General Election | LocalGov


Voter ID prevented 16,000 people from voting 09/09/2024 Almost everyone who attended a polling station in the last election was able to vote, but 16,000 people were turned away and others discouraged, report finds.
‘Spreadsheet issue’ led to 6.5k vote election declaration error 19/07/2024 A ‘spreadsheet issue’ led to over 6,550 votes being excluded from the declaration of the election result in the Putney constituency at the general election.
Council housing landlords warn of £2.2bn ‘black hole’ 11/07/2024 Twenty of England’s largest local authority landlords have warned council housing finances are ‘unsustainable’ with housing budgets facing a £2bn ‘black hole’.
PM appoints former Camden Council leader 10/07/2024 Former Camden Council leader Georgia Gould has been appointed as a parliamentary secretary in the Cabinet Office.
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.
Badenoch takes shadow communities role 09/07/2024 Kemi Badenoch has been named shadow communities secretary by opposition leader Rishi Sunak.
Council offers to brief Farage on SEND pressures 09/07/2024 Essex CC has offered to brief Nigel Farage MP on special educational needs and disabilities issues after the Reform UK leader criticised the council.
Rayner: Labour ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’ 09/07/2024 Deputy PM Angela Rayner is set to tell regional mayors that Labour is ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’ through a major programme of devolution.
Department ditches 'levelling up' moniker 08/07/2024 PM Keir Starmer has ditched Whitehall’s 'levelling up' department and re-named it with immediate effect – signalling an end to the controversial brand.
NewGov: Think local Labour 08/07/2024 Jonathan Owen, chief executive of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), discusses what parish and town councils want from the new government.
Reeves: Labour set to bring back housebuilding targets 08/07/2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce today that she will bring back compulsory housebuilding targets.
McMahon and Pennycook announced as ministers 08/07/2024 Former Oldham MBC leader Jim McMahon has been appointed as a minister in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Transforming Local Government: A Strategic Guide for Labour 05/07/2024 The new Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has his work cut out. This is particularly the case where local government is concerned.
Rayner named levelling up secretary 05/07/2024 Angela Rayner has been named secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities.
Badenoch accuses council of ‘potentially’ disenfranchising voters 05/07/2024 Outgoing business secretary Kemi Badenoch accused Uttlesford District Council of ‘potentially’ disenfranchising thousands of postal voters.
Councillors celebrate General Election success 05/07/2024 A string of high-profile figures from the local government sector are celebrating victory in the General Election.
Leaders call on Labour to act on social care 05/07/2024 Local government leaders have called on Labour to act to save social care following its thumping General Election victory.
DLUHC team wipeout in Labour landslide 05/07/2024 The Conservative Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) team has faced a near wipe out in Labour’s election landslide.
General Election: ‘Room for improvement’, says commission 05/07/2024 Polling day ‘ran smoothly’ but there is ‘room to improve the experience for some’, according to the independent body which oversees elections.
LGPS quizzed in Labour economic growth push 04/07/2024 Labour has been asking local government pensions schemes their views on greater ‘investment into the UK’ as they look to drive growth, consultant says.
Fresh calls for fiscal devo 04/07/2024 Backers of fiscal devolution have urged the government elected today to reconsider the policy despite their lobbying failing to get it mentioned in the manifestos.
Scrap council tax referendum limits, says DCN 03/07/2024 District councils should have the powers to increase council tax referendum limits to at least 10% as a first step to scrapping them, DCN says.
Councils at loggerheads with Royal Mail over postal vote delays 03/07/2024 Councils are at loggerheads with Royal Mail over responsibility for delays in delivering postal votes ahead of the General Election.
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.
NextGov: Resolving the housing crisis 28/06/2024 The Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) policy and external affairs manager, Laura Markus, discusses what the next government should do to tackle the housing crisis.
Councillor quits Labour over Starmer’s Bangladesh comment 28/06/2024 A Tower Hamlets councillor has left the Labour Party over a reference Keir Starmer made to Bangladesh in relation to illegal immigration.
Postal vote pressures threaten 'overload' 28/06/2024 A surge of demand for postal votes is threatening to leave people unable to take part in the General Election.
All change 27/06/2024 Cheshire West and Chester leader Louise Gittins has emerged as the frontrunner to be the next chair of the Local Government Association, The MJ understands.
Labour could bring in automatic voter registration 27/06/2024 It has been reported that Labour plans to introduce automatic voter registration (AVR) if elected next week.
Labour will need to back up strategic planning 'with teeth' 27/06/2024 Labour’s proposed push for a return to strategic planning will need to be ‘backed up with teeth’, an expert has suggested.
NextGov: What rural councils want from the next government 26/06/2024 The chief executive of the Rural Services Network (RSN), Kerry Booth, sets out rural councils' key asks of the next government.
Party leaders urged to act on migrant homelessness 25/06/2024 More than 100 homelessness and migrants’ rights organisations have called on the next government to stop the asylum system ‘driving people needlessly’ into destitution.
