Delivering Regeneration: How collaborative contracts are transforming place-making
Discover how collaborative contracting is helping councils deliver regeneration more effectively with this free special report from LocalGov and NEC Contracts.
Reform UK to nominate new CCN chair
5/18/2026 The County Councils Network (CCN) has announced that the Reform UK Group is to nominate the new chair of the network. |
CCN launches new business plan following local elections
5/14/2026 The CCN has launched a new business plan, pledging to do more for member councils as new administrations take shape following last week's local elections. |
LCN chair: CCN existence 'illogical'
4/9/2026 The chair of the Local Councils Network (LCN) has suggested it seems ‘illogical' for the County Councils Network (CCN) to exist in light of reorganisation. |
Councils fear exclusion from pay negotiations
1/27/2026 Council chiefs are calling for a formal role in negotiations on the Government’s proposed Fair Pay Agreement for care workers. |
County councils warn of service cuts and redundancies
1/23/2026 Millions of people in England’s county areas could see cuts to services as Government funding is set to cover just 2p of every £1 in rising costs, CCN warns. |
DCN name change pressure
1/13/2026 The District Councils’ Network (DCN) is coming under increasing internal pressure to move quickly to change its name to secure the future relevance of the organisation. |
Fair funding review labelled a 'sham'
11/21/2025 The fair funding review has been labelled a ‘sham’ by rural councils following its publication today. |
Government urged to stop reorganisation or face 'massive car crash'
11/18/2025 Government should be told to stop Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) or face a ‘massive car crash' a county leader facing unitarisation has warned. |
CCN: Social care faces reorganisation ‘triple whammy’
10/9/2025 Plans to split large councils into smaller unitary authorities could hit vulnerable people with worse services, higher costs, and staff shortages, CCN warns. |
Counties' concern over devolution proposals
9/25/2025 County councils have hit out at proposals to give mayors control over services like health and criminal justice – warning against a return to two-tier governance. |
CCN announces new unitary council member
9/11/2025 The County Councils Network (CCN) has welcomed North Lincolnshire Council as its newest unitary council member. |
Reform UK joins County Councils Network
9/10/2025 For the first time, Reform UK will have a formal presence within the County Councils Network (CCN), following appointments confirmed at the network’s AGM. |
Councils back Right to Buy reforms but seek more flexibility
9/4/2025 Reforms to Right to Buy (RTB) have given councils greater confidence in protecting and growing their housing stock, according to a new LGA survey. |
Funding reforms ‘burden’ taxpayers, CCN warns
8/19/2025 Residents of county and rural regions will face ‘maximum council tax rises’ under the Government’s fair funding reforms, the County Councils Network (CCN) has warned. |
Fiscal devolution could raise £8.9bn a year
7/16/2025 Fiscal devolution would enable local authorities to raise £8.9bn a year for local services, a report commissioned by the County Councils Network has found. |
Fears for council funding as ‘unprotected’ departments face cuts
6/2/2025 Council leaders have told the Chancellor they ‘desperately need’ more funding in the Spending Review as financial experts warn ‘unprotected’ government departments could face cuts. |
Voters head to polls amid local government reorganisation
5/1/2025 Voters are heading to the polls in parts of England to elect thousands of councillors against the backdrop of local government reorganisation (LGR). |
EXCLUSIVE: Sector bodies decline to join legal challenge
4/3/2025 County Councils Network and Rural Services Network will not financially support legal action over axing of the £100m rural services grant, The MJ understands. |
Lack of staff and funding hinder AI progress
2/26/2025 County councils have warned that insufficient staff capacity and training and a lack of funding are hindering the roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI). |
Majority of county councils to hike up council tax
1/31/2025 Nine in ten county councils will have to raise council tax by the maximum permitted, the County Council Network (CCN) has warned. |
Social care ‘likely to deteriorate’ during wait for review
1/3/2025 Councils have warned that the social care sector is ‘likely to deteriorate’ during the three-year wait for the findings of a new independent commission. |
CCN backs reorganisation
12/19/2024 The chair of the County Councils' Network (CCN), Tim Oliver, has backed radical Government plans to abolish dozens of local authorities by 2027. |
Cuts warnings after finance settlement announced
12/19/2024 The bodies representing district and county councils have warned that services will be cut next year after the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement was published yesterday. |
Home-to-school transport costs hit £2.3bn
11/21/2024 County council chiefs have called for a ‘system-wide approach’ to tackling escalating home-to-school transport costs. |
CCN calls for rethink of social care funding
