Councils click into the future of planning
In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different.
GMB: Local government workforce cut by 600,000
22/04/2025 Local authorities across England and Wales have lost almost 600,000 members of staff since 2012, a public sector union has found. |
Charity criticises 40% adoption funding cut
16/04/2025 Adoption experts have criticized the Government’s decision to cut funding for therapy for adopted children in England. |
EXCLUSIVE: Sector bodies decline to join legal challenge
03/04/2025 County Councils Network and Rural Services Network will not financially support legal action over axing of the £100m rural services grant, The MJ understands. |
Whitehall dismisses Homes England cull reports
02/04/2025 Reports the Government plans to abolish Homes England as part of a cull of quangos have been dismissed by Whitehall. |
Aberdeen council accused of ‘fire and rehire’ threat
28/03/2025 Unite has accused Aberdeen City Council of threatening workers with ‘fire and rehire’ proposals as part of an industrial dispute, a claim the council denies. |
Brum council threatens redundancies to end bin strike
28/03/2025 Birmingham City Council will begin a consultation on compulsory redundancies in an effort to end the bin strike, a move Unite describes as ‘bully boy tactics’. |
Cuts to disability benefits could cost councils £1.2bn
24/03/2025 The Government's cuts to disability benefits could lead to £1.2bn of extra costs for social care services and the NHS, according to a think tank. |
Celebrities speak out against cuts to disability support
20/03/2025 Celebrities, including Rosie Jones and Sir Stephen Fry, have spoken out against benefit cuts, arguing they will force disabled people to use food banks. |
Unions brand reunification service closure ‘callous’
19/02/2025 Cambridgeshire CC’s decision to close down a service helping children in care would harm vulnerable children and cost more money, unions warn. |
Funding boost helps council avoid cuts
18/02/2025 Coventry City Council has dropped proposed cuts to charity-run adult services, street cleaning and council tax support due to an increase in funding. |
LGA: Council tax increases no substitute for fixing funding
04/02/2025 Council leaders have warned council tax increases place ‘more financial burden on households’ without fixing the long-term pressures facing local government. |
Trading standards cuts expose millions to danger
03/02/2025 Millions of people are exposed to scams and dangerous products because of understaffed trading standards teams, a freedom of information request has revealed. |
Majority of county councils to hike up council tax
31/01/2025 Nine in ten county councils will have to raise council tax by the maximum permitted, the County Council Network (CCN) has warned. |
Union criticises council’s plan to use AI to cut jobs
30/01/2025 UNISON has criticised Dorset Council’s decision to use AI in its transformation programme to help reduce the number of staff it employs. |
Council set to make £8.6m in savings
30/01/2025 Blackpool City Council is set to make £8.6m in savings but emphasises there will be no job losses at the current time. |
High Court blocks health benefit cuts
17/01/2025 Cuts to health benefits which were announced by the previous Government, and which are due to take effect in September, are unlawful, High Court rules. |
Schools face ‘death by a thousand cuts’, union says
08/01/2025 Headteachers have warned that schools and colleges will be forced to make cuts if costs continue to outstrip the growth in school funding. |
Council to scrap new grit bins
06/01/2025 Milder winters and fiscal pressures have prompted Dudley Council to consider stopping the introduction of any new grit bins. |
Derbyshire plans cuts amid £18m shortfall
03/01/2025 Derbyshire County Council has proposed a series of cuts in the face of an £18.6m shortfall for the next financial year. |
Cornwall Council proposes job cuts ahead of Christmas
17/12/2024 More than 100 employees at Cornwall Council could be made redundant in the run up to Christmas because of ‘chronic underfunding’ by the central government, a trade union has said. |
English councils slash culture spending by 50%
17/12/2024 Spending on culture, heritage and libraries by English councils has been cut by more than half over the last 15 years, according to new research. |
Bury Council warns ‘tough decisions’ are needed to find £35m
01/11/2024 Bury Council has warned ‘tough decisions’ will have to be made to close its budget shortfall of £35m. |
