Building Healthier Communities: The Case for Investing in Public Health
Explore how targeted, community-based public health strategies can improve lives, reduce NHS pressure, and deliver cost savings for local authorities.
Council staff 'live in fear of abuse, assault or worse'
03/06/2024 Council staff and members often live ‘in fear of abuse, assault or worse,’ experts have warned. |
Scots government 'unlikely' to create equal pay body
19/04/2024 Scottish Government ministers are unlikely to establish a national equal pay unit, despite calls from the trade union that led to strikes over the issue. |
Deprivation of Liberty backlog 'may never be eradicated'
08/03/2024 A report has called for councils to get more resources to tackle the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) backlog. |
Warnings over job cuts repercussions
28/02/2024 Councils embarking on mass job cuts have been warned it will have grave repercussions for the senior managers of the future. |
DLUHC claims four-day week council saw spike in agency staff
30/01/2024 South Cambridgeshire DC’s controversial four-day week trial is under fresh scrutiny after data revealed a spike in agency work and opponents challenged costs. |
Croydon cleared of discrimination claims
02/01/2024 Croydon LBC and its chief executive Katherine Kerswell have been cleared of allegations of racial discrimination by an employment tribunal. |
Mayor failed to intervene following bullying
27/11/2023 Details have emerged of a bullying probe at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority that found mayor Nik Johnson breached the organisation’s code of conduct. |
Autumn Statement: Living Wage hike places council budgets under pressure
22/11/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed the biggest-ever hike in the UK minimum wage – but the move places strained council finances under fresh pressure. |
Councils at ‘significant legal risk’ over issues facing monitoring officers
10/11/2023 A report has called for the creation of a professional body for monitoring officers and a review of council structures to ensure their position within the ‘top tier of governance’. |
Call for curbs on agency staff
03/11/2023 Curbs on social care agencies have been put forward as solutions to Bradford Council’s soaring staffing costs. |
DLUHC advises councils on four-day week
26/10/2023 The Government has issued guidance for English councils on four-day weeks and said it is exploring other measures ‘to ensure the sector is clear’ that the practice should not be pursued. |
Gove attacks four-day week 'nonsense' in conference speech
03/10/2023 Local government secretary Michael Gove delivered a speech to the Conservative Party Conference light on new policies and laden with election slogans. |
Swindon children's services 'inadequate'
11/09/2023 Swindon BC’s children’s services have been judged inadequate by Ofsted. |
Quarter of jobs go unfilled at Scottish councils
05/09/2023 Almost a quarter of job vacancies at Scotland’s councils were not filled last year, according to new figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives. |
Increase in council staff working from abroad
04/09/2023 More than 1,350 requests from council staff to work from overseas have been approved over the past three years, according to new data. |
Councils urged to check pay policies following tribunal
24/08/2023 Councils could be at risk of breaking the law on pay to senior officers in the wake of Croydon LBC’s recent tribunal loss, employers have warned. |
‘Mass exodus’ claims at North Lincolnshire
14/08/2023 North Lincolnshire Council is facing a ‘mass exodus’ of senior staff, opposition members have claimed. |
Northumberland exit payments were unlawful
25/07/2023 Six severance payments totalling more than £1m made by Northumberland Council to senior officers were unlawful, the council’s section 151 officer has concluded. |
Council chiefs named in King's Birthday Honours
19/06/2023 Council officers and members were among those to be named on the King’s Birthday Honours list this year. |
Council staff respond to Sudan evacuation
02/05/2023 Councils have been urged to ‘apply maximum flexibility’ when UK nationals returning from Sudan present as homeless. |
LGA moves to tackle workforce crisis
10/03/2023 The association’s executive advisory board heard that all of the LGA’s policy boards had highlighted ‘significant workforce capacity challenges’. |
Camden first to publish pension gender gap
07/03/2023 Female Camden LBC employees receive a quarter less from their pensions than male employees, according to first pension gender gap report by a council. |
'Progress falls short' at Nottingham
02/02/2023 Nottingham City Council has been too slow in turning around its finances, according to the team charged with overseeing its recovery. |
Councillors split on solution to workforce crisis
26/01/2023 The LGA’s executive advisory board considered a survey that found more than nine in 10 councils were experiencing staff recruitment difficulties. |
Engaging with your employees
06/12/2022 The issue of employee engagement is fast becoming one of the most significant in many sectors, not least that of local government. Measuring it can be key to retaining existing staff and helping to recruit new ones, as Gary Cattermole explains. |
Auditor hands statutory recommendations to two councils
