The power of local systems to save lives
Councils and their partners could do even more to contain the spread of COVID-19 if properly funded to undertake a robust localised system of testing, tracking and tracing, argues Professor Donna Hall.
We can’t let the loudness of lockdown drown out the voices of the most vulnerable
29/04/2020 Emma Lewis describes why now more than ever we must shine a light on the experiences of those who cannot speak up for themselves. |
Man jailed for racially abusing a council worker
07/04/2020 A man has been jailed after racially abusing a council worker in Bristol, accusing them of bringing coronavirus into the country. |
Domestic abuse puts children at more risk of exploitation, review warns
01/04/2020 There is an overlap between children’s experience of domestic abuse and their offending behaviour, a review has concluded today. |
MPs warn youth services cuts are increasing knife crime
10/03/2020 Councils should have a legal duty to deliver a minimum level of youth services to help prevent knife crime, MPs have argued today. |
Youth services bearing brunt of 'drastic' cuts finds report
03/03/2020 Youth services have a vital role to play in tackling crime, gang culture and loneliness, a charity has argued today. |
Council chiefs call for funding for domestic abuse services
03/03/2020 Local authority leaders have welcomed the re-introduction of a Bill aimed at protecting victims of domestic abuse, but called on the Government to fund services designed to prevent violence in the home. |
Knife crime ‘epidemic’ fuelled by cuts, committee says
13/02/2020 Cuts to important and life-saving services for vulnerable young people have caused a rise in knife crime, according to a new report. |
Khan announces over £55m of funding to tackle causes of crime
13/02/2020 Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today announced that £55.5m of new funding will be available for tackling the underlying causes of violent crime in the capital. |
Councils urge retailers to become 'no knife shops'
10/02/2020 Councils are urging retailers not to sell knives in an effort to tackle the knife crime epidemic. |
Council offers pioneering family therapy to reduce gang crime
31/01/2020 Redbridge Council has become the first in the UK to deliver a ground-breaking family therapy service for young people at risk of joining gangs. |
New £25m fund launched for ‘preventative approach’ to crime
27/01/2020 The Home Office is launching a new multi-million pound scheme which will see more street lights and gated alleyways rolled out across the country in order to tackle crime. |
Child sexual exploitation cases in Greater Manchester ‘reopened’
14/01/2020 Victims of child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester are having their cases newly investigated as a result of a review commissioned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester. |
Lack of joint working in the fight against ‘county lines’ puts children at risk
10/01/2020 Local authorities don’t always tell the police when they move ‘at risk’ children into their areas, a new report has warned. |
Home secretary announces £35m to focus on ‘root causes’ of crime
02/01/2020 Eighteen police and crime commissioners will receive £35m to fund specialist teams to tackle violent crime in their area, the home secretary has announced. |
Former council employee who falsified air quality data convicted of fraud
20/12/2019 A former Waverley Borough Council employee has been given a suspended prison sentence for committing fraud after falsifying air quality data. |
'Ambitious programme of domestic reform' promised in Queen's Speech
19/12/2019 The second Queen’s Speech in almost as many months has promised an ‘ambitious programme of domestic reform’. |
Rogue west London landlord fined over £400,000
18/12/2019 A landlord in west London has been ordered to pay £430,000 for illegally renting out her property to 15 tenants. |
Councils warn FGM is still under-reported
29/11/2019 There have been 22,500 new cases of FGM identified in the past four years, according to new figures published by NHS Digital. |
Charity warns child cruelty is rising every year
28/11/2019 The number of child cruelty and neglect offences have risen every year for the past five years, new analysis has shown. |
Teenager stabbed to death at council offices
08/11/2019 A muder investigation has been launched after a teenager was stabbed to death at a London council’s office. |
Councils given extra £4m to tackle rogue landlords
05/11/2019 Councils have been awarded an extra £4m in new funding to take action against criminal landlords. |
Birmingham CC welcomes extension of injunction banning ‘street cruising’
31/10/2019 A court has agreed to extend an injunction banning street cruising from the roads of Birmingham for another three years, the city council has confirmed. |
Pioneering project ‘diverts’ children from organised crime
29/10/2019 A programme diverting young people away from a life of serious organised crime is set to be rolled out to a number of cities across the UK, a children’s charity has announced. |
MPs call for ‘decriminalising’ drug possession