Somerset could cut 450 jobs
28/10/2024 Somerset Council has announced that there will be compulsory redundancies across its workforce, with 450 posts at risk. |
Up to 100 jobs to be cut at Southampton
23/10/2024 Southampton City Council has said 67 to 99 redundancies are expected to be made in the next two years. |
Council considers cutting hundreds of jobs
14/10/2024 Leeds City Council is considering cutting over 260 jobs over the next four years to help combat its ‘unprecedented’ £273m financial shortfall. |
APSE: Parks under threat from cuts
14/10/2024 Parks and green spaces across the country are under threat from council funding cuts, the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) has warned. |
Council faces ‘unprecedented’ £175m budget gap
11/10/2024 Newham council has requested emergency government funding to help close an unprecedented budget gap of £175m. |
Birmingham day centres set for axe
10/10/2024 Councillors in Birmingham have been advised to approve the closure of four day centres for disabled adults. |
Norfolk faces £45m budget gap
01/10/2024 Norfolk County Council is planning millions of pounds of cuts it does ‘not want to make’ in the face of a £44.75m deficit in its budget for next year. |
Nearly eight million families at risk of ‘fuel stress’
30/09/2024 A think tank has urged the Government to support vulnerable people who are no longer eligible for winter fuel payments, warning that millions are at risk. |
Autumn Budget: Council chiefs warn against ‘disastrous’ cuts
13/09/2024 Council leaders have urged the Government not to make any further cuts in the Autumn Budget, warning that councils face ‘systemic financial failure’. |
‘People will be angry’: Council must find £11m to avoid S114
11/09/2024 North Somerset must take ‘radical’ action to avoid issuing a Section 114 notice, the authority has said in a stark warning. |
Affordable housing at risk in cash-strapped council areas
10/09/2024 Half of the councils most impacted by austerity have not built any affordable homes using contributions from private developers since 2010, a think-tank has found. |
Birmingham commissioners cast doubt on budget
06/09/2024 Commissioners at Birmingham City Council have cast doubt on the authority's ability to balance its budget next year. |
Cheshire East sets out plan to tackle £100m deficit
16/08/2024 Plans to address a £100m budget gap over four years will be considered by Cheshire East councillors next week. |
Eastbourne warns of ‘extensive’ service cuts
14/08/2024 Eastbourne Borough Council has warned that rising costs of homelessness services have left it facing ‘extensive’ cuts to services. |
Local government faces 2.4% spending cuts
22/07/2024 Local government could face annual spending cuts averaging 2.4% by 2029, with services set to deteriorate as a result, a new report has warned. |
Public advised to use ‘personal lighting’ amid streetlight cuts
26/06/2024 A council in the outer Hebrides has advised people to consider using ‘personal lighting’ after announcing it would switch off streetlights earlier. |
Council staff balloted for strike action
25/06/2024 Trade union Unison has announced that Kirklees Council staff at two customer service centres at risk of closure are being balloted for strike action. |
Twelve Leicester children’s centres ‘under threat’
04/06/2024 Twelve children, young people and families centres in Leicester are ‘under threat’, warns UNISON. |
London sees 400% increase in blue badge thefts
04/06/2024 A fourfold increase in the number of blue badge thefts in London is partly the result of local authority cuts, warns London Assembly Member. |
Public health grant cut by over 20%
30/05/2024 Services such as sexual health and drug and alcohol programmes have seen their budgets reduced by more than other health care services, a think tank has revealed. |
Greenwich council repairs staff declare strike
28/05/2024 Nearly 150 workers employed by Greenwich council will go on strike today after the local authority brought in plans to cut their wages. |
Council debt up by £52bn since 2010
02/05/2024 Local government debt has increased by 78% since 2010 as councils attempted to make up for cuts to Government funding, new research has revealed. |
What really caused the council funding crisis?
30/04/2024 Max Mosley, NIESR, explores the origins of the local government funding crisis and warns the next government will have to act quickly to address it. |
Will local government pick up the tab for increased defence spending?
