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.
Learning from the locals
06/05/2025 Jonathan Werran, chief executive of Localis, reflects on the results of the local elections. |
Reform takes six councils from Tories
03/05/2025 Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has taken six councils from the Conservatives and control of Durham so far in the local elections. |
Reform gains in English local elections
02/05/2025 Labour has held onto key mayoralties even though it looks like Nigel Farage's Reform UK will make significant gains in local elections across England. |
Councillor resigns after indecent exposure guilty plea
17/03/2025 Leader calls for councils to be empowered to remove politicians who commit crimes after resignation of a councillor who pleaded guilty to indecent exposure. |
McMahon hints over councillor suspension power
12/03/2025 Local government minister Jim McMahon has hinted he will push ahead with handing councils the power to suspend councillors before they have been convicted. |
Disgraced councillor told to resign
12/03/2025 Disgraced Redbridge councillor Sam Gould has been urged to resign after pleading guilty to indecently exposing himself to a 13-year-old girl. |
CCN: Planning legislation would ‘dilute’ local oversight
11/03/2025 Legislation aimed at speeding up planning decisions would ‘dilute’ the role of councillors on planning committees, warns the County Council Network (CCN). |
New rules at district after ‘inappropriate behaviour’
26/02/2025 Teignbridge District Council has agreed to adopt a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to swearing and abusive behaviour after auditors criticised the behaviour of some members. |
Council leader stands down to focus on LGA role
25/02/2025 Cllr Joe Harris, the leader of Cotswold District Council, has announced he is stepping down to focus on his Local Government Association (LGA) role. |
Councillor quits after tax arrears revealed
24/02/2025 A Lancashire councillor has resigned after it was revealed he owed almost £4,000 in council tax. |
Councillor barred from budget vote over unpaid tax
20/02/2025 A borough councillor in Lancashire owes almost £4,000 in council tax, making him unable to vote on the authority’s budget. |
First leader of North Northants to step down
20/02/2025 The first leader of North Northamptonshire Council has announced he is stepping down at the local elections in May to ‘transition into semi-retirement’. |
Staffordshire mayor dies after car crash
17/02/2025 The mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme has died following a road accident last Thursday. |
Investigation after ‘wrestling match’ at council meeting
14/02/2025 A hearing will be held at Darlington Borough Council next week after a heated row between two councillors descended into a ‘wrestling match’. |
Poor behaviour getting worse, survey finds
12/02/2025 Poor behaviour among councillors and officers is getting worse, according to a survey by senior officers' organisation Solace. |
Labour suspends 11 councillors over WhatsApp chat
12/02/2025 The Labour Party has suspended 11 councillors who had joined a WhatsApp chat at the centre of a scandal over offensive messages. |
Three Tameside councillors ‘step away’ over WhatsApp scandal
11/02/2025 Three councillors will ‘step away’ from their roles at Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council after they were caught up in a scandal over a leaked WhatsApp chat. |
Peer warning over councillor financial understanding
04/02/2025 Not all 39 councillors at a Nottinghamshire council are fully getting to grips with the financial challenges for the local authority, peer review has warned. |
Councillor jailed after ‘campaign of intimidating behaviour’
31/01/2025 A Torridge District Council member will face prison after he was found guilty of harassment. |
Pembrokeshire could lose 68 councillors
30/01/2025 The number of town and community councillors in Pembrokeshire could be cut by 10% following a review by Wales’ Democracy and Boundary Commission. |
Tory group leader quits party after police called to town hall
03/01/2025 The Conservative group leader of Oldham Council has resigned from the party after police were called amid a row at a town hall meeting. |
20 councillors in Nottinghamshire quit Labour
03/01/2025 Some 20 members of Broxtowe Borough Council, including the leader, have left the Labour Party in protest against Keir Starmer’s leadership. |
Deal reached after mayor launched legal case against own council
20/12/2024 Newham LBC has struck a £36,000 deal with its directly-elected executive mayor Rokhsana Fiaz after reaching an out-of-court settlement over race and sex discrimination claims. |
Police called amid row at town hall
