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. |
West Northants asks staff to consider redundancy
21/10/2024 West Northamptonshire Council has asked staff to consider voluntary redundancy, flexible retirement and reduced working hours in a bid to cut costs. |
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. |
Ex-councillor jailed for ‘voyeurism on vast scale’
30/09/2024 A former councillor who filmed 28 women in bathrooms and bedrooms using hidden cameras over a 15-year period has been jailed for six years and two months. |
Union threatens strike action after pay award decision
27/09/2024 Local authority leaders in Scotland have decided to impose a wage rise prompting UNISON to threaten strike action. |
Council leader steps down after bullying accusation
23/09/2024 The leader of Newcastle City Council has resigned after an accusation of bullying was made against him. |
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. |
Union rejects latest COSLA pay offer
03/09/2024 Members of Scotland’s largest trade union have voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest pay offer from local government employers. |
Appointment to oversee shared planning service
02/09/2024 Guildford and Waverley BCs have appointed a single head to oversee shared planning services. |
Six-fold increase in reports of exploitative migrant care worker contracts
20/08/2024 The world’s largest nursing union has reported a six-fold increase in the number of migrant care workers in the UK complaining about exploitative contracts. |
Union submits first tranche of equal pay claims
14/08/2024 Trade union GMB has lodged the first tranche of 400 legal equal pay claims against Brighton and Hove City Council. |
Brum council spends £1m on bookkeepers
29/07/2024 Birmingham City Council has been forced to spend £1m on manual bookkeeping after the new Oracle software failed to automate the process. |
Councillors asked to sign off redundancy plans
24/07/2024 Proposals to save £12m a year by axing hundreds of job posts will be considered by councillors in Hertfordshire next week. |
COSLA offers 3.2% pay uplift
18/07/2024 Local government employers in Scotland have made a new pay offer in an effort to resolve the ongoing pay dispute. |
Public sector productivity hampered by payroll and HR software limitations
18/07/2024 Nearly half of all public sector organisations across the UK and Ireland are wrangling with payroll and HR systems that are not fit for purpose. |
Lambeth leader elected chair of London Councils
17/07/2024 Lambeth Council leader Claire Holland has been elected chair of the cross-party London Councils. |
Union slams council’s ‘outrageous’ fire and rehire plan
16/07/2024 Worcestershire County Council is planning to fire and rehire more than 140 employees, despite Labour pledging to ban the practice. |
Shropshire could cut 540 job posts
09/07/2024 Shropshire Council could cut 540 full-time equivalent (FTE) posts in a bid to cut costs by becoming a smaller organisation. |
South Cambs’ four-day week trial shows ‘positive’ results
08/07/2024 A report into South Cambridgeshire DC’s controversial four-day week trial found the majority of key performance indicators had improved or remained the same. |
Council requests fresh appeal over discrimination case
04/07/2024 A council has requested a second appeal over an employment tribunal that found it had racially discriminated against an employee. |
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. |
Warwickshire staff miss 15,000 days due to poor mental health
21/06/2024 Poor mental health was the biggest reason for sickness absence at Warwickshire County Council last year, a report has revealed. |
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. |
Union calls out council over equal pay claims
10/06/2024 GMB union has written to Brighton and Hove Council around equal pay claims that could be worth tens of millions of pounds. |
South Yorkshire mayor could receive £30k pay boost
29/05/2024 The mayor of South Yorkshire could be in line for a pay rise of nearly £30,000. |
Council workers’ incomes ‘cut to the bone’, warns union
29/05/2024 Unite has recommended its members reject the latest local government pay offer for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. |