23/10/2019 MPs have called for a ‘radical change’ to drugs policy as a report warns the rate of drug-related deaths has risen to ‘the scale of a public health emergency’. |
Khan announces £4m for London youth workers
16/10/2019 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced he will invest £4m to increase the number of youth workers in hospitals across the capital. |
Trial launched into providing a stable home for ex-offenders
11/10/2019 A scheme to give prisoners a place to live when they are released is now being trialled in Leeds, London and Bristol, it has been announced. |
Priti Patel unveils £20m funding to tackle county lines
02/10/2019 The Government has announced a package of new measures to tackle county lines drugs gangs. |
Over 4,000 young people ‘exploited’ by County Lines gangs
20/09/2019 Figures released by the Mayor of London’s office have revealed that there are more than 4,000 young people involved in County Lines operating out of London. |
Whitehall launches £30m fund to fight online ‘predators’
17/09/2019 The Government has announced a £30m fund to help tackle paedophiles operating online. |
Councils accused of acting as 'recruiting sergeants' for drug gangs
17/09/2019 Lack of money and increasing demand have been blamed after an allegation that councils were unwittingly acting as 'recruiting sergeants' for drug gangs. |
Retailers urged to ‘assess-challenge-check’ customers buying knives
11/09/2019 Shops are being urged to take more care in who they sell knives to as part of an effort to crack down on knife crime. |
Housing fraud costs councils £16m each year
10/09/2019 People who claim to live alone in order to get a council tax discount cost the local government sector nearly £16m a year, a new study has found. |
Six men found guilty of child abuse in Rotherham
29/08/2019 Six men have been convicted of child sexual abuse offences as part of the ongoing investigation into the exploitation of vulnerable teenagers in Rotherham. |
Council finds 500-year-old stolen clock
28/08/2019 West Suffolk Council has located an antique clock after it was stolen during a break in nearly six decades ago. |
Man admits sending anthrax hoax to councillors and MPs
23/08/2019 A man has pleaded guilty to sending fake anthrax to female councillor and MPs over a period of three years. |
Crime-fighting funds in scarce supply - survey
21/08/2019 Three out of four UK council chief executives and leaders do not have access to enough funding to tackle rising levels of violent youth crime, a survey has found. |
Areas worst affected by violence awarded £35m
13/08/2019 The 18 areas most affected by serious violence have been awarded £35m by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. |
London Councils call for ‘adequate resources’ to fight knife crime
08/08/2019 London boroughs have backed a call urging the new prime minister to tackle knife crime and said the Government needs to ensure councils have ‘adequate resources’ for frontline services. |
Khan announces £1.1m sports funding to tackle crime
01/08/2019 London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced £1.1m funding for sports groups as part of a drive to stop young people getting involved in crime and violence. |
MPs declare youth violence to be ‘social emergency’
31/07/2019 Young people have been failed in the ‘most devastating way’ by the Government, MPs have said, as they warn that youth violence is a ‘social emergency’. |
Council tenant fined £100,000 for illegal sublet
30/07/2019 A council tenant has been fined £100,000 and evicted from his property by Westminster City Council after he illegally sublet his flat through Airbnb. |
Domestic abuse victims in rural areas ‘failed’ by system
17/07/2019 Victims of domestic abuse living in the countryside are ‘isolated, unsupported and unprotected’ a damning report has warned today. |
Javid announces ‘public health duty’ to tackle violent crime
15/07/2019 Sajid Javid will this week announce a new legal duty which will require local authorities and other public bodies to prevent and tackle serious violence. |
Primary school children targeted for ‘county lines’ drug trafficking
05/07/2019 The response from statutory agencies to ‘county lines’ drug dealing is ‘too often haphazard’, a charity warns as new report reveals children as young as seven are being exploited by criminal gangs. |
Think tank calls for creation of ‘investment state’
03/07/2019 A think tank has called for an end to austerity and the creation of an ‘investment state’ to help boost economic growth. |
Criminals making £100m a year from London’s illegal tobacco trade
28/06/2019 Illegal tobacco trade in London is bringing crime into communities and undermining stop smoking efforts, London Councils has warned today. |
Watchdog warns of rapid rise in serious and organised crime
28/06/2019 An official report shows more investment is needed in local services to protect young people from the lure of gangs, council leaders have warned. |
Town clerk jailed for defrauding council
13/06/2019 An assistant town clerk has been jailed for four years for stealing more than £200,000 from Rugeley Town Council. |
Council apologises for failing to protect girls from grooming gang
11/06/2019 Kirklees Council has apologised for failing to protect two girls from abuse, after an independent review found opportunities were lost to protect them from exploitation. |
