locals to save their pubs
01/09/2021 Vidhya Alakeson explains what action local councils can take to help support community-owned pubs. |
How can open data compliment community development?
24/08/2021 Nathan Coyle outlines the mechanisms and tools to help councils to take citizen engagement on the issue seriously |
Community-led housing groups given access to £4m fund
24/08/2021 The Government has launched a £4m fund to help community groups build homes in their neighbourhood. |
An energy market reform that would help local communities and the planet
19/07/2021 Steve Shaw explains why community energy is a tried-and-tested means of engaging people in the energy system. |
Council chiefs launch campaign to ‘Build Back Local’
06/07/2021 Local authority leaders have insisted that the Government must guarantee long-term investment for local services in order to ensure the country’s economic and social recovery after the pandemic. |
LGiU report calls for a local government-led Building Back Better commission
16/06/2021 A local government-led Building Back Better commission should be part of a new place settlement after the pandemic, a new report from the LGiU think-tank has urged. |
Report calls for greater council powers to protect future of high street
26/05/2021 Councils and local communities should be given more power to decide the future of their high streets, a new report has argued today. |
Community resilience: A new capability for local resilience
18/05/2021 Duncan Shaw and David Powell explore the role local government can play in bringing together communities to build resilient behaviours and networks. |
More than 100 leisure centres could go bust, DCN warns
13/05/2021 More than 100 leisure centres in England could go bust due to the coronavirus crisis, district councils have warned. |
Scotland has some of least local councils in Europe, says campaign group
04/05/2021 Scotland has some of the least local councils in Europe and is lagging behind England in terms of voter representation per councillor, new research has found. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.