04/11/2022 Two councils have been issued with rare statutory recommendations by their external auditor. |
Council pay offer accepted by unions
02/11/2022 Local government trade unions have accepted a pay offer that equates to a 10.5% increase for the lowest-paid workers. |
Call for new minimum wage to lift social care workers out of 'poverty pay'
25/10/2022 Care and support workers should be paid at least £15 per hour to help tackle the cost of living crisis, a trade union has said today. |
Warning council staff could strike again within weeks
24/10/2022 Local government workers in Scotland could be back on strike within weeks, trade unions have warned. |
Solace Summit: recruitment crisis laid bare
13/10/2022 The scale of the recruitment crisis facing councils has been laid bare at the Solace Summit. |
One in five care workers living in poverty, report shows
11/10/2022 Residential care workers are more likely to be living in poverty and deprivation than other UK workers, new analysis has revealed today. |
Council offers all staff volutary redundancy
16/09/2022 Northumberland Council has offered all of its staff the option of voluntary redundancy as it attempts to rein in a predicted £12m budget overspend. |
Councils to maintain services on bank holiday
13/09/2022 The public should be able to access information and key local services should continue during the period of mourning leading up to the state funeral, Whitehall has said. |
How technology can help local governments tackle the challenge of staff turnover
30/08/2022 James Scott explores how technology help alleviate the issue of staff turnover in local councils. |
ONS: Public sector pay 'lags behind' private sector
16/08/2022 Public sector pay rises continue to lag well behind the private sector according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). |
Unison to put pay deal to its members
01/08/2022 Unison has vowed to consult its members on the flat rate pay rise offered to all council staff. |
Unite rejects local government pay offer
28/07/2022 Unite has rejected the flat rate pay rise offered to all council staff this week. |
Council workers in Scotland vote for strike action
27/07/2022 Thousands of Scottish council workers have voted to strike in a dispute over the offered pay rise. |
Employers put forward flat rate rise in council staff pay
25/07/2022 Employers have offered a flat rate pay rise of £1,925 to all council staff. |
Protection is a two-way street
25/07/2022 Russ Langthorne outlines how the workforce can be protected from the debilitating effects of HAVS and WBV through real-time, accurate and objective monitoring and measurement. |
Social care faces 'most challenging year'
19/07/2022 Inflation and a labour market crisis are expected to add to long-term pressures caused by austerity and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services’ (ADASS) spring survey has found. |
Councils bring forward bin collections to protect staff during heatwave
18/07/2022 Councils across the country will be collecting bins, garden waste and recycling an hour earlier over the next two days to limit staff exposure to high temperatures. |
Councils look at shared leadership team
19/04/2022 Two district councils are expected to draw up plans for sharing a single leadership team. |
Councils warn of 'staffing crisis' amid exodus
03/03/2022 Councils have warned of a ‘staffing crisis’ as the number of children and family social workers quitting the profession hits a five-year high. |
Why compassionate leadership is needed in local government
28/01/2022 Michelle Harte shares how compassionate leadership is critical to ensure our leaders are future-fit. |
Blaenau Gwent receives damning report in public interest
28/01/2022 Auditors said oversight of the council's waste company was ‘inadequate’ for more than a decade. |
Council care workers earn thousands of pounds a year less in real terms, says TUC
26/01/2022 Local government care workers earn £1,600 less a year in real terms compared to 2010, new analysis has revealed. |
Council calls on staff to volunteer for social care roles
10/01/2022 North Yorkshire County Council has urged staff working in non-critical services to volunteer for social care roles due to the pressures caused by the spread of Omicron. |
Royal recognition for local government figures
04/01/2022 Senior figures from the Local Government Association (LGA) have received awards in the Queen’s New Year Honours. |
Council forced to close down buildings following threat to staff
15/12/2021 Middlesbrough Council was forced to lock down its buildings and facilities for three hours yesterday in response to a 'specific threat' made against staff. |
Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2021
06/12/2021 From the ongoing dispute over council pay, to how local government is adjusting in the wake of the pandemic, here are the most popular 100 stories on LocalGov from 2021. |
Union starts ballot for strike action
02/12/2021 A trade union has started balloting 370,000 council and school staff for strike action over the 'inadequate' pay offer. |
Care staffing levels are ‘dangerously low' survey warns
24/11/2021 Nearly a third (31%) of care workers have warned staffing levels are ‘dangerously low’, according to a new survey. |
Is a multi-skilled workforce the future of local government?
