18/11/2022

Sean Sutton argues ethical collections and improving customer relationships are key to how local authorities operate.

07/11/2022

Bolsover District Council has agreed to set up a new development company after its preferred contractor, Woodhead Construction, went into administration.

14/10/2022

Worcester City Council is planning to take legal action against the car park operator Flowbird over delayed customer repayments.

05/07/2022

Woking BC has held ‘positive and constructive’ talks with the Government amid ministerial concerns about the sustainability of the authority’s debts.

31/01/2022

A ‘chronic’ lack of funding for council services amid soaring demand means many communities face a ‘long slog’ out of the COVID-19 pandemic, MPs warned today.

05/01/2022

Together Energy, which is 50% owned by Warrington Council, is close to running out of funding, according to reports.

15/06/2021

A new report has argued that allowing councils to sharpen their commercial edge will ‘unlock immense latent place potential’ and help ‘galvanise recovery’.

27/05/2021

Councils will need ‘additional help from taxpayers’ to balance their books, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has warned.

21/05/2021

Councils will soon be issued guidance on governance arrangements for local authority trading companies (LATCs) by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).

08/02/2021

The Government has exceeded its target of raising £5bn by 2020 through the sale of surplus public sector land by almost £200m.

02/02/2021

Proposals to strengthen the Prudential Code and prevent local authorities from borrowing to generate yield have been put forward by CIPFA.

03/12/2020

More than 100 local authorities have joined a new initiative that aims to save £1bn by September 2022.

23/10/2020

Ron Buck explores the different ways councils are making the most of their parking facilities as a means of driving revenue.

28/09/2020

Stephen Stead explains how councils can use their existing assets to generate new revenue streams.

25/09/2020

Corporate property generated £5m for Ashford Borough Council in the past year, an annual review has revealed.

17/07/2020

Council leaders have urged the Government to provide further details on the promised compensation for loss of income due to the pandemic.

02/07/2020

Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has announced more cash and new ways councils will be reimbursed for income lost as a result of coronavirus.

22/06/2020

Finance experts have called on the Government to temporarily relax rules that prevent councils borrowing to cover day-to-day spending as they deal with the coronavirus crisis.

18/05/2020

England's largest councils are calling on the Government to provide a £5bn 'income guarantee to avoid them having to declare insolvency during the coronavirus pandemic.

30/03/2020

Richard Morris outlines how smart buildings are adding value for councils and their tenants.

05/03/2020

The airline entered administration this morning, leading to the grounding of all flights.

26/02/2020

A pilot scheme assessing the impact of a minimum ‘basic’ income on poverty and inequality improves well-being but financial insecurities remain.

17/02/2020

In light of the recent headlines on councils’ £6bn-plus property 'spending spree', and recent criticism of advertising on council websites, Lloyd Clark asks why councils are still criticised for trying to raise revenue.

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.

14/08/2019

One of the largest local authority owned solar farms in the UK has exceeded expectations and generated more than £1.5m of income in its third year – around £100,000 more than anticipated.

01/07/2019

Local authorities in England are predicting that they will make £913m of profit from their parking activities this financial year, although the real figure might be nearer £1bn.

24/05/2019

Mid Sussex District Council has agreed to purchase two commercial buildings to generate new rental income.

10/05/2019

Local authorities have raised hundreds of millions of pounds over the last three years thanks to applications for parking permits, according to a new study.

15/04/2019

South Cambridgeshire DC has made a £13m investment in a high-quality office building to generate an initial net return of around 5.6%.

12/03/2019

Monmouthshire County Council has purchased the freehold of Newport Leisure Park for £21m.

11/03/2019

Latest trends suggest councils in England could be set for a £1bn parking income by the end of the decade.

11/01/2019

2019 looks set to be a year of interesting challenges and opportunities for local government. Tiffany Cloynes and Clare Hardy offer their predictions for the year ahead.

10/01/2019

Ministers have played down the prospect of a widespread crackdown on councils that borrow for commercial reasons.