Councils warn of new wave in council tax scams
10/06/2019 Criminals are posing as council staff to con people out of money, the Local Government Association (LGA) has 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. |
Companies House reforms to make detection of criminal behaviour ‘easier’
30/05/2019 The Government has launched a consultation on proposals it says will bring about the ‘biggest changes’ to Companies House in nearly two centuries. |
Illegal tipping sites uncovered in 'sting' operation
29/05/2019 Dozens of illegal tipping sites have been discovered in a 'sting' operation by environment and customs officers. |
Nearly 600 people arrested to tackle county lines drug gangs
21/05/2019 Nearly 600 people have been arrested in a single week for their suspected involvement in drug dealing across county lines. |
Councils ‘in the dark’ over youth service funding
15/05/2019 Local authority leaders have warned that councils ‘remain in the dark’ over youth service funding that helps tackle knife crime and county lines drug dealing. |
London Councils welcome drug dealers being jailed in ‘landmark’ slavery case
15/05/2019 Three ‘county lines’ drug dealers have been sent to prison in a landmark case using the Modern Slavery Act. |
Forty people investigated over child abuse in Rotherham
09/05/2019 Forty people have been arrested or interviewed over child sexual abuse in Rotherham in the past two months. |
Fatal accidents and criminal liability
08/05/2019 Fatal accidents are usually preventable which leads to questions of responsibility and criminal liability. Guy Bastable and Tom McNeill seek to explain when organisations and individuals will be found criminally liable, for which offences, and with what sanction. |
Cuts to youth services factor in rise of knife crime, MPs say
07/05/2019 The local areas that have experienced the largest cuts to their youth services budgets have seen increases in knife crime, MPs have revealed. |
Whitehall announces measures to safeguard elections against ‘intimidation’
07/05/2019 The Government today announced a range of new measures designed to help safeguard elections in the UK against ‘intimidation, influence and disinformation’. |
Council confirms disgraced MP’s removal
02/05/2019 A by-election is to be held in Peterborough after a recall petition to remove Fiona Onasanya MP secured nearly 20,000 signatures. |
Councils accused of ‘letting down’ victims of anti-social behaviour
30/04/2019 Local authority leaders have defended their record of dealing with anti-social behaviour after a report argues that victims are being ‘let down’ by councils and the police |
Knife crime hits ‘record’ highs
26/04/2019 Knife crime in England and Wales rose to record levels last year, according to the most recent statistics. |
Neuroscience and knife crime
24/04/2019 Gifford Sutherland, knife crime expert at The Training Hub, provides some insight into neuroscience, young people and knife crime. |
Manhole cover theft to cost Doncaster taxpayer over £50,000
03/04/2019 Doncaster Council has to pay out thousands of pounds to replace stolen manhole covers after a sustained period of theft. |
Two arrested in Blackpool slavery investigation
03/04/2019 An investigation into modern slavery and human trafficking supported by Blackpool Council has resulted in two arrests. |
Councils to be part of ‘multi-agency initiative’ against knife crime
01/04/2019 Local authorities will be among the bodies involved in a multi-agency initiative against knife crime launched by home secretary Sajid Javid. |
Council launches recall petition to remove Fiona Onasanya
20/03/2019 Peterborough Council has launched a petition to decide if disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya will be allowed to keep her parliamentary seat. |
‘County Lines’ major driver behind rise in slavery reporting
20/03/2019 The number of potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery reported to the authorities has risen by more than 80% in two years, new data reveals. |
Council-employed gang convicted of £1m benefit fraud
20/03/2019 Seven benefit assessors have been convicted of housing benefit fraud which saw more than £1m stolen from three local authorities in London. |
Youth service funding essential to tackle ‘spate of violence’, council chiefs say
11/03/2019 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to invest more in youth justice grants as part of the effort to tackle knife crime. |
Preventing urban crime through environmental design
07/03/2019 Gavin Hepburn outlines the four main principles of crime prevention through environmental design. |
Former Spice Girl raises awareness of economic abuse
06/03/2019 Spice Girl Mel B has visited Downing Street as the Government prepares to recognise economic abuse in its definition of domestic abuse for the first time. |
Council officer fined nearly £700 for data breach
28/02/2019 A former council officer has been fined hundreds of pounds after he emailed confidential information to his partner to help her in a job interview. |
Council spending on tackling ‘criminal landlords’ down a quarter