11/11/2024 The County Councils Network (CCN) has called on the Government to rethink its approach to distributing local authority funding next year. |
Care for working-age and disabled adults to cost £17bn by 2030
11/11/2024 Social care costs for working-age adults and those with a lifelong disability could reach £17bn by 2030, according to new research. |
Counties delay peer challenges
11/6/2024 English county councils appear to be putting off inviting peer challenges from the Local Government Association (LGA) ahead of next year's elections. |
Budget: Council chiefs call for ‘explicit clarity’ on NI increases
10/31/2024 Council leaders have welcomed the £1.3bn funding boost but called for clarity on protection from increases to employer National Insurance contributions. |
Councils call for full waste service costs under EPR
10/23/2024 Council bosses have urged the Government to ensure local authorities receive the full costs for delivering waste and recycling services under new packaging reforms. |
Twenty-six councils could face S114s over SEND deficits
10/21/2024 Dozens of England’s largest councils face ‘financial emergency’ if their multi-billion pound deficits for special needs provision are put on their budget books, according to new analysis. |
Councils face £54bn funding deficit
10/2/2024 England’s local authorities face a funding shortfall of £54bn over the next five years, new research has revealed. |
Councils warn over ‘excessive’ housing targets
9/27/2024 Councils in county and rural areas have raised fears that ‘excessive’ new housing targets could leave them at the mercy of speculative development. |
Rayner confirms four devolution agreements
9/19/2024 Four devolution agreements have been signed off in what the secretary of state for local government describes as ‘only the first step’ of a devolution drive. |
United call following homelessness surge
8/8/2024 The local government sector has united to call for urgent action following a surge in the number of homeless families. |
Landmark report finds SEND system ‘broken’
7/25/2024 Major reforms introduced a decade ago have failed to improve educational outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a report has found. |
‘Talk more’ about social care, party leaders told
6/21/2024 Political parties must do more to acknowledge the value of adult social care in the run up to the General Election, sector leaders have argued. |
King recognises council chiefs in honours
6/17/2024 Current and former local authority bosses have been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. |
Hoare: We still want productivity plans
5/30/2024 Local government minister Simon Hoare has insisted he still wants councils to draw up unpopular productivity plans despite the election, The MJ understands. |
Council bosses call on next government to deliver ‘fundamental reform’
5/30/2024 Local services could reach ‘breaking point’ if the next government fails to deliver long-term funding and ‘fundamental reform’, a cross-party group of council leaders has argued. |
CCN: Two-thirds of council budgets spent on care
3/18/2024 Council chiefs have called for an ‘honest discussion’ about services as new research reveals local authorities spend two-thirds of their budgets on care. |
Budget: Boost for preventative services
3/6/2024 Funding for preventative services has been announced as part of the Spring Budget in an attempt to relieve local government’s demand pressures. |
Local government launches cultural services alliance
3/1/2024 Organisations representing local government have joined forces to form a new National Alliance for Cultural Services. |
Sector should adopt national branding campaign to boost workforce
2/5/2024 Local government should adopt a national branding campaign to recruit and retain staff amid a worsening workforce crisis, the County Councils’ Network has urged. |
Culture spend down by £500m
2/1/2024 Analysis has uncovered an almost £500m reduction in councils’ spending on libraries, culture, heritage and tourism since the onset of austerity. |
Conservative MPs call for emergency funding for councils
1/22/2024 MPs representing county areas have called on the Government to provide emergency funding to cash-strapped councils to prevent further cuts to local services. |
Council bosses back data use to improve care
12/7/2023 An increased use of data in children’s social care could improve outcomes and deliver much-needed savings, the County Councils Network (CCN) has said. |
One in five councils report bankruptcy fears
12/6/2023 A poll of council leaders and chief executives has revealed that one in five think it likely that their chief finance officer will need to issue a Section 114. |
Sector unites in plea to chancellor
11/22/2023 The local government sector in England has put out a call to Jeremy Hunt to ‘address the significant financial challenges faced by councils’. |
Gove hints at autumn statement gifts
11/21/2023 Levelling up secretary Michael Gove hinted Christmas may come early for councils when Jeremy Hunt unveils his autumn statement this week. |
Councils call for emergency school transport funding
11/20/2023 ‘Spiralling’ transport costs for children with special educational needs are threatening the financial stability of England’s largest councils, according to a report. |
Land value tax could redistribute billions
11/9/2023 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. |
