Library strike ‘longest-running employment dispute of modern times’
Council launches bond scheme to recruit key workers
Delays to pay claim talks branded a 'disappointment by union
Decision on council staff pay rise delayed until the New Year
Preventing and tackling abuse of councillors
Clare Hardy explores how parish councils and local authorities can tackle and prevent the abuse of councillors.
Men dominate top table at combined authorities, research warns
04/11/2019 Only one in five with a vote at the top table in combined authorities are women, new research has found. |
Council cuts damaging ‘grassroots’ grass pitches
30/10/2019 Local authority austerity and budget cuts have had a damaging effect on ‘grassroots’ grass pitches, a groundskeeping organisation says. |
Council makes 'significant' progress on its pension scheme
25/10/2019 A new report has found the London Borough of Barnet has made significant progress in the way it administers its pension fund since an improvement notice was issued in July. |
Councillors apologise to staff over 'pagan ritual' offer
25/10/2019 Two councillors have apologised in writing to their entire council staff following an investigation into sexist behaviour which included telling a woman she had 'good breeding hips' and offering to perform a pagan ritual. |
Government launches care recruitment drive
16/10/2019 The Department of Health and Social Care is set to launch the second phase of its advertising campaign to help fill 122,000 vacancies in social care. |
Nearly £300,000 paid to member of public due to typing error
15/10/2019 A council has added a new checking procedure to its finance system after an error led to a member of the public being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds. |
Council leader steps down to chair controversial tourism firm
15/10/2019 The leader of Wakefield Council, Cllr Peter Box, has announced that he is standing down following his appointment as chairman of an embattled tourism agency. |
Review launched into handling of alleged misconduct of senior council officers
09/10/2019 A review into the way alleged misconduct by senior council officers is investigated has been launched. |
Living wage boost would benefit hundreds of thousands of council staff
08/10/2019 Workers stand to gain from politicians' pledges to increase the National Living Wage. |
New family leave guidance for Scottish councils published
04/10/2019 New guidance on family leave for councillors in Scotland recommends that councillors on leave be allowed to continue receiving their basic allowances. |
Council apologises after motorist denied right to challenge parking ticket
26/09/2019 Cherwell DC has apologised ‘unreservedly’ after an investigation revealed that motorists were being denied the right to challenge parking tickets. |
Quarter of teachers work more than 60 hours a week, study reveals
18/09/2019 One in four teachers work more than 60 hours a week and many work in the evenings, a new study has revealed. |
Social care sector faces 'disastrous' staffing black hole
10/09/2019 A care workers union has warned of a 'disastrous' staffing black hole in England’s social care sector as research shows there are tens of thousands of vacant posts. |
Council staff urged to take part in future of work survey
05/09/2019 Local government workers have been invited to take part in a new survey on the future of work. |
Union ballots over strike action at Greenwich Council
03/09/2019 Housing employees at Greenwich Council in London are being balloted for strike action over the ending of a productivity agreement. |
Formal dispute opened by union at Northamptonshire
13/08/2019 A trade union has lodged a dispute with Northamptonshire CC. |
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. |
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.
