Declaring a climate change emergency
Local authorities can play a key role in tackling climate change – and there is plenty for them to do. Never before has thinking globally and acting locally been more important, says Mark Whitehead.
Free-trade zones to ‘turbocharge’ investment, Whitehall claims
02/08/2019 The Government has invited ports and airports across the UK to bid to become one of 10 new free trade areas in a move it argues will boost post-Brexit trade. |
Rethinking the town centre
31/07/2019 Andrea Arnall explains how local authorities can maximise the potential of town centre regeneration and attract investment. |
Council announces £57m funding for estate next to Grenfell
25/07/2019 Kensington and Chelsea Council are to invest £57m transforming an estate next to Grenfell Tower. |
Council welcomes £65m Growth Deal
12/07/2019 Moray Council has said that its area’s economy is ‘set to be transformed’ by a £65m Growth Deal, announced yesterday by the UK and Scottish governments. |
Grimsby receives £4m Town Deal boost
12/07/2019 The Government yesterday announced that Grimsby would receive £4m of investment to support the town’s ‘unprecedented’ regeneration strategy. |
Whitehall announces £135m for health and social care system
11/07/2019 The Government has announced a multi-million pound investment to help tackle the biggest issues facing health and social care over the next five years. |
Whitehall announces nearly £40m electric chargepoint investment
09/07/2019 The Government has announced it is investing £37m to transform electric chargepoint infrastructure. |
MPs call for £8bn to be invested into ‘struggling’ care system
04/07/2019 MPs have called on the Government to inject £8bn into the struggling social care system to restore it to pre-austerity levels. |
Majority of high-rise social housing without sprinklers decade after Lakanal House fire
03/07/2019 Around 95% of high-rise social housing blocks are still without sprinklers 10 years after the Lakanal House fire took the lives of six people. |
Think tank calls for creation of ‘investment state’
03/07/2019 A think tank has called for an end to austerity and the creation of an ‘investment state’ to help boost economic growth. |
Hedging the currency risk
02/07/2019 Following the recent news that Croydon Council is considering hedging the currency risk in its pension fund, Jackie Bowie offers her view on optimal strategies to achieve the best outcome. |
Nearly £400m to be invested along the English and Scottish border
02/07/2019 Just under £395m is to be invested into five local authority areas on both sides of the border between England and Scotland, Whitehall and Holyrood say. |
£146bn building programme needed to end housing crisis, experts say
26/06/2019 A ten-year building programme costing £146bn is needed to end the housing crisis, experts have claimed. |
Birmingham to invest £778m to prepare for Commonwealth Games
26/06/2019 Birmingham is set to invest £778m to stage the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Government has confirmed. |
Post-Brexit free trade zones could ‘rebalance the economy’, think tank claims
25/06/2019 Whitehall should establish free trade zones in most deprived areas after Brexit in order to incentivise growth and rebalance the economy, think tank argues. |
Are local authorities the new power players in the energy market?
29/05/2019 Investment in renewable energy is becoming increasingly popular as a means to optimise existing assets. Clare Davey investigates this growing trend. |
Can investing in property pay for services?
23/05/2019 Investing in property to help pay for services is an idea whose time may have passed, says Mark Whitehead |
£62m fund to regenerate historic high streets
20/05/2019 The culture secretary has said that a new £62m fund will ‘breathe new life’ into historic high streets across the country. |
Hull council commits £2m to improve ‘inadequate’ children’s services
20/05/2019 Hull CC has promised to ‘accelerate’ its improvement plans and invest an extra £2m into its children’s services after they were rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. |
Call to ‘rethink’ public health investment
14/05/2019 A culture change is needed in the way local organisations evaluate long-term investment in prevention, a report has argued today. |
Investment-based crowdfunding has ‘untapped potential’ for councils, study says
01/05/2019 Crowdfunding has ‘huge, untapped potential’ for public sector infrastructure finance, a new study has concluded. |
Peers call for strategies to develop ‘under-performing’ rural areas
29/04/2019 Local authorities should develop their own strategies for realising the ‘potential in struggling and under-performing’ rural areas, committee says. |
Council to push ahead with £2m scheme to renovate ‘dilapidated’ flats
25/04/2019 Great Yarmouth council is to go ahead with a scheme to buy up dilapidated flats and bed sits and renovate them for sale or rent. |
Council invests £1m in effort to give Bristol a spring clean
04/04/2019 Bristol City Council is investing in high tech bins in an effort to tackle the city’s litter problem. |
Peers recommend tax incentives for seaside landlords
04/04/2019 Landlords have welcomed a proposal by peers that they should be given tax incentives to improve their properties in seaside towns. |
Has the Government ‘gone cold’ on the Northern Powerhouse?