30/04/2024 Cllr Graham Chapman, SIGOMA, looks at what the PM’s announcement of an increase in defence spending means for local authorities. |
IFS: £2.5bn Sure Start delivered ‘substantial benefits’
09/04/2024 Children eligible for free school meals who grew up near a Sure Start centre performed up to three grades better at GCSEs than those further away, IFS finds. |
Council-run bus services cut by 90%
02/04/2024 Over 90% of council-run bus services have been cut since 2010, a new analysis has revealed. |
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. |
Woking BC approves 10% council tax hike
06/03/2024 Woking BC councillors have approved a nearly 10% council tax hike authorised by the Government after the council's issuing of a Section 114 notice. |
Brum members approve £300m of cuts
06/03/2024 Councillors at Birmingham City Council have signed off on £300m of cuts over two years and dramatic council tax increases. |
Basic efficiency savings all ‘long gone’, Chancellor told
05/03/2024 No more 'basic efficiencies' left to make, leaders tell Chancellor in response to reports he will call for consultants and diversity schemes to be cut. |
Tax cuts could drive 55,000 into poverty
05/03/2024 Tax cuts reportedly being considered by the Chancellor in tomorrow's Budget could result in tens of thousands of people being driven into poverty. |
Scottish Budget 'not good' for communities
28/02/2024 Next year’s Scottish Budget is ‘not good’ for communities, council leaders have said. |
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. |
14 councils ‘likely’ to issue s114s next year
28/02/2024 More than half of councils are likely to issue a section 114 notice within the next parliament unless funding is reformed, senior local authority figures have warned. |
Stoke-on-Trent warns services may be ‘stripped to the bone’
26/02/2024 Stoke-on-Trent City Council has warned its budget plans rest on a bid to secure an extra £42.2m in Government funding. |
Newcastle signs off on £15m spending cuts
21/02/2024 Newcastle City Council’s cabinet has approved budget proposals that will see spending cut by £15m over the next year. |
Bristol councillors fail to approve budget
21/02/2024 Councillors have failed to agree on Bristol City Council’s proposed budget, which included a 4.99% council tax increase and more than £24m of cuts. |
Brum set to sell off £750m of assets
20/02/2024 Cash-strapped Birmingham City Council is set to sell off £750m of assets and cut spending on services by £300m in an effort to balance the books. |
Nottingham executive refuses to back budget cuts
14/02/2024 Executive members of cash-strapped Nottingham City Council have refused to recommend a report that sets out £20m in budget cuts. |
Suffolk council leaders warn of ‘catastrophic’ HRS proposals
13/02/2024 Suffolk council leaders have warned of ‘a catastrophic effect’ on vulnerable residents should Suffolk CC agree proposed Housing Related Support changes. |
Birmingham councillors back 18% pay rise delay
08/02/2024 Councillors at cash-strapped Birmingham City Council have voted to delay pay increases for members. |
Kent CC proposes over 180 redundancies
02/02/2024 Kent County Council has proposed axing hundreds of jobs as part of a move to transform services and deliver savings. |
Conservative MPs call for emergency funding for councils
22/01/2024 MPs representing county areas have called on the Government to provide emergency funding to cash-strapped councils to prevent further cuts to local services. |
Brum considers axing 600 jobs
17/01/2024 Birmingham City Council could be forced to axe hundreds of jobs as the struggling local authority attempts to balance its books. |
Scottish councils face ‘difficult decisions’ on cuts
16/01/2024 ‘Intensifying pressures’ on Scottish local authorities mean they must make difficult decisions on service delivery to remain financially sustainable, a watchdog has said. |
Stoke-on-Trent council warns of ‘radical cuts’
09/01/2024 Stoke-on-Trent City Council may be forced to declare effective bankruptcy and make ‘radical cuts’ to services if extra Government support is not secured. |
Somerset Council warns of ‘heart-breaking’ cuts
08/01/2024 Public toilets, theatres, and leisure services in Somerset are set to be hit by cuts as the unitary authority attempts to bridge a £100m budget gap. |
Bradford Council to cut more than 100 jobs
04/01/2024 Bradford Council is set to cut 113 jobs as part of an initiative to find £40m in the next three years in an effort to avoid declaring effective bankruptcy. |
Support programme for libraries launched
03/01/2024 A charity representing public libraries has launched a support programme for council library services facing spending cuts. |
Nine million adults lack essential skills
03/01/2024 Nine million adults lack essential skills with skill level disparities within local areas far exceeding those between local and combined authorities. |
Birmingham outlines £150m of cuts
14/12/2023 Birmingham City Council has outlined nearly £150m of proposed savings as it tries to plug a £300m budget gap. |
Quarter of Scottish councils fear bankruptcy
13/12/2023 Nearly a quarter of Scottish councils fear they will be unable to balance their budget next year, new research shows. |
Nottingham proposes cutting 550 jobs
13/12/2023 Nottingham City Council has proposed cutting 554 full-time equivalent posts in an attempt to tackle its financial shortfall. |
Leeds councillors to discuss axing 750 employees
06/12/2023 Senior councillors in Leeds are set to discuss plans to reduce staffing levels by 750 by the end of the 2024/25 financial year. |
One in five councils report bankruptcy fears
06/12/2023 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. |
Campaigners warn of ‘silent war’ on bus services
28/11/2023 Bus services have seen a dramatic decline over the past 15 years, with provision decreasing by more than 60% in 80 local authority areas, research reveals. |
Can local government take much more?