17/11/2021 Chris Hornung explains why multi-skilling can provide councils with the tools needed to bridge the gap between different areas, streamline communication and improve productivity?. |
Birmingham could face new equal pay claims
12/11/2021 Birmingham City Council is facing an equal pay ‘crisis’, a trade union has warned. |
Council to offer all staff a free flu jab
12/10/2021 Moray Council will offer all its staff the chance to get the seasonal flu vaccination in a bid to reduce sickness absence and improve wellbeing. |
More unions announce strike ballots
06/10/2021 Two more trade unions have moved a step closer to industrial action after members rejected the latest pay offer. |
District boosts pay to tackle shortage of bin drivers
05/10/2021 South Holland District Council has agreed to increase pay for its waste and recycling teams in response to the national shortage of drivers. |
Call to give care staff priority access to fuel
28/09/2021 The Government has been urged to introduce emergency measures to ensure social care staff can get fuel for their cars. |
The role of safety technology in a changing workplace
03/09/2021 Naz Dossa examines the changes in working practices and how technology is playing an increasingly vital role in staff safety and security. |
The local government workforce: equal by default
26/08/2021 The APSE Commission message is clear: we need a well-trained, properly rewarded workforce to meet local public services’ future challenges, says Heather Wakefield. |
Three Lincolnshire councils agree new partnership
06/08/2021 Boston Borough, East Lindsey and South Holland District Councils have agreed to share a management team and workforce under the largest partnership of its kind in the country. |
Unions urge pinged staff to isolate
02/08/2021 Unions have urged waste and recycling staff to stay at home if ‘pinged’ by the COVID-19 app despite several councils having to reduce or suspend services. |
Long COVID - lessons for local government employers
30/07/2021 Sarah Gilzean explains why local government must set the standard for dealing with Long COVID in the workplace. |
How can local government harness the hybrid working opportunity?
28/07/2021 Gareth Johns explores how the hybrid workplace can help councils drive down costs and improve working processes. |
PM urged to intervene over council pay
27/07/2021 A trade union has urged the Prime Minister to make funding available to give council workers a 'fair' pay rise. |
Council pay offer increases to 1.75%
27/07/2021 Council employers have offered an improved 'final' pay offer to staff but have offered council chief executives and chief officers a lower increase. |
Local government workers on self-isolation exemption list
23/07/2021 Local government has been included on a list of sectors that may be allowed to ignore COVID self-isolation rules, the Government has confirmed today. |
County approves hybrid model of working for staff
19/07/2021 Nottinghamshire County Council will adopt a hybrid model of flexible working from October. |
Workers and communities deserve better than poverty pay and degraded services
08/07/2021 Steve Turner, who is standing to become the next general secretary of Unite the Union, pledges to end the outsourcing of council services and campaign for better pay. |
A new deal for workers in local government
24/06/2021 Sharon Graham, who is standing to become the next general secretary of Unite the Union, sets out her priorities for local government workers. |
Council calls for sentence review after attack on litter warden
21/06/2021 Dudley Council has criticised the 'unduly lenient' sentences given to two men who attacked and racially abused a litter warden. |
Unions rejects 'insulting' council pay offer
24/05/2021 Two trade unions have rejected the 1.5% pay offer from the national local government employers. |
London council offers paid leave for miscarriage sufferers
12/05/2021 Barking and Dagenham Council has announced it will give paid leave for any of its staff who suffer the loss of an unborn baby. |
Unions reject councils’ pay offer
26/04/2021 Scottish members of two trade unions have voted to reject a pay offer from councils, raising the prospect of strike action. |
COVID-19: Is local government the 'forgotten partner' of the pandemic?
