Beyond the Leisure Centre: How to make the case for active wellbeing investment
This special report from LocalGov and Alliance Leisure makes the case for repositioning council leisure provision as prevention infrastructure.
North Warwickshire BC celebrates victory in Bromford Tunnel appeal
03/07/2026 North Warwickshire Borough Council has been vindicated in the Bromford Tunnel dispute after the Court of Appeal found that the environmental effects of the extension should have been assessed. |
Council leaders demand review of ‘MegaShed’ planning law
02/07/2026 The leaders of all three political groups on South Gloucestershire Council have called for urgent reform of historical planning consents. |
Phased repair could be on the cards for Hammersmith Bridge
02/07/2026 Hammersmith and Fulham Council is seeking a phased approach to the Hammersmith Bridge restoration project due to funding barriers preventing its full repair. |
New towns must avoid 'planning mistakes of the past', report warns
30/06/2026 New towns could help tackle London's housing crisis, but only if delivered with clear standards on housing, transport and community involvement, report says. |
Order for more Local Plan hearings ‘beggars belief’, City of London says
30/06/2026 The City of London Corporation has criticised a Government direction requiring further examination of its City Plan 2040, calling the move ‘anti-growth.' |
Councils given green light to refund CIL errors
30/06/2026 Councils can now compensate homeowners who missed out on Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) exemptions due to clerical mistakes, housing minister confirms. |
Councils demand say in asylum seeker housing plans
26/06/2026 Council chiefs have called on the Home Office to obtain council consent well in advance of any decisions around asylum accommodation. |
Council fights for Universal theme park rail access
23/06/2026 West Northamptonshire Council has urged the Government to include Northampton in the plans for East West Rail to improve access to Universal's new theme park. |
Harry Potter star wins approval for eco-village
18/06/2026 Actor Rupert Grint has secured planning permission for an eco-village on his estate, on condition he contributes at least £187k towards local infrastructure. |
Council seeks High Court injunction over unauthorised flags
18/06/2026 Oxfordshire CC has applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent the continued unauthorised placement of flags on or near the public highway. |
Nine councils stripped of planning powers
16/06/2026 Nine local authorities have been stripped of their power to decide major planning applications after the Government ruled they were performing poorly. |
Council demands wind farm developer restart consultation over errors
15/06/2026 Calderdale Council has called on the developers of a proposed onshore wind farm to scrap their statutory consultation, citing serious flaws. |
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Beyond the Leisure Centre: How to make the case for active wellbeing investment
12/06/2026 This special report from LocalGov and Alliance Leisure makes the case for repositioning council leisure provision as prevention infrastructure. |
Slough BC ‘disappointed’ by decision over green belt data centre
11/06/2026 Slough BC has expressed disappointment after minister Matthew Pennycook granted planning permission for a major data centre development on green belt land. |
RIBA calls for introduction of city architects to tackle housing crisis
19/05/2026 City architects should be introduced across England to help unlock millions of pounds in economic value and hundreds of new homes, RIBA report says. |
Delivering Regeneration: How collaborative contracts are transforming place-making
12/05/2026 Discover how collaborative contracting is helping councils deliver regeneration more effectively with this free special report from LocalGov and NEC Contracts. |
Call for social care to be treated as 'national infrastructure'
07/05/2026 A new report is calling for a shift in how adult social care is funded and understood – arguing it should be recognised as essential national infrastructure. |
Government opens £1bn fund to repair bridges, flyovers and tunnels
15/04/2026 The Government has launched a new £1bn Structures Fund to help councils repair ageing bridges, flyovers and tunnels across England. |
Council leaders call for acceleration of reorganisation decisions
07/04/2026 Council leaders have urged the Government to accelerate local government reorganisation, warning that delays are eating into time needed to deliver reform. |
Government on track to miss 2030 EV chargepoint target
01/04/2026 A new analysis reveals that the Government is on track to miss its 2030 target of 300,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints by nearly 130,000. |
Government confirms seven locations for new towns
23/03/2026 The Government has announced seven proposed locations for a new generation of towns, each expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes. |
Barking housing scheme could provide ‘blueprint for brownfield development’
19/03/2026 Revised outline planning permission has been granted for a scheme to build up to 20,000 houses at Barking Riverside. |
CCN: Planning reforms risk undermining local voices
17/03/2026 County council leaders are warning that the Government's planning reforms will strip local communities of their voice. |