27/11/2023 Dr Andrew Walker, head of Research, LGIU reflects on the Autumn Statement and asks: what might it take for the Government to pay attention to local authorities? |
Social care leaders forced to find millions in extra savings
16/11/2023 Council social care leaders are having to find millions of pounds of extra savings this year despite winter pressures approaching, a new survey has revealed. |
Cambridge faces £6m budget cuts
15/11/2023 Cambridge City Council needs to make an extra £6m of savings over the next three years and £11.1m in new savings by 2029. |
DCN in cuts warning
24/10/2023 Cultural services, community support and parks and green spaces are all at risk of cuts without a boost to the local government finance settlement, respondents to a District Councils’ Network (DCN) survey have warned. |
Museums and the cost-of-culture crisis
11/10/2023 India Divers, policy and campaigns officer, Museums Association looks at the impact on museums of the financial squeeze faced by most local authorities. |
Thousand pools shut since 2010
05/10/2023 More than 1,000 publicly accessible pools have closed since 2010, England’s governing body for swimming has found. |
Hampshire County Council on ‘financial cliff edge’
05/10/2023 Hampshire CC has warned that cuts to services and job losses are inevitable as the council is facing ‘one of the biggest budget shortfalls in its history’. |
Council U-turns on decision to close 39 facilities
04/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has reversed its plan to close 39 community facilities after Scotland’s First Minister blasted the decision as ‘short sighted’. |
Council suspends social media comments to stop ‘abuse’ after facility closures
03/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has suspended Twitter users’ ability to comment on its posts and said people’s anger over a decision to close 39 facilities ‘does not entitle them to post abuse’. |
Council to shut 39 facilities
02/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has decided to close 39 community facilities in response to its financial shortfall. |
Brum kicks off job cuts
27/09/2023 Birmingham City Council has started a wide-ranging programme of job cuts under emergency plans. |
Derbyshire agrees measures to close £46m budget gap
22/09/2023 Councillors at Derbyshire County Council have signed off on a series of cost control measures to address a £46m budget gap. |
Cash-strapped councils forced to sell £15bn of assets
21/09/2023 About 75,000 public assets worth £15bn have been sold by cash-strapped English councils since 2010, according to Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). |
Unions reject latest COSLA offer
14/09/2023 The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) has warned trade unions face a choice between ‘real cuts to jobs and services’ and increased pay. |
Woking entered s114 territory in 2018
13/09/2023 Woking BC may have faced a section 114 notice at least four years before it declared effective bankruptcy, senior councillors have been told. |
Government slashes pothole repair funding by £2bn
14/08/2023 The UK has fallen behind other high-income countries when it comes to funding repairs in pothole-ridden local roads, council chiefs warn. |
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’. |
Third of parents say school travel affected by cuts
12/07/2023 Almost a third of parents say that their child’s school travel has been affected by funding cuts, new research has revealed. |
Bankrupt Woking consults on future of services
12/07/2023 Woking Borough Council has launched a consultation on its discretionary services after it halted all non-essential spending due to unsustainable debts. |
Councils face £3bn funding gap, LGA warns
04/07/2023 Councils in England face a funding gap of almost £3bn over the next two years just to maintain services at their current level, the LGA reveals. |
Case for better pay ‘clear cut’, union says
13/06/2023 The case for better pay in local government is ‘compelling and clear cut’, according to Unison general secretary Christina McAnea. |
Preventing future Section 114 notices
13/06/2023 Joanne Pitt, Local Government Policy manager at CIPFA, reflects on Woking BC’s financial troubles and looks at the lessons for other councils. |
