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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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.? |
Four in five council staff working from home
19/08/2020 The number of council staff working from home has rocketed from 5% pre-lockdown to 80%, according to new research. |
Are you doing enough to protect your lone workers?
18/08/2020 Naz Dossa explains why it is essential that local authorities consider the safety and psychological effects of staff working alone. |
Unite members reject 'insulting' council pay offer
17/08/2020 The majority of members of Unite the union have rejected the 2.75% pay offer. |
Chancellor accused of 'selective memory' over council workers' pay
21/07/2020 Council staff are the 'forgotten army of public service' and are being denied a 'decent' pay rise, a union said today. |
Unite to ballot members over ‘insulting’ council pay offer
12/06/2020 Around 100,000 council workers will be asked if they want to accept or reject the 2.75% pay offer. |
Covid-19: Wirral Council workforce case study
13/05/2020 Wirral Council explains how it has managed to engage and support its workforce during the Covid-19 pandemic. |
Colchester Borough Council to furlough staff
07/05/2020 A council in Essex is set to furlough some of its staff in order to limit the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. |
Council staff to test contact-tracing app on the Isle of Wight
05/05/2020 Council staff on the Isle of Wight will be the first to test a new contact tracing app to help control the spread of coronavirus. |
Successful homeworking: from BT’s people to you
04/05/2020 Homeworking might be new to your organisation, but there are lots of ways to make it work for you says Dr Nicola Millard. |
Coronavirus testing extended to frontline council staff
24/04/2020 Council staff with symptoms of Covid-19 will be able to get tested for the virus, the Government has announced. |
Council staff will be deployed for Covid-19 contact tracing
21/04/2020 Council staff will be deployed to help spot, trace and isolate new cases of coronavirus, the Welsh Government has confirmed. |
Council considers placing some staff on furlough
17/04/2020 A Scottish council is considering furloughing a limited number of workers in a bid to limit the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis. |
Unions slam 'woefully low' council pay offer
17/04/2020 The Government should provide extra funding to give council workers a 'proper' pay rise during the pandemic crisis, trade unions have said. |
Council workers offered a 2.75% pay rise
16/04/2020 Trade unions have been urged to accept a 2.75% pay increase for council staff. |
Scottish unions blast 'inconsistent' way councils are handling coronavirus
02/04/2020 Trade unions in Scotland have criticised the ‘inconsistent’ approach to protecting council staff from coronavirus. |
Councils report ‘sickening’ attacks on staff
30/03/2020 Council staff have been subject to unacceptable physical and verbal assaults during the coronavirus crisis, including one council worker having their leg broken. |
Glasgow council seeks 1,500 voluntary redundancies
24/03/2020 Glasgow City Council has announced that it is offering voluntary redundancies to its staff in order to reduce its wage bill in the face of heavy budgetary pressures, including an over £500m equal pay bill. |
Who is considered a keyworker?
20/03/2020 What job roles are considered critical by the Government in fighting the Covid-19 response? It has now published a list of those key workers. |
Strategic workforce planning
09/03/2020 Michael Culshaw explains why local government needs a a strategic workforce plan whitepaper. |
Unions reject 'disappointing' 2% council pay offer
05/02/2020 Trade unions have rejected a 2% pay increase for council staff and called on employers to 'come up with a better offer'. |
Unions blast 'unnecessary' delay to council staff pay rise decision
23/01/2020 Trade unions have criticised employers for failing to make a pay offer to local government staff yet. |
Power failure closes down council's headquarters
11/12/2019 A power failure has forced Dundee Council to close its headquarters for a second day. |
Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2019
10/12/2019 From calls to a 10% pay rise for council staff to declaring a climate change emergency, here is our countdown of the 100 most popular stories on LocalGov during 2019. |
Decision on council staff pay rise delayed until the New Year
06/11/2019 A leading union negotiator has questioned local government employers' good faith after they decided to delay responding to their 10% pay claim until the New Year. |
Council workers to lobby for 10% pay rise
04/11/2019 Unions are set to protest in support of their 10% pay claim when local government employers meet in London tomorrow. |
Living wage boost would benefit hundreds of thousands of council staff
08/10/2019 Workers stand to gain from politicians' pledges to increase the National Living Wage. |
Council staff urged to take part in future of work survey
05/09/2019 Local government workers have been invited to take part in a new survey on the future of work. |
Formal dispute opened by union at Northamptonshire
13/08/2019 A trade union has lodged a dispute with Northamptonshire CC. |
In a nutshell: the 2020-21 local government pay claim
29/07/2019 Mark Whitehead explores the context behind the union's bid for a 10% pay increase for council staff. |