02/04/2019 Neil Merrick talks to the Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry about the progress of developments in the North. |
Council consults on £20m school investment
27/03/2019 Wiltshire County Council has launched a consultation on how to invest at least £20m in special school education. |
Whitehall announces £36m to develop coastal communities
25/03/2019 Around 70 coastal projects have been awarded a total of £36m by the Government as part of an effort to attract tourists and create jobs. |
Protection from tenant insolvencies
15/03/2019 Daniel Stern looks at what authorities can do to protect themselves from tenant insolvencies in the retail sector. |
Osborne blasts May’s ‘lack of vision’ over Northern Powerhouse
26/02/2019 George Osborne has criticised the Government’s ‘lack of vision’ when it comes to developing the North and has called for ‘action’ from the Prime Minister. |
Northern leaders approve £70bn transport plan
11/02/2019 Northern leaders have approved a £70bn transport plan for their region and will now take steps to submit a business case to Government for rail investment. |
York's firework display could be shown on TV in China
31/01/2019 A huge firework display being planned in Yorkshire could end up being shown on TV in China. |
Around £2bn of clean energy projects ‘stuck’ due to lack of funds
30/01/2019 A ‘temperature check’ survey has identified an estimated £2bn worth of council clean energy projects that are struggling to progress due to underfunding. |
Welsh council ‘profoundly’ disappointed at suspension of nuclear deal
18/01/2019 The Isle of Anglesey council has expressed ‘profound disappointment and concern’ at Hitachi’s decision to suspend work on a nuclear power plant in north Wales. |
Essex council to invest £20m in commercial property
15/01/2019 Southend-on-Sea Council is set to invest £20m in commercial property in a bid to replace cuts in central government funding. |
Homes England agrees £70m loan for new homes in Northamptonshire
15/01/2019 A £70m cash injection from Homes England will bring around 8,500 new homes and up to 3,000 jobs to Northamptonshire. |
Whitehall announces £1.5m for Midlands digital map
14/01/2019 Local authorities across the Midlands will benefit from a new digital map which will identify the best investment and regeneration opportunities across the area. |
York invests nearly £2m to improve air quality
10/01/2019 City of York Council plans to invest £1.6m in order to reduce the exhaust emissions from local bus services. |
Stoke-on-Trent announces £40m housing partnership
08/01/2019 Stoke-on-Trent City Council has announced it is to undertake a major £40m regeneration programme in order to deliver hundreds of affordable houses. |
East Midlands to receive £500,000 investment in new manufacturing zones
03/01/2019 Around half a million pounds will be available to support economic growth and new jobs in the Midlands, the communities secretary today announced. |
Creative industries to get £20m ‘boost’
07/12/2018 The Government has announced a more than £20m boost to creative industries across England. |
Northern Powerhouse needs ‘clear break’ with original vision, report says
05/12/2018 The Government should commit to a ‘whole North’ approach to development rather than just focusing on the Manchester region, think tank says. |
West Midlands to invest £43m in ‘congestion busting projects’
07/11/2018 Local leaders in the West Midlands will this Friday consider plans to invest £43m in projects designed to tackle the region’s congestion problems. |
Manchester to double its contribution to arts venue
06/11/2018 Manchester City Council is set to more than double its contribution to delivering a new arts venue after the cost of project rose by nearly £20m. |
Multi-million pound North of Tyne devolution deal signed
02/11/2018 A devolution deal for the North of Tyne region has been approved in what the Government describes as an ‘unprecedented’ transfer of power from Westminster. |
Whitehall unveils £2bn property investment portfolio
18/10/2018 The Government has invited foreign investors to put their money into a range of new schemes. |
Combined authority launches ‘ambitious’ strategy to deliver 100,000 houses