Report highlights £5.3bn in unspent developer funds held by councils
10/03/2026 MPs are set to be alerted to £5.3bn in unspent developer contributions currently held in local authority bank accounts, says Urban Mobility Partnership. |
High Court rules developers must fund infrastructure contributions
10/03/2026 The High Court has ruled that developers must provide financial contributions to local authorities for necessary infrastructure. |
Councils face ‘capacity crisis’ of unspent developer funds
02/03/2026 Roughly £9bn in unspent developer contributions is being held by councils, the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has found. |
Stalled Before They Start: Councils struggling to deliver regen projects
02/03/2026 Economic turbulence and a volatile national policy landscape are preventing councils from delivering regeneration, housing and infrastructure projects. |
West Midlands Mayor urges climate action to protect economy
17/02/2026 Climate inaction could cost the West Midlands almost £3bn by the 2050s, the mayor has warned. |
Government proposals on spatial development aligned with devo
16/02/2026 The Government is consulting on plans to map out spatial development strategy (SDS) areas across England. |
Call to support deprived local parades
09/02/2026 Local shopping parades in deprived areas are hindered from delivering their key functions, research has found. |
Council welcomes major flood risk management scheme
06/02/2026 A flood risk management project in Stoke-on-Trent has been completed, providing enhanced protection for 333 homes and unlocking regeneration potential. |
CU Phosco Approved as a Crown Commercial Service Supplier
04/02/2026 CU Phosco is pleased to announce that it is now fully approved as a Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Supplier, giving public-sector organisations a faster, lower-risk route to procure its exterior lighting and infrastructure solutions. |
How to achieve compliance with Awaab’s Law
08/01/2026 Deja Sutherland, head of Enablement, Cloudhouse, looks at how to achieve compliance with Awaab’s Law without rebuilding IT applications. |
‘Landmark’ Bill to overhaul planning system receives Royal Assent
19/12/2025 The Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill to reform the planning system has received Royal Assent this week. |
Planning approval puts Bedford on course for Universal theme park
17/12/2025 Bedford Borough Council is celebrating a ‘key milestone’ following the Government’s decision to grant planning permission for Universal’s theme park proposals. |
Guiding you to achieve your design aspirations
08/12/2025 Commissioning a design project can be complex and challenging. Discover how Network Rail, an infrastructure client, successfully delivered the Rail Clock through a RIBA Competition. |
Major Salford regeneration project gets green light
07/11/2025 A major redevelopment of the Regent Retail Park in Salford has been approved by the city’s Planning and Transportation Regulatory Panel. |
MPs urge overhaul of developer levies
28/10/2025 The system for capturing developer contributions is failing communities, leaving vital public amenities like schools and GP surgeries underfunded, MPs say. |
CIL funds are not reaching communities due to 'systemic problems'
17/10/2025 A new report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has identified ‘a number of problems' with Community Infrastructure Levies (CIL) and other developer contribution systems, which means cash has failed to reach local communities. |
Ministers seek 'holding direction' powers
14/10/2025 The Government is seeking to gain more powers to prevent councils refusing planning permission. |
Council adopts AI platform to support local funding scheme
09/10/2025 An AI-powered tool is being used by the Royal Borough of Greenwich to help allocate the region’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds. |
Nottingham’s new sustainable transport bridge set to open
06/10/2025 Nottingham’s new walking and cycling bridge has seen its first opening for tours ahead of its lifting in November. |
Leeds businesses could pay thousands in parking levy fees
06/10/2025 A workplace parking levy is being discussed by Leeds City Council to produce funds for a planned tram network. |
Councils face 10 house building hurdles, report says
06/10/2025 Rising costs, skills shortages, and complex regulation are among the key challenges faced by local authorities when it comes to delivering new houses. |
Council proposes £100m framework to enhance public spaces
01/10/2025 Herefordshire Council has unveiled plans for a £100m Highways and Public Realm Schemes Framework aimed at upgrading infrastructure and public spaces. |
Local plan to boost affordable homes in Manchester
11/09/2025 Manchester City Council unveils 15-year plan to deliver homes, jobs, and green spaces. |
'Quiet majority' favour local development
21/08/2025 Councils have been urged to consult more widely on planning applications after research found a majority of the population was in favour of local development. |
Rayner faces legal challenge over AI data centre on green belt
21/08/2025 Legal action has been launched challenging Angela Rayner’s decision to approve a major data centre on green belt land. |
Call for one hundred thousand high-quality council homes
14/08/2025 Council housing stock in the UK must be ‘replenished’ and improved in design, a think tank has argued. |
Editor’s Comment: Are councils selling off allotments?