28/02/2019 The amount councils spend on tackling landlords who break the law has been cut by a quarter in recent years, according to the latest analysis. |
Nine men convicted of child sexual exploitation
27/02/2019 Bradford council has insisted that safeguarding young people is its ‘top priority’ after nine men were convicted of child sexual exploitation. |
Black Country ban on 'car cruising' upheld in court
25/02/2019 Wolverhampton council has welcomed a decision by the High Court to uphold the local authority’s injunction banning car cruising in the Black Country. |
Whitehall announces nearly £10m fund to tackle gang culture
25/02/2019 Communities across England are to receive a share of a £9.5m fund aimed at helping families who are vulnerable to the effects of knife crime and gang culture, the communities secretary has announced. |
Superhead ordered to repay council over £1m stolen from his school
22/02/2019 A superhead has been ordered to pay back Brent Council £1.4m he received in illegal bonuses while he was head of a school in Wembley. |
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. |
Pilot project helps a third of youths quit ‘county lines’
14/02/2019 Specialist support helped nearly a third of young people in a pilot project to quit 'county lines' involvement with drugs, according to a review. |
Rochdale council worker jailed for £80,000 fraud
07/02/2019 A council worker has been jailed for defrauding Rochdale Borough Council of £80,000 - money that was then spent on prostitutes and cocaine. |
Front-line workers ‘must get better’ at tackling child exploitation by drug gangs
30/01/2019 Front-line professionals ‘must get better’ at spotting signs that children are being exploited, a children’s charity has said in response to an annual assessment of county lines drug networks. |
Council worker jailed for £1m pension fund theft
28/01/2019 A man who defrauded the pension fund of Westminster City Council of over £1m has been jailed for seven years. |
Khan announces £85m to tackle violent crime
25/01/2019 Sadiq Khan has announced he will be using £85m of city hall funding to tackle violent crime. |
Whitehall must stop ‘rogue landlords’ receiving public money, council says
22/01/2019 Brent Council has urged the Government to stop rogue landlords who fail ‘fit and proper’ tests from receiving housing benefit. |
Crime prevention budgets ‘slashed’ under Tories
21/01/2019 Crime prevention budgets have been cut by more than a half since 2010, an analysis from Labour has revealed. |
Benefit assessors convicted of £1m housing benefit fraud
18/01/2019 Seven benefit assessors in London have been convicted of a housing benefit fraud worth over £1m. |
Mayoral candidate steps down after wife’s GBH conviction revealed
16/01/2019 The mayor-elect of Redbridge has withdrawn his nomination after it was revealed that his wife was involved in the killing of a TV executive. |
Council chiefs warn of scams targeting the vulnerable
16/01/2019 Local authority leaders have called on carers and families to be aware of fraud targeting older and more vulnerable people. |
Police arrest 55 in connection with child sex abuse cases
15/01/2019 Police have arrested 55 men in connection with historical child sex abuse cases in West Yorkshire. |
New £400 fly-tipping penalty comes into force
08/01/2019 The new financial penalties for fly-tipping, which could see fines of up to £400 being handed to offenders, are now in force. |
Labour promises to repeal nineteenth-century Vagrancy Act
24/12/2018 The Labour Party has announced that they plan to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824 which criminalises begging and rough sleeping. |
Child cruelty and neglect crimes double in past five years
04/12/2018 The number of child cruelty and neglect cases recorded by police have doubled over the last five years, a children’s charity has warned. |
FGM concerns raised by social workers increases at ‘alarming’ rate
30/11/2018 New data on Female Genital Mutilation has revealed that the number of children flagged by social workers as being at risk from the abusive practice has doubled in the last year. |
Birmingham to build crime prevention into social housing developments
30/11/2018 Birmingham City Council has become the first council to join a national police-run scheme which will see crime prevention techniques built into all its new social housing developments. |
Councils failing to protect tenants from ‘rogue landlords’
29/11/2018 Tenants and good landlords are being failed by a system unable to root out criminal landlords, the results of a freedom of information request show. |
Threat of prison over unpaid council tax ends in Wales
05/11/2018 People will no longer be sent to prison for failing to pay their council tax, the Welsh government has announced. |
Excluded schoolchildren at risk of violence and criminal exploitation
30/10/2018 Rising numbers of children being excluded from school are at risk of becoming involved in gangs and knife crime, charity leaders and MPs have warned. |
Whitehall ‘failing’ in fight against sexual harassment
23/10/2018 The Government is ‘failing’ to tackle the problem of sexual harassment of women and girls in public places, MPs have warned. |
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.