‘Talk more’ about social care, party leaders told 21/06/2024 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.
Service cuts likely, think-tank warns 21/06/2024 Councils could be forced to cut back service provision if cost and demand pressures continue to grow, researchers have warned.
NextGov: What the next government should do for public EV charging 20/06/2024 Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, looks at what the next government should do to boost the roll-out of EV charge points.
Warnings over Labour devolution drive 20/06/2024 A Labour drive to fill in the devolution map will take time and energy away from deepening devolution in areas that have already secured deals, expert warns.
Lib Dem £300m pothole pledge ‘won’t scratch the surface’ 20/06/2024 The Liberal Democrats have committed to spending £300m over the next Parliament to fill 1.2 million potholes a year.
Labour plan to reduce delayed discharges 20/06/2024 Labour is reportedly planning to buy thousands of beds in care homes in an effort to reduce the problem of delayed discharges in hospitals.
Sir Keir: We need to review voter ID rules 19/06/2024 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has suggested his party would review the policy of mandatory voter ID if elected to govern.
Labour pledges leave questions over council funding 18/06/2024 Questions hang over the future of local government finance in the event of a Labour victory in next month’s General Election.
NextGov: Scrapping the two-child benefit cap 17/06/2024 Rachel Walters, ECPC, and Amanda Bailey, NECPC, argue the next government should scrap the two-child limit on benefit payments.
Planning London under Labour 17/06/2024 Grant Leggett, Executive Director and Head of Boyer’s London planning team, looks at the impact of a future Labour government on planning in London.
UNISON: To whoever forms the next government… 14/06/2024 Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON, tells LocalGov.co.uk what the sector’s biggest union hopes to see from the next government.
Greens to push for council tax revaluation 14/06/2024 Elected Greens will push for a re-evaluation of council tax bands to ‘reflect big changes in value’ since the 1990s, the party has pledged in its manifesto.
Labour manifesto pledges Right to Buy curbs 13/06/2024 Labour has opened the door to reining in Right to Buy in its manifesto, published today.
Labour pledges to fix one million potholes 12/06/2024 One million potholes a year will be fixed if Labour are elected on 4 July, the shadow transport secretary says.
More than a million apply for vote 11/06/2024 Council elections teams are facing a workload surge as they race to register voters in time for the General Election.
Conservatives pledge business rates retention expansion 11/06/2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to create business rates retention zones as he launched the Conservatives’ General Election manifesto today.
NextGov: Revitalising local democracy 10/06/2024 Dr Jess Garland, director of Research and Policy for the Electoral Reform Society, looks at what the next government should do to revitalise local democracy.
Labour pledges to ‘fix our broken housing market’ 07/06/2024 Labour would bring back council house-building targets and hire new officers to deal with the backlog of applications if elected, deputy leader says.
‘Existential crisis’ for councils as £6bn funding gap revealed 06/06/2024 A new Local Government White Paper has uncovered a £6.2bn funding gap facing councils in England over the next two years.
General Election: Nearly 2m voters do not have suitable ID 06/06/2024 Around 4% of registered voters – more than 1.9m people – do not yet have a suitable photo ID that will allow them to vote in the general election.
Hunt rules out ‘expensive’ council tax revaluation 06/06/2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has pledged that if elected a Conservative government would not undertake a council tax revaluation.
NextGov: What the next government should do for children’s services 05/06/2024 Andy Smith, president of the ADCS, looks at what the priorities for the next government should be when it comes to children’s services.
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.
Lib Dems pledge free personal care for elderly and disabled 04/06/2024 The Liberal Democrats have pledged to make free personal care available at home for older or disabled people if they win the election.
Council chiefs call for 10-year sexual health strategy 04/06/2024 Council leaders have called on the next Government to launch a 10-year sexual health strategy after new figures reveal rise in sexually transmitted infections.
Growth at heart of LGA White Paper 03/06/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for powers and funding so that councils can take a leading role in driving inclusive growth.
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.
Council bosses call on next government to deliver ‘fundamental reform’ 30/05/2024 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.
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.
National service threat to Shared Prosperity Fund 28/05/2024 Conservative proposals to create a national service scheme could spell the end of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
General Election brings raft of reforms 23/05/2024 Elections officers face a raft of reforms to implement as voters nationwide prepare to go to the polls in July.
General Election: Public services must be ‘centre’ of party manifestos 22/05/2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a general election at what local authority leaders have described as a ‘pivotal time’ for the country.
Siân Berry quits London Assembly three days after re-election 08/05/2024 Green Party politician Siân Berry has stood down from the London Assembly just three days after she was re-elected.
Blow to council hopes for cash boost 23/04/2024 The prospect of extra cash for councils has faded further with the latest public finance figures showing the UK borrowed more than expected last month.
Oflog should be handed audit oversight, MPs told 16/04/2024 Oflog should be handed oversight of England’s broken audit regime – a role earmarked for the Financial Reporting Council - accounting experts have told MPs.
Clark: Tories and Labour unwilling to address SEND crisis 15/04/2024 Labour and the Conservatives have been accused of an ‘unwillingness’ to confront the crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services.