Council employees offered 5.8% pay rise
16/05/2024 Council employees have been offered a pay increase of at least £1,290, which equates to a 5.8% rise for the lowest paid. |
Somerset to save £8m with 201 redundancies
16/05/2024 Somerset Council has accepted 201 redundancy applications, which it said would save more than £8m a year. |
Oracle project costs soar from £3m to £40m
09/05/2024 The budget for replacing an IT system with Oracle has ballooned from £2.6m to almost £40m, councillors in West Sussex have heard. |
Gender-critical social worker awarded over £50k
29/04/2024 A social worker who faced disciplinary action following complaints about her gender critical beliefs will be awarded over £50,000. |
Wages below 2008 levels in two thirds of council areas
29/04/2024 Real wages are still below 2008 levels in nearly two-thirds of UK local authority areas, a new TUC analysis has revealed. |
10,000 council staff on long-term sick leave
25/04/2024 Nearly 10,000 staff members working in councils across England are currently on long-term sick leave, freedom of information requests have revealed. |
Unison warns of looming strike as it awaits pay offer
22/04/2024 Scotland’s largest local government union has warned that strike preparations could begin next week amid growing tensions over pay. |
Leveraging data to reverse the planning staff decline
22/04/2024 Scott Goodwin, divisional director Land, Property and Public Protection, Idox, explains how rapid access to easily consumed data can transform planning teams. |
Scots government 'unlikely' to create equal pay body
19/04/2024 Scottish Government ministers are unlikely to establish a national equal pay unit, despite calls from the trade union that led to strikes over the issue. |
LGA announces 2024/25 Sector Support programme
12/04/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has announced the 2024/25 Sector Support programme to help councils ‘deliver critical services to communities.’ |
Oxford’s workforce issues a ‘significant risk’
10/04/2024 High staff turnover and difficulty recruiting at Oxford City Council could affect staff morale, wellbeing and absence and ultimately impact service delivery, a report has found. |
Dorset Council sets up recruitment firm
10/04/2024 Dorset Council has launched a recruitment company to help fill temporary roles. |
Transparency calls over monitoring officer departure
10/04/2024 Salford CC's opposition leader has called for transparency over a settlement agreement The MJ understands was paid to its departing monitoring officer. |
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. |
Oflog chair steps down due to ‘unexpected health reasons’
27/03/2024 Interim chair of the Office for Local Government (Oflog), Lord Morse, has announced he will be stepping down at the end of March due to ‘health reasons’. |
Council to appeal £4.6m employment tribunal payout
18/03/2024 Hammersmith & Fulham LBC has said it will appeal the tribunal’s decision to award a record £4.6m to an employee who was dismissed while on sick leave. |
Ex-Conservative councillor faced discrimination by local party
18/03/2024 A former Conservative councillor faced discrimination on the basis of his Muslim faith or Pakistani background, a confidential report has revealed. |
Breaking: Brum chief exec steps down
13/03/2024 Birmingham City Council chief executive, Deborah Cadman, has announced her intention to stand down after three years in charge. |
Shropshire Council staff offered voluntary redundancy
12/03/2024 Staff at Shropshire Council have been offered voluntary redundancy as part of the local authority's plans to lose 300 full time jobs. |
Long-serving council leader to step down
12/03/2024 Sutton council leader Ruth Dombey, one of the longest-serving council leaders in the UK, has announced her intentions to step down. |
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. |
Surrey apologises for £30m payroll problem
01/03/2024 Surrey County Council has apologised after a problem with their new £30m payroll system left staff out of pocket. |
Drive to tackle planning officer shortage ‘crisis’
29/02/2024 The Government is supporting a push to address the nationwide shortage of planning enforcement officers. |