09/01/2019

James Duncan explains why investing in retail sites could help councils diversify their income streams.

13/12/2018

Whitehall is considering a crackdown on councils that excessively borrow for commercial reasons as it continues to restrict council tax rises.

05/12/2018

Durham Tees Valley Airport (DTVA) looks set to be brought back into public ownership as part of a £40m deal.

18/09/2018

Robbie Blackhurst finds out how local authorities can follow the example of Liverpool City Council by adopting an ‘invest to earn’ strategy.

10/09/2018

Oxford Direct Services is to become the first council-owned organisation to bring drone services in-house to save time and money.

04/09/2018

A new report has outlined the three main risks councils face when investing in commercial property. Mark Whitehead reports.

20/08/2018

With councils spending record amounts on buying shopping centres, what risk is this exposing the sector to? Mark Whitehead investigates.

20/08/2018

Councils are continuing to spend record amounts of money buying up shopping centres, the latest figures show.

15/08/2018

A district council has been accused of putting public money at risk in a 35-year deal to lease a shopping centre from a commercial development company.

04/07/2018

A new study has revealed local authorities have invested £3.8bn in commercial property to save struggling town centres. Dr Steve Norris and Ed Cooke report on the findings.

26/06/2018

Councils are failing to understand the full risk implications when engaging in commercial activities, a new survey has warned.

25/06/2018

More than half of UK councils have introduced charges for garden waste collection totalling almost £74m a year, according to new research.

19/06/2018

Local authorities have sold-off thousands of public buildings and spaces to private developers in order to cover the loss of central Government funding, charity finds.

14/06/2018

Ken Lyon explains how Birmingham City Council is harnessing its considerable assets and skills to generate extra income.

14/06/2018

Bolton Council has completed the purchase of the Crompton Place shopping centre for £14.8m.

12/06/2018

Knowsley Council has agreed to drop proposals to sell 10% of the borough’s parks.

05/06/2018

Northamptonshire County Council plans to sell its county hall and sub-let parts of its corporate headquarters to generate extra income.

24/05/2018

Liverpool City Council is set to buy Liverpool Central Shopping Centre in a bid to earn £4.3m over the first five years.

03/04/2018

The commercial division of Oxford City Council has announced it plans to deliver over £10m in value back to the council by setting up two wholly-owned local authority trading companies.

21/03/2018

North Yorkshire County Council has become the first local authority in the North to trade its legal services.

20/03/2018

Although three-quarters of councils now charge for garden waste collections, less than half of council websites provide a good or very good service for this task, a new survey has revealed.

02/03/2018

A new retail park in Portsmouth will generate £1m per year for the city council in rental income.

06/02/2018

Around 450 staff have transferred to a new housing repairs and maintenance company owned by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

25/01/2018

A council has decided to sell off its £53m newly opened headquarters in order to cover social care costs.

23/01/2018

Karen Everett outlines the seven steps councils should take to attract more filming to their local area.

15/01/2018

Jos Creese outlines some key technology trends councils should focus on in 2018.

13/12/2017

From council pay to the Housing White Paper, here is a run-down of the 100 most popular stories on LocalGov during 2017.

11/12/2017

An increased drive for commercialism is forcing many council chiefs to re-assess the fundamental role of local authorities in an age of austerity. Rod Penman reports.

08/12/2017

The largely local-authority owned Manchester Airports Group has posted strong growth in its profits after a 'record breaking' summer season.

10/11/2017

Recent case law has shown the importance of local authorities acting within their powers and meeting any associated requirements. Tiffany Cloynes reports.

24/10/2017

Tony Martin explains why local authorities are making logical and prudent investment decisions when expanding their commercial property portfolios.

18/09/2017

A council-owned property investment company has purchased its first property in an investment which promises an income of over £200,000 a year.

14/09/2017

Find out why authorities are investing in innovative new technology that provides up to date intelligence that sits alongside their own data, helping them make more informed decisions on recovery and forecasting.