Five million could be disenfranchised by voter ID, polling finds 11/04/2024 Five million voters could be disenfranchised by the Government’s new voter ID rules at the General Election, first-of-its-kind polling has suggested.
'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.
Voter ID legal challenge launched 19/02/2024 A legal challenge has been mounted against the Government over voter ID requirements for elections.
Rayner floats three-year pay deal 14/02/2024 An incoming Labour Government could throw its weight behind a longer-term pay deal for the sector to avoid the embarrassment of strikes, well-placed sources have suggested.
Minister shrugs off election concerns 06/12/2023 Fears that pressures on elections officials will leave them overwhelmed at the next election have been dismissed by local government minister Simon Hoare.
Current climate making it ‘impossible’ for councils to carry on 15/11/2023 Soaring demand, rising pay bills and inflationary costs are making it ‘virtually impossible’ to keep councils going, a senior chief executive has said.
Housing minister among casualties of Sunak reshuffle 13/11/2023 The UK will have its 16th housing minister in 12 years after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s sweeping reshuffle affected the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Labour regeneration plans will fail 'without radical action' 31/10/2023 An incoming Labour government’s regeneration plans will fail without radical action to devolve financial decision-making, researchers have warned.
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.
Bentley insists level two devolution 'best option' for county 21/09/2023 Essex CC’s Conservative leader Kevin Bentley has insisted that a level two devolution deal is the ‘best option’ for the county.
Rayner takes levelling up role as Starmer shuffles his pack 04/09/2023 Labour leader Keir Starmer has appointed his deputy Angela Rayner as the party’s new shadow levelling up secretary.
South East Councils to consider devolution of vehicle excise duty 01/09/2023 The devolution of vehicle excise duty (VED) will be among the options expected to be considered by a London Finance Commission-style investigation.
Local government funding system has 'broken down' 15/08/2023 The funding system for local government has ‘broken down’ and what councils currently receive from Whitehall and council tax barely reflects need, a think-tank has warned.
Fresh LGA drive to influence MPs over skills 07/08/2023 The Local Government Association has proposed to establish a skills and employment working group as it seeks to influence MPs ahead of the election.
Risk of 'major electoral failure,' officers warn 26/06/2023 Pressure on council teams running elections will only be recognised in the event of a ‘major electoral failure,’ a new report has warned.
Pension changes could ease recruitment pressure 21/03/2023 Changes to the pension rules could ease the pressure on senior recruitment in local government, sector figures have suggested.
Devolution White Paper to be replaced by levelling up proposals 04/05/2021 A levelling up White Paper will replace the long-awaited policy document on devolution and local recovery.
Jenrick hails 'biggest multi-billion pound spending increase in a decade' 20/12/2019 Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed what he describes as the ‘biggest multi-billion pound spending increase for councils in a decade’.
In a nutshell: What the election result means for local government 13/12/2019 With the Conservative party securing its biggest majority since the 1980s, what does this mean for local government?
Hundreds of Cardiff students 'unable to vote' 13/12/2019 Around 200 students in Cardiff were left unable to vote yesterday after failing to register correctly.
Software glitch means some people wrongly told they can vote 11/12/2019 Councils have been urgently checking their electoral registers after being told to install a last-minute software release.
Bed delays to hit 2.5m days since last election 04/12/2019 More than 2.5m bed days will have been lost in the NHS due to a lack of social care since the last General Election, new analysis has concluded.
Voters face 'stark choice' on public spending - IFS 29/11/2019 The choice could not be clearer on public spending plans by the main political parties according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Lib Dems unveil plans to tackle homelessness 28/11/2019 The Liberal Democrats have set out a raft of plans to end rough sleeping if they won the General Election.
'Huge' increase in voter registration 27/11/2019 The number of people registering to vote as increased by 31% compared to the 2017 general election, new figures reveal.
No parties would reduce child poverty, warns think tank 26/11/2019 None of the party manifestos would reduce levels of child poverty, new research from the Resolution Foundation has found.
Tories promise cash boost for infrastructure and skills 25/11/2019 A Conservative Government would deliver record investments in infrastructure, childcare and skills, according to the party’s manifesto.
Labour pledges to restore council spending to 2010 levels 21/11/2019 Council spending powers will be restored to 2010 levels over the next five years, if Labour wins the General Election.
Labour promises biggest council house building programme for decades 21/11/2019 Labour has pledged to create a 'housing revolution' with the biggest council house building programme since the Second World War.
Northants reorganisation stalled amid election 08/11/2019 Plans to reorganise cash-strapped Northamptonshire County Council have stalled amid the general election.
Cost of alternative polling stations to be funded by Whitehall 06/11/2019 Councils will be reimbursed for the cost of finding alternative polling stations in the upcoming General Election.
Getting creative to avoid voting problems 04/11/2019 The forthcoming general election comes at a busy time of year amid warnings of serious strains on the voting system. But the worries may be exaggerated, Mark Whitehead learned.