27/09/2018 An ‘ambitious’ housing strategy to deliver up to 100,000 new homes across the Cambridge and Peterborough area has been agreed by the combined authority. |
Liverpool hospital to be built despite Carillion collapse
27/09/2018 The building of the New Royal Liverpool Hospital, whose future was in question after the collapse of Carillion, is to restart, the Government has announced. |
Khan announces projects to benefit from £112m business rates fund
27/09/2018 The mayor of London has unveiled the first projects to benefit from a £112m investment fund which has been generated from the growth of business rate receipts. |
County to borrow £120m for infrastructure improvements
19/09/2018 Oxfordshire County Council has approved plans to borrow £120m to repair roads and other council assets. |
Glasgow council announces £20m pension fund investment
07/09/2018 Glasgow is aiming to attract high-tech American companies to the city with a £20m investment from the pension fund for council staff. |
Surrey CC signs joint venture to deliver ‘thousands’ of homes
06/09/2018 Surrey CC has signed up to a 15-year strategic joint venture with the hope of increasing investment in the county and delivering ‘thousands’ of new homes. |
Shopping centres: buyer beware
20/08/2018 With councils spending record amounts on buying shopping centres, what risk is this exposing the sector to? Mark Whitehead investigates. |
Exclusive: Councils investing record amounts in shopping centres
20/08/2018 Councils are continuing to spend record amounts of money buying up shopping centres, the latest figures show. |
‘Global exporters’ provide boost for Northern Powerhouse
17/08/2018 Four new ‘global exporters’ have joined the Government’s flagship programme for developing the North of England. |
Council accused of 'putting public money at risk' over shopping centre investment
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. |
Council loses £2.5m as it abandons energy company
13/08/2018 Portsmouth City Council has put a stop to its fledgling energy company after financial experts warned it would require over £15m of extra investment. |
MPs call for £100bn Northern transport investment
02/08/2018 The Government has been urged to invest £100bn on Northern infrastructure by 2050 to deliver major strategic road and rail projects. |
Council threw £40m 'down the drain' in flawed Stadium investment
18/07/2018 An independent review has criticised Newham Council for investing £40m into the London Stadium, warning the decision was ‘flawed’. |
Whitehall announces £67m town deal for Greater Grimsby
06/07/2018 The Government has announced what it describes as a ‘landmark’ town deal for Grimsby in an effort to deliver thousands of new jobs and homes to Lincolnshire. |
Government announces £90m city region deal
31/05/2018 The UK and Scottish governments have announced joint investment of more than £90m in the Stirling and Clackmannanshire region to help drive economic growth. |
Welsh disability services need £365m to be ‘sustainable’, auditors say
24/05/2018 Welsh councils will need to increase investment in accommodation for people with learning disabilities by over £350m over the next two decades, auditors say. |
Social care crisis could be solved by ‘trust fund’, report argues
11/05/2018 A ‘social care trust fund’ could solve the care funding crisis by raising cash on the global market, a new report argues. |
Liverpool Council to borrow £185m for road investment plan
20/04/2018 Liverpool City Council will invest £200m to improve the condition of roads across the city. |
Councils spend £3.8bn on commercial property, study reveals
12/04/2018 Local authorities spent nearly £4bn on commercial property assets in recent years, a new study into the issues facing the UK’s town centres has revealed. |
£46bn pension fund appoints new chairman
29/03/2018 The Northern Pool, one of the country’s largest investment funds, has appointed a new chair after the last chairman unexpectedly died at Christmas. |
Three areas chosen to share £300m housing investment
22/03/2018 Greater Manchester, the West of England and Oxfordshire are to receive almost £300m funding from the Government to deliver thousands of new homes. |
Is there a new option for unlocking council assets?