Uncertainty hangs over funding for growth projects
10/31/2023 Councils have voiced fresh concerns as they remain in the dark over future funding for responsibilities inherited from Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). |
Demand responsive buses won't fill gap, CCN says
10/25/2023 Three in four large rural councils in England are rolling out demand-responsive transport (DRT) bus services but councils have warned that they are not financially sustainable or a substitute for government bus service subsidies. |
Councils ‘held back’ on net zero
10/24/2023 The organisations that represent English councils have collaborated in a call for the Government to change its approach on delivering net zero. |
London Councils eyes apprenticeship levy devolution
10/9/2023 London Councils has named securing devolution of the apprenticeship levy to its boroughs to fund skills and employment activity as a key short-term priority. |
County areas behind on EV charging
9/28/2023 The number of publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charge points in England’s county and rural areas lags ‘far behind’ major towns and cities, according to a report. |
Rural bus services at ‘historic low’
7/19/2023 One in four bus routes in county and rural areas have vanished over the last decade as passenger numbers dropped to a historic low, according to a new report. |
‘Clear plan’ needed for transfer of LEP functions
7/14/2023 County council leaders have called on the Government to set out a ‘clear and decisive’ framework for the transition of LEP functions to local authorities. |
Increased referrals causing children’s services overspend
7/6/2023 Four in five of England’s largest councils overspent on their children’s services budget last year because of more young people requiring care since pandemic. |
Adult obesity in rural areas up by over 1m
5/15/2023 Rural areas are facing a surge in numbers of obese and overweight people but are hamstrung in their efforts to deal with it, according to council leaders. |
Hewitt Review calls for social care to be ‘national priority’
4/4/2023 The former health secretary's report on Integrated Care Systems called for further funding and a workforce strategy for social care. |
County council chiefs issue ‘bleak’ finance warning
3/23/2023 County councils need to make £1bn worth of savings in order to cope with ‘unprecedented’ financial pressures, county council chiefs say. |
Counties’ infrastructure funding faces cuts, report claims
2/28/2023 Funding for infrastructure in county areas could be cut under new planning reforms, council leaders have warned. |
County chiefs call for powers to solve rural workforce crisis
2/6/2023 Council leaders have called for powers to tackle labour squeeze as a new analysis reveals that hundreds of thousands of people have left the rural workforce. |
Social care requests almost hits two million
12/20/2022 Local authority leaders have warned that this will be ‘one of their toughest winters yet’ as the number of requests for care reaches almost two million. |
District concern in wake of finance settlement
12/20/2022 Concern over funding for districts has been voiced following the announcement of the provisional local government finance settlement for 2023-24. |
County leaders call for devolution to be ‘turbocharged’
11/21/2022 County council leaders have called on the Government to ‘turbocharge’ devolution to help them level up by attracting more foreign direct investment (FDI). |
Counties issue ICS warning
11/21/2022 Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) must not become yet another NHS reorganisation to work around, chairman of the County Councils’ Network (CCN) has warned. |
Number of children in care will soar to nearly 100,000 without reform, councils warn
10/28/2022 Almost 100,000 children will enter care in the next three years if the Government fails to deliver social care reforms, council leaders have warned today. |
Council leaders call for strategic planning powers
10/19/2022 A review of planning reforms and the re-introduction of strategic planning are needed if the Government is to achieve housebuilding targets, councils say. |
Counties welcome care reform delay reports
10/19/2022 County councils have reacted to reports the Government is to push back social care reforms by at least a year. |
Government urged to ‘turbocharge’ devolution
9/26/2022 Council leaders have urged the Government to go ‘further’ with devolution and to conclude deals with the first cohort of county areas by the end of autumn. |
Truss told to ‘turbocharge devolution’
9/6/2022 Council leaders have welcomed the new Prime Minister and called on the Government to re-affirm its commitment to levelling up and devolution. |
£1.14bn East Midlands devo deal agreed
8/30/2022 A landmark £1.14bn devolution deal for a new combined county authority (CCA) is on offer for the East Midlands, to include a new elected regional mayor. |
Government not even close to ‘rescuing’ social care
8/3/2022 The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee said billions of pounds ‘urgently’ needed to be injected into the system to meet both short-term and long-term needs. |
Councils face record £2.4bn deficits in SEN this year
7/29/2022 Local authority deficits in special educational needs (SEN) have reached an ‘unmanageable’ £2.4bn this year, new research has uncovered. |