23/03/2021 As part of our survey into the impact this past year has had on council staff, we asked readers for their comments. Many were angry that the role local government has played in the pandemic has not always been appreciated by Government or the general public. |
COVID-19: How has the past year affected council staff?
23/03/2021 Council staff have been left feeling ‘undervalued and overwhelmed’ this past year as a result of COVID-19, according to an exclusive survey by LocalGov. |
One year on, councils will be central to recovery
18/03/2021 After an extraordinary year, council staff are exhausted, worn down and facing further cuts, says Heather Jameson. But she has no doubt they will continue to rise to the challenge 'whether it is in an office, at home or on a laptop anywhere'. |
How to reduce spending on temporary staff and boost employee engagement
25/02/2021 Scott Erwin calls on councils to adopt a ‘dynamic staffing’ model to combine the use of agency staff with more stable budgeting. |
How to support employee wellbeing within local authorities
19/02/2021 Grainne Elliott outlines the four wellbeing needs of local authority employees. |
Women on the frontline are 'exhausted' survey warns
17/02/2021 Women working in local government have warned the emotional, physical and financial impact of the pandemic is taking its toll, a new survey has revealed. |
Unions call for 10% pay rise for council staff
16/02/2021 Three local government unions have called for a wage increase of at least 10% for all council and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. |
Treasury scraps cap on public sector exit payments
12/02/2021 The Government has dropped its controversial cap on public sector exit payments after admitting it had ‘unintended consequences’. |
Nottingham plans £100m asset sale
19/01/2021 The council has identified £100m of assets for sale as part of a plan to bring its finances under control. |
Mass testing for asymptomatic COVID-19 rolled out to all local authorities
11/01/2021 All local authorities will be able to offer asymptomatic community testing to critical workers from this week. |
New Year Honours awarded to local government workers
04/01/2021 Figures across local government have been recognised for their response to the pandemic in the 2021 New Year Honours list. |
Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2020
16/12/2020 Although the dispute over council pay caused the most stir in the local government sector this year, the impact of dealing with the pandemic obviously dominated the headlines as well. |
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Council chiefs concerned about impact of COVID-19 testing on ‘exhausted’ school staff
16/12/2020 Local authority leaders have raised concerns about the impact of the Government’s plan to roll out coronavirus testing in schools on already overstretched school staff. |
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Report praises local authority and volunteer partnership during COVID-19
16/12/2020 A new report has praised the way local authorities in Wales worked with the third sector to protect vulnerable people during the pandemic. |
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Man convicted for dropping bowling ball on council worker’s head
15/12/2020 A man has been convicted of grievous bodily harm after he dropped a bowling ball on a council worker’s head from an upper window. |
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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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How can local authorities return to the office safely?
04/12/2020 Sarah Gilzean outlines what steps local authorities should take to ensure a safe return to the office. |
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Spending Review: Public sector pay increase for low earners
25/11/2020 Public sector worker wage increases will be limited to the lowest paid, the chancellor has announced this afternoon. |
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District council workers agree to strike next month
18/11/2020 Up to 1,000 workers at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council are set to strike following a row about pay and conditions. |
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Council leaders recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List
12/10/2020 Council leaders and staff have been recognised in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for their services to local government. |
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Councils and COVID-19: Preparing for the winter
25/09/2020 Ian Caminsky explores what impact the pandemic has had on employee absence in local government. |
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Four-day week in public sector could create 500,000 new jobs, think tank argues
01/09/2020 The public sector should pioneer a shorter working week with no loss of pay, a think tank has argued. |
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Leaving home: life post-council
28/08/2020 Amy McGregor-Dainton, a council communications officer on sabbatical from Australia in the UK, explains what she misses about working in local government. |
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Local government pay deal agreed
21/08/2020 Local government has accepted a 2.75% pay increase, it has been confirmed, despite objections from Unite. |
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COVID-19 spotlights information management shortcomings in local government
20/08/2020 James Paton highlights the glaring gaps in information management capabilities and provides some practical action points.? |