19/12/2024 Police officers were called to Oldham Council on Wednesday after a meeting was suspended when a row broke out. |
Councils could get new powers to suspend members
19/12/2024 Councils could get new powers to suspend councillors found to have breached their code of conduct under new government proposals. |
Call to break up Scotland’s largest council
12/12/2024 Highland Council members have called for the local authority, Scotland’s largest by geographical area, to be broken up. |
Leader resigns after ‘inappropriate behaviour’ reported to police
09/12/2024 The City of Edinburgh Council’s leader has resigned after Police Scotland revealed it was investigating a report of ‘inappropriate behaviour’. |
Newcastle leader faces no confidence vote
03/12/2024 The leader of Newcastle City Council is facing a vote of no confidence after just two months running the authority. |
Notts leader steps down after ‘challenging’ year
07/11/2024 The leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has announced he is stepping down from the role after a ‘challenging’ year. |
Rayner: Bullying councillors could face suspension
24/10/2024 Councils could soon be able to suspend members who violate codes of conduct and will no longer be required to publish councillor addresses, Rayner says. |
Disgraced peer Hanningfield dies
22/10/2024 Former leader of Essex CC and peer Lord Hanningfield has died. |
One in five councillors threatened with violence
21/10/2024 More than a fifth of councillors in a new Local Government Association (LGA) survey said they had received a threat of violence in their role. |
Labour intervenes at Tameside
15/10/2024 The leader of Tameside MBC has resigned after Labour took steps to directly intervene over ‘unacceptable working practices' at the authority. |
Islington Council leader steps down
11/10/2024 The leader of Islington Council, Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz, has announced that she will be stepping down. |
Councillors accused of ‘not seriously considering’ recommendations
03/10/2024 Auditors have accused Dudley Council members of ‘not seriously considering’ the recommendations of officers when it came to the council’s financial position. |
Newcastle set for first female leader
02/10/2024 Newcastle City Council is set to appoint its first female leader, while calls have come for an inquiry into issues with the authority's political leadership. |
More than £2m needed to sort Welsh recycling scheme
30/09/2024 Senior Denbighshire CC members will be asked to plough more than £2m into a recycling scheme that has led to ‘unacceptable' numbers of missed collections. |
East Suffolk pledges to tackle abuse
27/09/2024 East Suffolk Council has committed to challenging the abuse or intimidation of its members and officers. |
Council backs proposals to increase number of members
23/09/2024 Proposals to increase the number of Cumberland Council councillors by around 20% have been backed. |
Peers find 'blurred' responsibilities between officers and members
17/09/2024 Ashfield DC must resolve issues with the ‘blurred' responsibilities of members and officers, a report from the Local Government Association has said. |
Council group leader dies at Lib Dem conference
17/09/2024 The leader of the Liberal Democrat group at Milton Keynes City Council died at the party’s annual conference on Saturday evening. |
Newcastle leader steps back due to ill health
16/09/2024 The leader of Newcastle City Council has taken a temporary leave of absence due to ill health. |
Cash-strapped council axes top member roles
22/08/2024 Somerset Council, which has declared a ‘financial emergency’, is cutting several senior member roles to save £36,000. |
LGA: Minister’s stance on hybrid meetings ‘encouraging’
19/08/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has said it was ‘encouraging’ that the new Government signalled an openness to discussing hybrid council meetings. |
Residents vote to dissolve town council
14/08/2024 Voters in two north Yorkshire villages have come out overwhelmingly in favour of dissolving the local town council following allegations of bullying. |
Councillor charged with encouraging violent disorder
09/08/2024 A Dartford councillor has been charged with encouraging violent disorder after he was filmed addressing a crowd at a London demonstration on Wednesday. |
Councillor arrested over protest remarks
09/08/2024 A councillor has been arrested on suspicion of encouraging murder after comments at a counter-protest in London this week. |
Barking and Dagenham leader to step down
16/07/2024 The leader of Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council has announced he is standing down from the role after 10 years. |
Council introduces DBS checks for members
11/07/2024 West Northamptonshire Council will require all members to receive Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. |