Unions set to propose 10% pay rise for council staff
17/07/2019 Better work-life balance and support for mental health are likely to be elements in a pay claim being agreed by local government unions, LocalGov can reveal. |
Northern Ireland council staff sickness at highest level in nearly 30 years
18/06/2019 Sick leave at Northern Ireland councils is at its highest level since 1990, with nearly 15 days lost per employee a year, auditors have warned. |
Care workers suffer from 6,000 violent attacks
10/06/2019 Care workers suffered more than 6,000 violent attacks resulting in serious injuries during the last five years, shocking new figures have shown. |
Study sets out how best to empower electoral officials
06/06/2019 Organisations running elections do better when they tackle stress among their employees, according to academics. |
CEOs in local government the least trusted, research shows
05/06/2019 Top bosses in local and national government are the least trusted by their employees, according to new research. |
Helping to tackle bullying and harassment
28/05/2019 Sylvia Sage outlines how councils can tackle inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. |
South Ribble Council chief executive placed on ‘special leave’
28/05/2019 The chief executive of South Ribble Council and her two deputies has been put on ‘special leave’ until further notice, the local authority has confirmed. |
Capping exit payments in the public sector
07/05/2019 Kim Howell explores how the ongoing uncertainty about the proposed cap on exit payments should be managed by employers in local government. |
Understanding absenteeism and presenteeism in local government
16/04/2019 Has local government found the cure for its absenteeism issues? Louise Chapman reports. |
Treasury moves to ban six-figure ‘golden goodbyes’ in local government
10/04/2019 The Government has launched a consultation into ending six-figure ‘golden goodbyes’ for public sector staff. |
Local government employment at ‘record low’
20/03/2019 The number of people employed in the local government sector has plummeted to a ‘new record low’, data reveals. |
How digitisation will put the human into HR
27/02/2019 Simon Fowler explains about how local government employee engagement can be supercharged by HR professionals learning to harness data and technology. |
Sexual harassment is everyone's problem, not just the rich and powerful
22/02/2019 Is local government failing to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace? Mark Whitehead investigates. |
Council staff should be better protected against sexual harassment
18/02/2019 Council staff should have better protection against unwelcome advances by people using public services, Unison has warned. |
Ashford BC offers £3,000 bursary to undergraduates
14/01/2019 A Kent council has approved the introduction of an undergraduate work placement and bursary scheme - the first of its kind amongst local authorities in the county. |
Councils to save £90,000 by sharing top staff
10/01/2019 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough councils have announced plans to share more of their top personnel in order to make efficiency savings. |
Redundancy of Bournemouth council boss to cost £475,000
09/01/2019 The redundancy of Bournemouth Borough Council’s managing director will cost the council around £475,000 as part of the merger of Dorset’s councils. |
We need to give more attention to our middle management and frontline teams
04/01/2019 If we want to land changes across our organisations then we have to take people on the journey says Danny Longbottom. |
'Fairytale of New York' most loved song of local government
19/12/2018 Local government leaders enjoy ‘place-based’ Christmas songs, think tank concludes, as nearly half select The Pogues’ classic as their favourite. |
Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2018
11/12/2018 From council pay rises to troubled outsourcing firms, here is our countdown of the 100 most popular stories on LocalGov during 2018. |
Over 28,000 council jobs cut in Wales
27/11/2018 More than 28,000 local authority jobs have been lost in Wales as a result of Whitehall spending cuts, a union has revealed. |
Council scraps plans to force staff to take unpaid leave
19/11/2018 Somerset County Council has backed down over a plan force staff to take two days unpaid leave over Christmas. |
Shropshire Council staff told to work from home ‘one day a month’
09/11/2018 Staff at Shropshire Council have been told they must work from home one day a month as the authority struggles to get a grip on its finances. |
Hopes emerge as talks resume following Glasgow strike
25/10/2018 Mark Whitehead explores what led thousands of council staff to strike in Glasgow this week. |
Council staff to strike over equal pay claims
22/10/2018 Thousands of women at one of the UK's biggest councils are set to walk out on strike for two days this week over equal pay. |
Local government workers: an uncertain future
19/10/2018 With some councils forcing staff to take unpaid holiday leave in an effort to save money, Mark Whitehead explores what impact this will have on the workforce. |
Number of social services staff in Wales drops for 11th year in a row
19/10/2018 The number of staff in council social services departments in Wales has fallen by almost a quarter in the last 11 years, according to the latest figures. |
Payday loans or credit unions?