06/08/2025 Jeremy Corbyn warns of a government-backed threat to UK allotments—but are fears justified? |
Council hit with concerns about AI data centre proposals
29/07/2025 A council has received objections to development plans for an AI data centre due to concerns about water supply. |
Survey on £5m Anfield stadium regen scheme published
28/07/2025 Liverpool residents are being invited to have their say about a £5m scheme to transform the area around Liverpool Football Club’s Anfield stadium. |
Theme park could benefit from £500m boost
26/06/2025 The Government has reportedly secured a £500m infrastructure investment to support a new Universal theme park in Bedford. |
Waverley BC demands ‘fairer’ local infrastructure rules
24/06/2025 Waverley Borough Council has called for ‘clearer’ and ‘fairer’ legislation around the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). |
School buildings to get £3bn maintenance boost
20/06/2025 Investment in the maintenance of school buildings is set to rise to almost £3bn per year as part of the Government’s 10-year infrastructure strategy. |
Councils welcome £1bn roads investment
17/06/2025 Local place directors have welcomed the Government’s announcement of £1bn to ‘repair and renew’ Britain's ageing roads. |
Black hole spending review
11/06/2025 Jonathan Werran, chief executive of Localis, reflects on what the Spending Review means for local government. |
Council criticises Oxford congestion charge proposals
11/06/2025 Proposals to introduce a temporary £5 congestion charge in Oxford city centre have divided council leaders. |
Mapping successful 15-minute cities
11/06/2025 Is GIS the difference between success and failure for 15-minute neighbourhoods? Alex Zirpolo, principal GIS consultant at Lanpro, argues it is. |
Call for strengthening oversight of developer contributions system
06/06/2025 Weaknesses in developer contributions system intended to fund affordable housing are undermining the councils' ability to negotiate with developers, NAO says. |
Visitor levies could generate millions for local economies, say mayors
03/06/2025 English mayors have urged the Government to allow councils to introduce visitor levies to boost regional economies, tourism and infrastructure. |
Ministers accused of 'centralising zeal'
20/05/2025 Ministers have been accused of ‘taking away decision-making powers from local people' in a new amendment to its Planning and Infrastructure Bill. |
Climate change due to wreak havoc on properties
30/04/2025 More than six million properties in England are in areas that are at risk of flooding, the Climate Change Committee has warned. |
Council to roll out 6,000 chargers across Suffolk
11/04/2025 Suffolk CC is set to deliver around 6,000 new public electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the county to support residents make the transition to EVs. |
Government backs £30m Doncaster airport investment
10/04/2025 The Government has backed the decision by the South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard to invest £30m to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA). |
Godstone sinkhole residents able to return home
27/03/2025 Most of the residents of a Surrey village affected by a huge sinkhole are now able to return to their homes, the council has confirmed. |
Believ to install 22 charge points across Redcar and Cleveland
12/03/2025 Charge point operator, Believ, is rolling out electric vehicle (EV) charge points across Redcar and Cleveland. |
PAC: Inequalities risk being ‘baked into’ charge point roll-out
12/03/2025 Regional divides and inequalities risk being ‘baked into’ the roll-out of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, MPs have warned. |
CCN: Planning legislation would ‘dilute’ local oversight
11/03/2025 Legislation aimed at speeding up planning decisions would ‘dilute’ the role of councillors on planning committees, warns the County Council Network (CCN). |
Lancashire councillors agree £28m for pothole repairs
10/03/2025 Lancashire councillors have earmarked nearly £28m to repair potholes as part of a larger investment in the county’s highways infrastructure over the next year. |
Is enough being done to meet the 1.5m housing target?