New MP to resign as council leader
10/07/2024 Newly elected MP Vikki Slade will stand down as leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. |
Call for chief to resign over postal vote error
02/07/2024 The chief executive of Uttlesford DC is facing a call to resign following delays to the delivery of postal votes. |
Plaque unveiled for country’s longest serving councillor
28/06/2024 A memorial plaque has been installed in Peterborough in honour of a man who served on the city council for 62 years. |
Councils and NHS row over Better Care Fund use
18/06/2024 Some Integrated Care Boards are seeking to challenge the parts of the Better Care Fund earmarked for social care funding, LGA councillors have been told. |
Birmingham councillor becomes West Midlands deputy mayor
17/06/2024 The deputy leader of Birmingham City Council has been appointed as the deputy mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). |
Council hires security after meeting disruption
11/06/2024 A town council in Norfolk has brought in a security firm to maintain order at its meetings. |
Barking council leader dropped as election candidate
05/06/2024 Barking and Dagenham Council leader Darren Rodwell has been removed from the list of candidates being considered by the Labour Party for the general election. |
Councillors quit Labour over Shaheen, Abbot and Gaza
04/06/2024 Seven councillors in Slough have resigned from Labour citing as the reason the treatment of Faiza Shaheen and Diane Abbot and the party’s position on Gaza. |
EXCLUSIVE: LGA starts to shift on standards
04/06/2024 Senior Local Government Association (LGA) figures expect the organisation’s reluctance to beefing up the standards regime to shift after the General Election. |
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. |
Hoare: We still want productivity plans
30/05/2024 Local government minister Simon Hoare has insisted he still wants councils to draw up unpopular productivity plans despite the election, The MJ understands. |
Labour suspends councillor who backed Corbyn
28/05/2024 The Labour Party has suspended an Islington councillor who declared his support for Jeremy Corbyn in the upcoming General Election. |
High Court dismisses Bibby Stockholm legal challenge
23/05/2024 The High Court has dismissed a legal case challenging the Government’s controversial use of the Bibby Stockholm barge to house asylum seekers off the coast. |
Bristol councillor ‘absolutely gutted’ after disqualification
22/05/2024 A Labour councillor in Bristol has been disqualified less than three weeks after being elected because she teaches at a council-run school. |
Housing crisis has become ‘significantly worse’ in past year
21/05/2024 Three-quarters of councillors believe the housing crisis has become significantly worse in the past year, according to a major survey of planning authorities in England and Wales. |
Hampshire leader announces abrupt resignation
16/05/2024 The leader of Hampshire County Council has announced he is standing down next week after two years in the role. |
New boundaries in Coventry, Surrey and Staffordshire council areas
15/05/2024 Coventry City Council’s wards will be altered and boundary divisions for Surrey and Staffordshire county councils are also set to change. |
Poll reveals low levels of trust in councillors
23/04/2024 Just over 40% of people in England trust their local councillors to work in the best interests of people in local areas, a new survey has revealed. |
Devon County Council’s long-serving leader steps down
18/04/2024 The leader of Devon County Council has said it is the ‘right time’ to leave the post after 15 years. |
Watchdog tells Falkirk to confront 'difficult decisions'
17/04/2024 Falkirk Council faces ‘difficult decisions’ to bridge a budget gap of tens of millions, according to Audit Scotland. |
Council to announce chief after capacity criticism
15/04/2024 East Devon DC is hoping to announce its new chief executive early next month after peers said senior level capacity was currently ‘limited’. |
LGA calls for powers to withhold members’ address
03/04/2024 Council leaders have repeated their call for legislation enabling councils to withhold councillors' home addresses amid fears of abuse and intimidation. |
'Business as usual' for Lancashire councillors despite resignations
02/04/2024 Councillors in Lancashire have insisted it will be ‘business as usual’ despite 20 resignations in protest at the leadership of the national Labour party. |
Officer-councillor tensions affecting outcomes, review finds
20/03/2024 Tensions between Teignbridge DC’s executive and senior leadership team are ‘inhibiting progress and damaging the council’s reputation,’ review warns. |
Oldham Council celebrates 175th birthday
