Social care sector faces 'disastrous' staffing black hole
Council staff urged to take part in future of work survey
Union ballots over strike action at Greenwich Council
Formal dispute opened by union at Northamptonshire
In a nutshell: the 2020-21 local government pay claim
Mark Whitehead explores the context behind the union's bid for a 10% pay increase for council staff.
Council considers job cuts to fund children’s services
13/08/2019 Stoke-on-Trent City Council is considering cutting 248 jobs in order to help fund a £5.5m cash boost for children’s services. |
‘Rethink’ changes to local government pension scheme, Unison warns
09/08/2019 Plans to allow higher and further education employers to opt out of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) could cause serious cash flow problems for funds, a trade union has warned. |
Lincolnshire health visitors announce new pay strikes
06/08/2019 Unite have announced that health visitors employed by the council will be holding further demonstrations across Lincolnshire as part of an ongoing pay dispute. |
Report: 580,000 more social workers needed by 2035
05/08/2019 More than 500,000 social care jobs in England will need to be filled by 2035, a new report has predicted. |
Children’s services top list of complaints against councils
31/07/2019 Official complaints about children’s services and adult social care have topped an annual review of local government complaints for 2018-19. |
Dorset Council confirms over 550 council jobs are ‘at risk’
30/07/2019 More than 550 council employees in Dorset Council have been informed that their jobs are ‘at risk’ from the restructuring of local government in the area. |
New management model with no chief approved
25/07/2019 Redcar and Cleveland BC hopes to save about £220,000 per year after scrapping its chief executive role as part of a new management model. |
Government appoints experts in antisemitism and Islamophobia
24/07/2019 Two experts have been appointed to advise the Government on anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim racism after both major political parties accused of bigotry. |
Unions set to propose 10% pay rise for council staff
17/07/2019 Better work-life balance and support for mental health are likely to be elements in a pay claim being agreed by local government unions, LocalGov can reveal. |
Lincolnshire health visitors strike over pay row
16/07/2019 Health visitors in Lincolnshire began strike action yesterday after failing to reach an agreement with the county council over their rate of pay. |
EXCLUSIVE: Brum's Baxendale quits for New Zealand
10/07/2019 Birmingham CC chief executive Dawn Baxendale is departing to take up a new post at Christchurch City Council in New Zealand after just over a year in post. |
Councils urged to protect councillors from abuse
03/07/2019 Councils are being urged to take steps to protect councillors from abuse and intimidation in a new guide published today. |
Councils still dominated by male politicans, says Fawcett Society
02/07/2019 Women’s representation in local government is ‘at a standstill’ according to the Fawcett Society. |
Council staff receive millions in equal pay settlement
28/06/2019 Thousands of council workers have received their first equal pay settlements in Glasgow after the council finalised a funding deal with Legal & General. |
Fifth of local government leaders ‘privately educated’
25/06/2019 Around 20% of local government leaders and 29% of MPs are privately educated compared to 7% of the population, a report into social mobility has revealed. |
Around 25% of local government jobs ‘slashed’ due to austerity
21/06/2019 New data from Unison has revealed that a quarter of local government jobs have been cut over the last decade as a result of austerity. |
One in five Welsh council jobs ‘axed’, report reveals
21/06/2019 Almost one if five council jobs in Wales have been axed in the last 10 years, according to the latest analysis. |
Northern Ireland council staff sickness at highest level in nearly 30 years
18/06/2019 Sick leave at Northern Ireland councils is at its highest level since 1990, with nearly 15 days lost per employee a year, auditors have warned. |
Sleep-in care workers report unsuitable conditions
18/06/2019 Overnight care workers have reported being attacked at work and forced to sleep in offices, in a new survey conducted by Unison. |
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. |
Union hits out over changes to LGPS for non-teaching staff
06/06/2019 A trade union has blasted government proposals to allow universities and colleges in England to opt out of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for new non-teaching staff. |
Study sets out how best to empower electoral officials
06/06/2019 Organisations running elections do better when they tackle stress among their employees, according to academics. |
CEOs in local government the least trusted, research shows
05/06/2019 Top bosses in local and national government are the least trusted by their employees, according to new research. |
Councils invited to join design technique scheme
04/06/2019 Councils are being invited to join a scheme to help them use design techniques to improve the services they offer. |
South Ribble Council chief executive placed on ‘special leave’
28/05/2019 The chief executive of South Ribble Council and her two deputies has been put on ‘special leave’ until further notice, the local authority has confirmed. |
