Nine ways to create a good design code
Jane Dann outlines the nine steps that local authorities can take to get a good code in place.
Liverpool reform programme ‘at risk’
04/05/2022 Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has agreed to let commissioners at Liverpool City Council delay their latest report amid their warnings that plans to turn the council around are in the balance. |
Nottingham expected to bring housing back under direct control after probes
27/04/2022 Nottingham City Council is expected to bring its housing back under direct control after two independent probes found ‘underlying issues around governance and finance’. |
Slough given conditions for £300m bailout
08/03/2022 Slough Council will only be considered for a £307m Government bailout to cover its deficits if it proves it can turn itself around financially, the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has warned. |
Trust for children's services at Star Hobson council
25/01/2022 Bradford Council’s children’s services will be transferred to a not-for-profit trust following the tragic death of Star Hobson. |
Oxfordshire councils look to scrap partnership
18/01/2022 Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council have announced they are looking to end their formal partnership. |
Shortcomings revealed in second child murder case
14/12/2021 A second court case in a month has revealed serious shortcomings in how local agencies responded to allegations of abuse shortly before a child’s murder. |
Commissioners sent in to struggling Slough
01/12/2021 The Government has sent commissioners in to struggling Slough BC in a bid to turn round its failing finances. |
Commissioners to monitor Slough improvement plan
26/10/2021 Mismanagement and a dysfunctional culture contributed to Slough Council’s financial meltdown, two Government-ordered reviews have concluded. |
Ombudsman: Care system failing to deliver
28/09/2021 Funding problems rather than individual errors explain a ‘relentless rise’ in the proportion of social care complaints upheld by the local government ombudsman, the watchdog has said. |
Commissioners appointed at Liverpool City Council
10/06/2021 Surrey CC’s chief executive Joanna Killian will be part of the team of independent commissioners who will oversee improvements at Liverpool City Council, local government secretary Robert Jenrick has announced today. |
Liverpool puts forward improvement plan
12/05/2021 Liverpool City Council has drafted an improvement plan and letter in response to the Caller report, which called for an intervention in the city. |
Jenrick steps in at 'dysfunctional' Liverpool
24/03/2021 Commissioners will be sent in to Liverpool City Council after an independent inquiry found serious mismanagement and a dysfunctional culture, communities secretary Robert Jenrick has told Parliament. |
New measures to tackle ‘serious failures’ at Nottingham City Council
18/12/2020 An expert panel to help Nottingham City Council improve its ‘appalling financial and management issues’ has been set up by the Government. |
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Ombudsman makes 12% more service improvement recommendations
28/07/2020 Increasing systemic problems identified in residents’ complaints has led to the Local Government Ombudsman making more wider service improvement recommendations to councils than ever before. |
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Council peer reviews go virtual
09/07/2020 Peer support for councils is going virtual to help them deal with recovery and renewal as they emerge from the coronavirus lockdown. |
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IfG: Extend outsourcing reforms to councils
04/03/2020 Government reforms of outsourcing to avoid another Carillion collapse must be extended to local government where commercial skills lag behind Whitehall, a report from the Institute for Government (IfG) think-tank has said. |
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Councils welcome education improvements in Wales
04/12/2019 Council leaders in Wales have welcomed improvements to all areas of the country’s education system. |
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Northants reorganisation stalled amid election
08/11/2019 Plans to reorganise cash-strapped Northamptonshire County Council have stalled amid the general election. |
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Councils save £100m through sector-led improvements
20/08/2019 Councils have saved more than £100m in the past year by using the Local Government Association’s sector-led improvement (SLI) offer. |
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Call for leader to quit after 'repeated failures'
05/06/2019 Shadow local government secretary Andrew Gwynne has called for Northamptonshire CC leader, Matt Golby, to quit after ‘repeated failures’ in the council’s children’s services. |
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'Slow progress' two years after inadequate judgement
24/05/2019 Gloucestershire CC is making ‘slow progress’ in improving its services for its children and young people two years after it was judged inadequate, Ofsted has found. |
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Delay to Northamptonshire reorganisation welcomed
14/05/2019 Council leaders have welcomed the year-long delay to plans to create two new unitaries in Northamptonshire. |
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Brokenshire moves to boost local government accountability
09/05/2019 Brokenshire moves to impose fresh conditions on ‘top slice’ cash |
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Brum improvement team issues final damning judgement and walks away
02/04/2019 Birmingham City Council’s intervention team has issued a final, damning report on the crisis-hit council and walked away – despite admitting its job is not complete. |
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Council makes 'significant progress' after standards issues
01/03/2019 Sandwell MBC has made ‘significant progress’ following an independent review last year. |
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LGA faces financial headache
25/01/2019 Smith Square has acknowledged the financial challenges it faces as it freezes subscriptions while grappling with declining Government grants and a pension scheme deficit. |
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Whitehall demands in-year cuts to improvement programme
19/09/2018 The sector’s ability to respond to crises such as a care provider failure could be hit after Whitehall demanded cuts to a key improvement programme, senior councillors have been warned. |
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LEPs told to improve ahead of EU funding changes
06/09/2018 Fresh concerns have emerged about local enterprise partnerships (LEP) as the Government considers whether to use them to funnel UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) cash. |
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Brokenshire considering new devolution models
10/07/2018 James Brokenshire is considering new models of devolution as he seeks to extend further powers to local areas, the communities secretary has insisted. |
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Northampton unitary plan falls
15/05/2018 The tight timeframe for reorganising local government across Northamptonshire claimed its first victim this week despite ministers’ decision to extend the consultation period. |
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Brokenshire announces Northamptonshire commissioners
09/05/2018 New local government secretary James Brokenshire has today announced the two commissioners appointed to help rescue troubled Northamptonshire CC. |
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Northants to have improvement board
02/05/2018 Northamptonshire CC will establish an improvement board that will work closely with government commissioners to improve the county’s finances and governance ahead of reorganisation. |
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Essex to take lead over Barnet’s ‘inadequate’ children’s services
26/01/2018 Essex County Council has been appointed Barnet’s improvement partner after the latter’s children’s services were rated ‘inadequate’ by inspectors. |
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Inspectors sent in to probe Northamptonshire Council's finances
09/01/2018 Local government secretary Sajid Javid has ordered a best value inspection of Conservative-led Northamptonshire CC amid continuing concerns over its financial management and corporate governance. |
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.