28/02/2025 Jonathan Pearson, director of Residentially, asks if the Government is doing enough to meet its 1.5 million new homes target. |
AI and the Pothole Crisis: Learning from 'Down Under’
04/02/2025 Leo Hanna, executive vice president UK at TechnologyOne, looks at what the UK can learn from Australia when it comes to using AI to identify potholes. |
UK reaches 70,000 public EV charge points
08/01/2025 There are more than 70,000 public charging devices for electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK, according to mapping service Zapmap. |
'Carbon bomb' warning adds to relief road woes
24/12/2024 Shropshire has shrugged off an estimate of the carbon impact of a road scheme by increasing the budget and timescale for its pledge to offset emissions. |
Summer riots linked to ‘torn social fabric’
03/12/2024 The majority of towns that saw rioting over the summer after the stabbing attack in Southport have a ‘torn social fabric’, a charitable trust has said. |
Reeves to call for consolidation of £354bn council pension funds
11/11/2024 Rachel Reeves is set to announce plans to encourage consolidation among local government pension funds to reduce costs and boost infrastructure investment. |
Solace: Underfunding councils ‘ultimate false economy’
14/10/2024 Failing to properly fund councils is ‘the ultimate false economy’ because it forces them to make ‘repugnant’ cuts which lead to greater problems in the future. |
Housing targets ‘weaken local decision making’, LGA warns
03/10/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has raised concerns that mandatory housebuilding targets for councils centralise policy and weaken local decision making. |
Building costs may exceed house prices in 60 council areas
01/10/2024 The cost of building a home may be higher than house prices in up to 60 UK local authority areas, according to new research. |
Councils warn over ‘excessive’ housing targets
27/09/2024 Councils in county and rural areas have raised fears that ‘excessive’ new housing targets could leave them at the mercy of speculative development. |
PSM Level Transmitters - helping to safeguard vehicle safety in regional gateway tunnel
13/09/2024 The River Medway and its estuary is a major asset for Kent and over the past 28 years, a key driver in the successful regeneration of the Rochester and Chatham riverfronts. |
John Lewis submits plans for £80m Reading housing scheme
04/09/2024 The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has submitted plans to Reading Borough Council to build new rental housing on the site of a disused town centre depot. |
Half of councils still without EV charging plan
29/08/2024 More than half of UK councils do not have an on-street residential charging strategy for electric vehicles (EVs), new research has found. |
Devon County Council helps electrify one million miles of road
29/08/2024 Devon County Council’s network of public electric vehicle chargers have electrified over one million miles of road travel two years since installation. |
Huge variation in on-street EV charger provision
27/08/2024 A new report has revealed significant disparities between council areas in electric vehicle (EV) charging provision for EV owners without off-street parking. |
Row over collapse of legal action
22/08/2024 Proposed legal action over the Government granting planning permission for a large-scale solar farm has collapsed, provoking an angry reaction from two councils. |
Lucy Electric and Lucy Zodion Collaborate on InstaVolt's Latest Rapid EV Charging Site
21/08/2024 Lucy Electric and Lucy Zodion announce their collaboration with InstaVolt on a rapid EV charging site at Camphill Village Trust's Taurus Crafts location. |
UK Infrastructure Bank agrees £17m loan for council’s net zero projects
14/08/2024 The UK Infrastructure Bank has announced a £17m loan facility to West Suffolk Council to deliver a programme of net zero projects. |
DCN calls for more powers to hit housing targets
08/08/2024 Councils need more powers and funding to address empty and stalled sites if ministers are to achieve their housing aims, the District Councils' Network (DCN) has said. |
South East leaders vent fury over mandatory housing targets
06/08/2024 Leaders of five shire councils in the South East have criticised the Government's move to reintroduce mandatory housing targets. |
Cost of refurbishment scheme doubles to £40m
25/07/2024 Plans to refurbish and retrofit five council-owned housing blocks in Kent have more than doubled in price since they were agreed last year. |
LGPS reform could unlock £40bn of infrastructure investment
24/07/2024 Reform of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) could unlock £40bn of investment for infrastructure, an insurance company has estimated. |
What councils need to boost EV charge point roll-out
02/07/2024 Shaun Quirk, the chief operating officer at charge point operator Believ, explains why the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charge point roll-out has stalled and how he hopes the next government can support local authorities to scale up delivery. |
NextGov: Resolving the housing crisis
28/06/2024 The Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) policy and external affairs manager, Laura Markus, discusses what the next government should do to tackle the housing crisis. |
Planning officer boost needed to meet parties' housing goals
21/06/2024 A major boost to planning department resources would be needed to meet the housebuilding aims of any of the main parties, experts have said this week. |
NextGov: What the next government should do for public EV charging
20/06/2024 Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, looks at what the next government should do to boost the roll-out of EV charge points. |
LGTAG guidance on home EV charging
19/06/2024 The Local Government Technical Advisers Group (LGTAG) has published new guidance on charging private electric vehicles (EV) on the public highway. |
Questions raised over funding for housebuilding pledges
19/06/2024 A think-tank has warned that a lack of cash for affordable housing will make political parties’ ambitious housebuilding targets difficult to achieve. |
Norfolk opposes 184km pylon scheme
14/06/2024 Councillors in Norfolk have objected to a National Grid proposal to construct an electricity transmission line across three counties. |
260,000 social homes lost in a decade
10/06/2024 More than a quarter of a million social housing homes have been lost in England in the last ten years, analysis of government statistics has found. |