24/09/2018 With councils being urged to provide payday loans to their staff through payroll systems, Mark Whitehead considers if this is a better option than using existing schemes like credit unions. |
Public sector workers doing '40 million hours of unpaid overtime'
24/09/2018 Support staff in the public sector are doing more than 40 million hours of unpaid overtime a year, according to local government union Unison. |
Council staff urged to reject 3% pay increase in Scotland
10/09/2018 Unison is calling on its local government members to reject the new offer of a 3% pay rise. |
Council offers ‘additional’ paid leave after premature births
08/08/2018 South Ayrshire Council employees with children who receive hospital care following a premature birth are being given additional paid maternity and paternity leave. |
Staff churn in local government - an unsustainable reality
26/07/2018 Garry Nelson explains how councils can improve effective talent acquisition, retention and development programmes. |
Council staff drop multi-million legal claims against Birmingham City Council
26/06/2018 A multi-million pound raft of legal claims over sex discrimination have been dropped by Birmingham City Council workers without explanation. |
A cry for help?
21/06/2018 With a survey suggesting half of council workers are considering quitting their jobs, Mark Whitehead considers how important it is for managers to ease the fears of the local government workforce. |
Half of council staff considering quitting their job, survey finds
18/06/2018 Half of council workers are thinking of leaving their job for less stressful work elsewhere, according to a new survey by trade union Unison. |
Gender pay gap: what next for councils?
05/06/2018 Mark Whitehead finds out why two London councils have signed up to a new scheme to help women climb the career ladder. |
A clash of cultures?
16/05/2018 Mark Whitehead considers if the local government workplace has suffered due to councils adopting a more market-friendly approach. |
Council to take pay dispute to Supreme Court
10/05/2018 Nottingham City Council is to take a dispute with its staff over incremental pay rises to the Supreme Court. |
Report calls for a bespoke workforce deal with the EU
03/05/2018 Only a bespoke workforce deal with the EU would allow the public sector to recruit top-end talent as well as sufficient numbers of skilled workers and lower-skilled staff, according to finance chiefs. |
Council's pay freeze is ruled unlawful by Court of Appeal
23/04/2018 Nottingham City Council was wrong to impose a freeze on incremental pay rises, the Court of Appeal has ruled. |
Scottish council staff urged to reject ‘unacceptable’ pay offer
13/04/2018 A Scottish trade union has urged its members to reject the offer of a pay increase up to 3%. |
More than 2,000 council staff earn over £100,000
11/04/2018 More than 2,300 council employees were paid more than £100,000 in 2016-17, according to the latest ‘town hall rich list’. |
Unison accepts 2% pay rise for local government staff
10/04/2018 A two-year pay deal for more than one million local government workers looks likely to go ahead after the biggest of the three unions involved decided to accept it. |
Gender pay gap data - treat with caution
10/04/2018 Mark Whitehead explains why the new gender pay gap figures reveal a somewhat more mixed picture of what is actually going on. |
Early figures suggest men earn 6% more than women in local government
28/03/2018 Men in local government earn on average 6% per hour more than women according to the latest data being collected by the Government. |
Council chiefs have 'low confidence' in delivering statutory services
28/03/2018 Council bosses have warned they do not have the adequate powers and resources to deliver statutory services in a new survey. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