Future of four-day week in limbo
21/02/2024 South Cambridgeshire councillors have been advised to continue the authority’s four-day week trial until the Government offers more detail on plans to ‘disincentivise’ the practice. |
Sector should adopt national branding campaign to boost workforce
05/02/2024 Local government should adopt a national branding campaign to recruit and retain staff amid a worsening workforce crisis, the County Councils’ Network has urged. |
Council officer hands police file on £1m pay-outs
02/02/2024 A file relating to allegedly unlawful exit payments to managers at Northumberland County Council has been handed to police, Northumbria Police has confirmed. |
Migrant care worker family ban ‘reckless’, union says
31/01/2024 The Government’s decision to ban migrant care workers from bringing family over to join them in England could ‘spell disaster for social care’, union warns. |
DLUHC claims four-day week council saw spike in agency staff
30/01/2024 South Cambridgeshire DC’s controversial four-day week trial is under fresh scrutiny after data revealed a spike in agency work and opponents challenged costs. |
Council set to halve sick pay
26/01/2024 Southend Council is planning to halve the amount of sick pay given to staff in a move Unison has described as ‘callous’. |
Fitness instructors flex muscles in pay dispute
25/01/2024 Council-employed yoga, aerobics and Pilates instructors in Colchester are voting on strike action after nearly a decade without a pay rise, says Unison. |
Study reveals ‘worrying’ state of local government leadership
25/01/2024 Just over half of council leaders and managers believe their local authority isn’t ensuring accountability for failure, an alarming new study has revealed. |
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. |
Sefton council to get first female leader
17/01/2024 Sefton Borough Council will be led by a woman for the first time since it was established 50 years ago. |
Tribunal rules against council in discrimination case
10/01/2024 Westminster has apologised following ruling the borough had discriminated against social worker Rachel Meade after complaints about gender critical beliefs. |
Suffolk council potentially facing ‘hundreds of job losses’
05/01/2024 Plans to save Suffolk County Council £11m by restructuring its workforce could result in ‘hundreds of job losses’, Unison has warned. |
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. |
Cash-strapped Derbyshire council to move from historic HQ
04/01/2024 Derbyshire County Council is planning to move from its headquarters in Matlock to a smaller office in a bid to tackle a £33m overspend. |
LGA appoints new chief exec
04/01/2024 Surrey County Council boss Joanna Killian has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Local Government Association (LGA). |
'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. |
Brum workers consider strike over equal pay delays
12/12/2023 Thousands of workers at Birmingham City Council will today start a ballot for strike action in response to equal pay claim delays. |
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. |
Warning of polling day disruption to services
17/11/2023 Frontline council services could be disrupted during elections as staff are drafted in to run polling stations and conduct counts, chief executives warn. |
‘Toxic’ environment at council waste service
15/11/2023 A report describing a ‘toxic’ working environment at Brighton and Hove City Council’s waste service includes accounts of staff bringing weapons to the depot. |
South Cambs issued Best Value notice over four-day week
03/11/2023 The Government has issued a non-statutory Best Value notice to South Cambridgeshire District Council ‘following concerns about its trial of a four-day working week’. |
Council looks to address £100m ‘black hole’
01/11/2023 Somerset Council is considering measures, including reducing staffing and cutting services to statutory levels, to cover a £100m funding gap. |
Four-day week trial continues despite DLUHC guidance
31/10/2023 South Cambridgeshire will continue its four-day week trial after new government guidance said councils employing the practice should ‘cease immediately’. |
Time for local authorities to ‘right-size’ their offices?