13/09/2017

Blackpool Council has purchased Blackpool Airport site in a £4.25m deal.

05/07/2017

James Routledge argues the case for councils investing in property and provides some tips on how to succeed.

04/07/2017

Local authorities spent more than £1bn acquiring property in 2016 as a way of generating new revenue, according to a new report published today.

23/06/2017

Gloucester City Council is to set up a board to raise money by buying and selling properties.

20/06/2017

Tiffany Cloynes outlines different strategies local authorities can adopt to help generate new revenue streams, including charging and trading.

01/06/2017

Local businesses will be given the opportunity to sponsor new street names in Moray after the council approved the revenue generating plan.

16/05/2017

A local authority in Essex has invested millions in a research park in the hope it will provide a ‘stable income stream’ as central Government cuts council funding.

20/04/2017

The social housing sector has become ‘increasingly commercialised’ as housing associations look for new ways to make money, report find.

18/04/2017

Councils could be banned from charging parkruns to use public parks, under new proposals unveiled by the Government.

17/01/2017

Gwyn Llewellyn calls on councils to think more broadly about their financing options to enable them to invest and fuel economic growth.

12/01/2017

Warrington council is to spend £30m on buying a 33% stake in a new bank in order to lend more to small businesses.

20/12/2016

Caroline Walker explains why local authorities are steadily emerging as the ‘new investor class’ in the wake of Brexit.

12/12/2016

An innovative new finance deal is expected to generate millions of pounds for Portsmouth City Council.

28/11/2016

Reading BC is set to sign off another £10.5m in efficiency savings as the local authority aims to fill a £42m funding gap.

17/11/2016

A new company dedicated to accelerating economic growth has been set up by the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham.

10/11/2016

Local authorities are not using all the options at their disposal to generate income because of weaknesses in their policies and in how they use data, auditors say.

28/10/2016

Liverpool City Council has announced it is selling its former administrative headquarters in a bid to find £90m in savings over the next three years.

19/09/2016

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council has agreed plans to set up a new commercial property and investment company.

30/08/2016

The Highland Council is preparing to review over a hundred council functions to identify ‘efficiencies and cost reductions’.

19/08/2016

Forest Heath District Council has purchased the largest local authority-owned solar farm in the UK, which will generate income of up to £700,000 per year.

21/06/2016

Tamworth Borough Council has approved a new Commercial Investment Strategy (CIS) to help generate income and become more financially self-sufficient.

13/04/2016

William Eichler takes a closer look at Essex County Council's journey to generate income through traded services.

07/04/2016

A new council-owned housing company offering affordable rents is to be set up in Camden.

11/03/2016

Under new rules councils will be able to spend any revenues they generate from selling surplus assets on public services, communities minister Marcus Jones announced today.

10/03/2016

Havant Borough Council is setting up a joint venture to deliver environmental and operational services in the borough.

22/02/2016

Highlighting the outstanding results of a transformational project in the capital, Sam Neal discusses how vision, collaboration and emotional engagement in the regeneration process can deliver far-reaching social and commercial benefits.

18/02/2016

Shropshire Council has decided to close its company ip&e Limited after it failed to make enough profit.

12/02/2016

A small Slovenian town has hit upon an ingenious scheme to increase revenues, attract tourists, and get them very, very drunk: a beer fountain.

11/02/2016

James Downe reflects on the process of local government reform in Wales, and offers some thoughts about the future.

21/01/2016

A council in Hampshire is planning to set up a joint venture company to run its services in a deal believed to be the first of its kind in the south of England.

20/01/2016

A new report has revealed that councils are less optimistic about coping with upcoming cuts than they were in dealing with reductions over the past six years.

04/12/2015

A Somerset council has agreed to proceed with plans to set up a new property company that they project will raise £600,000 per annum by 2019.

02/12/2015

A company providing services to more than 300 schools has been launched by two councils in the north-west.

17/11/2015

A devolution deal for the West Midlands has been agreed, which includes £1bn of Government investment and an elected mayor.