06/03/2018 Study of new model for delivering services claims £6bn could be invested into regeneration using ‘fourth option’ for property projects. Michael Burton reports. |
Joint venture doubles investment in cities to £200m
04/03/2018 A public-private joint venture has announced it will double its investment in cities and towns in England to £200m. |
Coastal communities awarded £40m of funding
27/02/2018 A multi-million pound round of funding designed to transform the UK’s coastal communities is now open for bids, minister announces. |
Edinburgh most attractive city for inward investment says report
20/02/2018 Investment potential shifts away from the South East as structural weaknesses around housing and infrastructure threaten UK’s most established centres, report says. |
£140m investment ‘fantastic’ example of devolution in action, Khan says
15/02/2018 The mayor of London has announced a £140m investment boost to help fight the capital’s housing crisis and improve the economy. |
London council approves £150m low-carbon pension investment
26/01/2018 Southwark Council has agreed to move £150m of its pension fund into a low-carbon investment. |
Councils urged to embrace ‘fourth option’ for property projects
23/01/2018 A new property model could deliver up to £6bn of investment in construction if adopted by all councils across England, a report has argued today. |
Council pension schemes purchase shares in Anglian Water
19/12/2017 Five council pension schemes have acquired, along with a separate company, a 15% share in Anglian Water (AWG). |
Councils investing £16bn of pensions into fossil fuels
09/11/2017 More than £16bn of council pension funds have been invested into fossil fuel companies, new research has revealed. |
£2.8bn announced in one quarter to support innovative cities
09/11/2017 Nearly £3bn of funding was announced this quarter to support investments in housing, air quality improvements, mobility technologies, and other developments, a new quarterly report today reveals. |
A prudent investment
24/10/2017 Tony Martin explains why local authorities are making logical and prudent investment decisions when expanding their commercial property portfolios. |
Council pension partnership launches £1.3bn Credit Fund
05/10/2017 A £1.3bn Credit Fund has been launched by Local Pensions Partnership (LPP) to offer investors cost-effective exposure to diverse sources of return. |
Benefit pension funds insurer invests £60m in housing association
19/09/2017 A specialist insurer of benefit pension funds has invested £60m into a housing association which controls thousands of properties across the south west. |
Council-owned company purchases first property
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. |
CIL: A golden opportunity?
18/09/2017 Kirk Taylor argues that local authorities are failing to fully capitalise on investment opportunities to improve local infrastructure. |
‘Sense of place’ crucial for life sciences sector deal, says think tank
30/08/2017 A ‘sense of place’ must inform the Government’s new life sciences sector deal, says think tank. |
South East calls for infrastructure investment
24/07/2017 Councils in the south east are calling on the Government to provide more infrastructure investment after figures suggest the region is falling behind London. |
Regional cities must attract investment to rebalance economy, report says
19/07/2017 Regional cities must take the lead in rebalancing the London-centric investment market, think tank says as figures reveal London captures half of the country’s commercial property investment. |
Council chiefs urged to 'seize the day'
07/07/2017 Local authorities should ‘seize the day’ to secure inward investment for their areas, a former government adviser has urged. |
Investing in a new bank
23/06/2017 Danny Mathers and Mike O'Connor explain why Warrington Borough Council made the decision to invest in the new Redwood Bank. |
Council to invest £50,000 in triathlon
13/06/2017 Pembrokeshire council has agreed to pay £50,000 as part of a deal to host an annual triathlon event. |
Whitehall invests £25m in housing trust
05/05/2017 The Government’s Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has agreed to invest up to £25m in a real estate investment trust (REIT). |
Borough invests £30m in new bank venture
10/04/2017 Warrington has become the first borough council to invest £30m into a new bank, giving it a 33% shareholding. |
The June issue of Local Government News contains the full details of all the winning schemes in the 2019 Street Design Awards. From Children's Play to Pedestrian Environment, find out who has been recognised for their innovation and use of best practice.
This issue also explores how local government pension funds can hedge currency risk, how councils can best address the shortfall in school places, and an update on the number of authorities banning the use of Roundup over safety fears.