Care warning after elderly 'population boom'
7/15/2022 A ‘population boom’ of over-65s is piling pressure on adult care services, county councils have warned. |
Minister delays self-funding care reforms
7/7/2022 Residential care self-funders will not be able to ask their council to arrange care for them at the lower local authority rate until April 2025, minister Gillian Keegan has announced. |
Council chiefs warn of 'disastrous' financial crisis
6/27/2022 More councils could be tipped into financial crisis while others face emergency cuts due to soaring inflation and living wage increases, the LGA warned today. |
Counties in inflation funding call
6/14/2022 County councils have called for extra Government funding to cope with huge increases caused by inflation. |
Adult social care reforms could cost nearly £26bn
5/25/2022 Adult social care reforms could cost a minimum of £10bn more than currently estimated and will require over 4,000 new social work staff, new study reveals. |
County council chiefs welcome fire service white paper
5/19/2022 County council leaders have welcomed the Government’s decision not to remove local fire services from the oversight of upper-tier local authorities. |
Councillors back move to hybrid model of council meetings
5/19/2022 Over two-thirds of councillors believe a permanent move to a hybrid model of both online and in-person council meetings would improve the diversity of local councils, according to a new survey. |
Care homes could face 'widespread closures' under reforms, counties warn
3/18/2022 Care homes are at risk of closure as the Government has ‘seriously underestimated’ the cost of its social care reforms, county councils have warned today. |
Tens of thousands fewer children could avoid going into council care
3/9/2022 Tens of thousands of young people could avoid going into council care if services are reshaped under a new ‘optimised delivery model’ based on a family-focused way of delivering support, says a report. |
LA maintenance funding frozen after cut fears
3/4/2022 The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced individual allocations for all local highway authorities outside London and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) – with cash frozen at 2021-2022 levels for the next three years. |
Counties warn funding cuts put road maintenance plans at risk
2/8/2022 County and rural councils will see their funding for road maintenance fall by nearly £500m by April this year, new analysis has warned. |
Counties' concern at care funding
12/17/2021 County councils have expressed concern at the level of central funding to rebalance care markets. |
Counties face funding shortfall of over £500m next year
12/10/2021 County councils are facing a funding gap of over £500m in 2022 resulting in council tax rises or service cuts, leaders have warned today. |
Counties call for strategic planning model
12/8/2021 County councils are facing 'excessive' pressures on their infrastructure due to housing development, according to a new report. |
Powers warning ahead of new deals
12/7/2021 A new report today warns areas reluctant to accept directly-elected leaders in the next wave of devolution deals may be offered ‘fewer powers and flexibilities’. |
Counties warn of a 'chasm' in electric vehicle chargers
11/8/2021 There are more publicly available charging points in London than in England's counties combined, new analysis has shown. |
County areas are 'poor relation' in internet speeds, MPs warn
10/21/2021 County ares could become the 'poor relation' to cities in the Government's gigabit rollout, MPs have warned today. |
County leaders urge ministers not to get 'bogged down' on mandatory mayors
10/13/2021 County councils have urged the Government not to insist on introducing more mayors after a poll revealed that only one in three people believe they should spearhead devolution deals. |
Counties in council tax warning
10/7/2021 County leaders have warned council tax bills would have to rise by almost a quarter over three years to get close to eliminating their deficit. |
County council leaders warn social care reforms ‘fall short’
9/16/2021 Social care reforms will protect more individuals from large care costs but will not improve access to care and could make local care markets ‘unsustainable’, county council leaders say. |
Councils call for the tools to support small charities to recover post-COVID
8/4/2021 Local authorities need to be provided with funding and tools to ensure that they can continue supporting smaller charities after the pandemic, county leaders say. |
Empowering county councils ‘game-changer’ for levelling-up
7/22/2021 County leaders have written to the Prime Minister welcoming his commitment to empower county authorities and urging him to follow through on what they describe as a ‘game-changer’ for levelling-up. |
Johnson: Bring your devolution plans to me
7/15/2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for local leaders to take their devolution plans to him in a keynote speech from the West Midlands this morning. |
Call to ‘mainstream’ assistive technology in adult social care
7/14/2021 Assistive technology should be placed at the centre of adult social care to make it more targeted and preventative, a new report has argued today. |