Council employees win ‘substantial wage rise’
02/05/2019 Customer service assistants employed by Sandwell Council have won what the union Unite describe as a ‘substantial wage rise’. |
Birmingham council apologises to union over waste dispute comments
30/04/2019 Birmingham City Council has apologised to Unite the Union over comments made during the recent protracted dispute with refuse collectors. |
BAME communities ‘underrepresented’ at the local level, audit reveals
26/04/2019 The underrepresentation of minorities at the local level gives the impression that local leaders ‘don't care about representative democracy’, campaigners say. |
Council employees balloted for strike action
15/04/2019 Newham council workers are threatening the council with strike action after the authority proposed a new pay structure that would lead to cuts. |
Council proposes random drug testing of staff
10/04/2019 West Lothian Council is considering introducing random drug testing for staff in posts defined as ‘safety critical’. |
Treasury moves to ban six-figure ‘golden goodbyes’ in local government
10/04/2019 The Government has launched a consultation into ending six-figure ‘golden goodbyes’ for public sector staff. |
Cheshire East’s most senior financial executive resigns
09/04/2019 The chief operating officer at Cheshire East Council has resigned after a suspension lasting two years. |
Councillor resigns amid anti-Semitism row
03/04/2019 A Labour councillor who was deselected has resigned accusing the local party of not dealing with complaints of racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia. |
Dundee council workers threaten strike action
02/04/2019 Dundee City Council workers have voted in support of industrial action in response to local authority cuts. |
Police investigate after council workers lock a body in apartment
29/03/2019 A Scottish council has said it is supporting the police in their investigations after the body of Michael Stewart was locked into his apartment in Aberdeen. |
Senior director resigns amid speculation of suspension
27/03/2019 A senior director at Aberdeen City Council has resigned, the local authority has confirmed. |
Holyrood publishes guidance to help support young people with additional needs
27/03/2019 Councils in Scotland are being given extra help to improve its 'world-leading' education for young people with additional support needs. |
Local government employment at ‘record low’
20/03/2019 The number of people employed in the local government sector has plummeted to a ‘new record low’, data reveals. |
Scottish councils ‘lack diversity’, report reveals
11/03/2019 Women and ethnic minorities are underrepresented at the local level in Scotland and many face harassment, an equalities study has revealed. |
Deputy mayor suspended from Labour after abuse allegations
08/03/2019 The deputy lord mayor of Oxford City Council has been suspended from the local authority’s Labour Group due to an allegation of domestic abuse. |
Council accused of ‘negligence’ over Parsons Green bomber
08/03/2019 Surrey has been accused of ‘negligence’ by the foster parents of the Parsons Green bomber who claim the authority failed to warn them he had been radicalised. |
Council offers extra paid leave to staff who suffer from domestic abuse
08/03/2019 Staff at an east London council who suffer from domestic abuse are to be given 10 days paid leave to tackle the problem. |
Anti-litter firm ends council contract amid accusations of ‘aggressive tactics'
08/03/2019 An anti-litter firm has ended its contract with Wirral Council after accusations of 'underhand and aggressive tactics'. |
Scottish councils ‘delighted’ at new pay deal with unions
05/03/2019 Council workers have welcomed a new pay deal that is set to deliver cost of living increases over the next few years after a decade of stagnating wages. |
Birmingham refuse strike called off
04/03/2019 Unions called off a planned strike by refuse collectors in Birmingham today after the city council lost a bid to have the action declared illegal. |
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. |
Birmingham to axe over 1,000 jobs due to ‘brutal’ Whitehall cuts
27/02/2019 Britain's biggest council says it is facing 'the most challenging period its history' after announcing a further round of huge cuts in its workforce. |
Teaching union rejects pay offer from councils
22/02/2019 The 9% pay increase offered to teachers in Scotland has been rejected by members of trade union EIS. |
Council apologises for evicting anti-abortion charity
20/02/2019 Lambeth Council have paid £5,000 in damages to an anti-abortion charity after evicting its volunteers and staff from an event in the London borough last year. |
Council staff should be better protected against sexual harassment
18/02/2019 Council staff should have better protection against unwelcome advances by people using public services, Unison has warned. |
This issue of Local Government News explores how councils can tackle modern slavery and trafficking in their supply chains, finds out more about Cambridge's first cohousing scheme and the launch of a new project to build a shared service pattern library for local government.
This issue also contains a special focus on children's services and how councils are protecting children following local safeguarding children boards being abolished.