26/10/2023 Mobilityways' local authorities lead Graeme Banister asks: should councils reinvent their town halls, or motivate staff to return and fill up these empty edifices? |
DLUHC advises councils on four-day week
26/10/2023 The Government has issued guidance for English councils on four-day weeks and said it is exploring other measures ‘to ensure the sector is clear’ that the practice should not be pursued. |
Council reduces leadership team to cut costs
24/10/2023 Mid Devon District Council is reducing the size of its senior officer team by axing the role left by a retired director. |
Plan to axe 750 council jobs ‘extremely worrying’
19/10/2023 Leeds City Council’s proposals to axe hundreds of jobs to help reduce the local authority’s deficit are ‘extremely worrying’, a union has said. |
Brighton’s waste service ‘mired in racism, sexism and homophobia’
13/10/2023 A report has described a ‘toxic’ environment and ‘normalised’ bullying behaviour within Brighton and Hove City Council’s waste department following complaints by whistleblowers. |
Chief executive retires following resignation calls
13/10/2023 East Devon DC chief executive Mark Williams has announced his retirement. |
Birmingham agrees job evaluation scheme
13/10/2023 Birmingham City Council has agreed to implement a new job evaluation scheme in a major step towards meeting its £750m equal pay liabilities. |
Haringey housing staff to strike
10/10/2023 Housing repair workers employed by Haringey Council will strike this winter in a dispute over pay. |
Coventry refuse workers to vote on industrial action
04/10/2023 The trade union Unite has notified Coventry City Council that it will ballot 55 refuse workers for strike action and action short of a strike. |
Council accused of menopause ‘discrimination’
02/10/2023 Employment tribunal will today begin the first case in Britain where a worker will argue that menopause symptoms amount to a disability under the Equality Act. |
Council to shut 39 facilities
02/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has decided to close 39 community facilities in response to its financial shortfall. |
Righting the wrongs of equal pay
28/09/2023 David M Hutchison, head of Employment Law at Dallas McMillan, asks why councils are still struggling to get to grips with the equal pay issue. |
South Cambs denies tampering with 4-day week trial report
28/09/2023 South Cambridgeshire DC has hit back at accusations that they tampered with a report to present an optimistic picture of the controversial four-day week trial. |
EXCLUSIVE: Unions delay next steps discussion
27/09/2023 Trade unions have agreed to reconvene to discuss their next steps on the ongoing pay dispute within days of GMB’s strike ballots closing, The MJ understands. |
Brum kicks off job cuts
27/09/2023 Birmingham City Council has started a wide-ranging programme of job cuts under emergency plans. |
Unite and council reach deal to end waste strike
27/09/2023 Waste service workers and street cleaners return to work today after negotiations between Tower Hamlets Council and the trade union Unite put an end to industrial action. |
Brighton settles 10-year equal pay issue
20/09/2023 Brighton and Hove City Council will adjust bank holiday pay for more than 800 staff in response to calls from Unison. |
Care sector ‘stifling’ the economy, report says
18/09/2023 Properly funded social care would power growth and unlock jobs, according to a report published today. |
Nottinghamshire waste staff to strike
15/09/2023 The GMB union has announced a week-long strike at waste recycling plants in Nottinghamshire. |
Council expands four-day week trial after fresh call to end it
14/09/2023 A 12-month four-day week trial at South Cambridgeshire District Council will expand next week, despite local government minister Lee Rowley again calling on the council to end it. |
Watchdog uncovers ‘weaknesses’ in councils’ workforce plans
12/09/2023 Weaknesses in Welsh councils’ workforce strategies could hamper their ability to deliver in the long term, Audit Wales has found. |
Councils ‘waste’ £2bn on agency staff
11/09/2023 At least £2.1bn was spent on agency staff by councils across the UK last year, according to analysis by the 4 Day Week Campaign. |
EXCLUSIVE: Fresh equal pay claims warning
07/09/2023 Councils face a fresh wave of potential equal pay claims after a legal ruling exposed problems with the application of the national pay scheme. |
Quarter of jobs go unfilled at Scottish councils
05/09/2023 Almost a quarter of job vacancies at Scotland’s councils were not filled last year, according to new figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives. |
Increase in council staff working from abroad
04/09/2023 More than 1,350 requests from council staff to work from overseas have been approved over the past three years, according to new data. |
Union issues safety warning as Glasgow ‘slashes’ number of CCTV staff
01/09/2023 Glasgow City Council has halved the number of staff it employs to monitor CCTV cameras in order to cut costs. |
Guildford halts recruitment after S114 warning
01/09/2023 Guildford Borough Council has stopped hiring until at least October as it attempts to cover a multi-million pound financial shortfall. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.