14/03/2024 Oldham Council has celebrated the borough's 175th birthday at an event in the central library. |
Leader of cash-strapped Notts council to step down
12/03/2024 The leader of financially stricken Nottingham City Council has announced he is stepping down in May. |
Reading BC leader steps down
07/03/2024 The leader of Reading Borough Council has announced his intention to stand down ahead of the local elections in May. |
Prospective councillors told to campaign for MP
04/03/2024 Tory councillors in North Northamptonshire have been told they must do 30 sessions of canvassing if they want to stand in the upcoming local elections. |
Scottish Budget 'not good' for communities
28/02/2024 Next year’s Scottish Budget is ‘not good’ for communities, council leaders have said. |
Orkney names Scotland's youngest council leader
21/02/2024 Orkney Islands Council has appointed Cllr Heather Woodbridge as Scotland's youngest local authority leader. |
Officer-member relations ‘fractured’ at Wrexham
01/02/2024 Issues in Wrexham County Borough Council’s planning service mean it is hindered in fulfilling its role, an audit has found. |
Councillor quits Labour over its Israel-Gaza stance
31/01/2024 A Merton councillor has resigned from Labour over the party’s stance on the war in Gaza. |
LGA calls for powers to withhold councillors' address
10/01/2024 Monitoring officers should be allowed to withhold councillors’ home addresses from public registers to help tackle rising levels of abuse and hate, Smith Square has said. |
Eight Hastings councillors quit Labour
19/12/2023 Eight members of Hastings Borough Council, including its leader, have resigned from the Labour Party. |
'Unacceptable culture' at East Devon
19/12/2023 An auditor heard bullying allegations among evidence that ‘cultural issues’ at East Devon DC saw officers leave and members decide not to stand for re-election. |
Norfolk devolution schedule delayed
04/12/2023 Norfolk’s level 3 devolution deal is set to be pushed back to 2025. |
28 Durham councillors lost in proposed boundary change
04/12/2023 Changes proposed by the Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBC) would see the loss of 28 councillors in County Durham. |
LGA responds to councillor’s ceasefire email
21/11/2023 The LGA has spoken out after a councillor threatened to name locally elected members who did not sign up to support a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. |
Burnley councillors quit over Starmer’s position on Gaza
06/11/2023 Burnley Borough Council's leader and nine other councillors at the authority have left the Labour Party over Keir Starmer's stance on the conflict in Israel and Gaza. |
Labour’s 13-year Oxford reign ends after ninth resignation
30/10/2023 Labour has lost its majority on Oxford City Council after a ninth councillor resigned from the party over its stance on the conflict in Israel and Gaza. |
Starmer writes to councillors over Gaza comment
19/10/2023 Sir Keir Starmer has written to Labour councillors after a number of resignations following his comments on the conflict in Gaza. |
Welsh government urged to improve diversity in local politics
17/10/2023 Women, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities are under-represented in Welsh local government, according to a new Senedd committee report. |
Labour councillors resign over Starmer’s Gaza comment
16/10/2023 Two Oxford City Council members have resigned from Labour in protest over Sir Keir Starmer's response to the conflict in Israel and Gaza. |
Dorset eyes cross-boundary devolution bid
09/10/2023 Dorset Council is looking beyond its borders for potential partners in a devolution deal bid. |
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. |
Council leaders create roadmap for a Starmer government
26/09/2023 A plan for a future Labour administration to ‘reform public services and rebuild trust’ has been drawn out by local authority leaders. |
Two in five say officer-member relations are poor
01/08/2023 More than 40% of town hall staff and councillors believe officer-member relations are poor and hinder performance, a new study has found. |
Hastings' financial controls 'not fully developed'
31/07/2023 Senior Hastings BC councillors will be urged next week to ‘bring in and embed more stringent financial controls and accountability to urgently reduce spending’. |
Warning Birmingham equal pay bill could rise further
26/07/2023 Birmingham City Council’s mammoth equal pay bill could rise further if it fails to meet a tight deadline to fix the issue. |
Newcastle to consult on bringing housing in-house
25/07/2023 Newcastle City Council will consult on bringing its housing services back in-house. |
First asylum barge arrives
18/07/2023 A controversial barge for 500 asylum seekers today arrived at its mooring off the Dorset coast. |
