Watchdog should investigate Teesworks freeport, MPs say
26/04/2024 MPs have recommended that the National Audit Office (NAO) should investigate the finances of the controversial Teesworks regeneration project. |
Avatar director James Cameron backs studio plans
24/04/2024 Oscar winning film director James Cameron has thrown his weight behind proposals for a new film studio in west of London. |
Council considers £110m offer for former EV battery factory site
16/04/2024 Northumberland CC is set to consider a multi-million-pound deal that could see a site earmarked for a collapsed electric vehicle battery factory sold. |
Council to announce chief after capacity criticism
15/04/2024 East Devon DC is hoping to announce its new chief executive early next month after peers said senior level capacity was currently ‘limited’. |
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games boosted economy by £1.2bn
08/04/2024 The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games contributed approximately £1.2bn to the UK economy, according to an evaluation of the impact of the event. |
Stoke councillors approve £5.4m transport plan
04/04/2024 A plan to invest more than £5.4m on improving roads and transport in Stoke-on-Trent has received a green light. |
Museums and libraries receive £33m cash injection
26/03/2024 Nearly 70 museums and libraries across England are to receive £33m in the latest round of the Government's Cultural Investment Fund. |
VolkerFitzpatrick wins £38m Kent viaduct project
26/03/2024 Kent County Council has appointed VolkerFitzpatrick to design and build a highway crossing over a rail line and river near Canterbury. |
Doncaster council airship deal set to create 1,200 jobs
26/03/2024 Doncaster council has announced the location for the production facility of the helium-filled airship, Airlander 10, in a deal set to create 1,200 jobs. |
Apple to pay £385m for council pension fund loses
18/03/2024 A group action lawsuit led by Norfolk County Council has forced the tech giant Apple to payout £385m in compensation for pension fund loses. |
Coventry to consider £35m for Gigapark investment zone
06/03/2024 Coventry City Council’s cabinet will discuss whether to accept up to £35m of government funding to develop a battery gigafactory as part a new investment zone. |
Budget: Over £240m for Canary Wharf housing announced
06/03/2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt today announced £242m to deliver thousands of houses in Barking Riverside and Canary Wharf. |
Less than 20% of levelling up projects completed
04/03/2024 Fewer than a fifth of projects backed by the Government's £3.6bn Towns Fund were on track to be completed by the end of February, FOI requests have revealed. |
Council leader welcomes £4bn EV battery factory
29/02/2024 Somerset Council has welcomed the confirmation that Bridgwater in Somerset will be the location of a new £4bn electric vehicle (EV) battery factory. |
Medway backs £42m temporary accommodation investment
27/02/2024 Medway councillors have green lighted plans to invest £42m in new properties to help ease the council’s temporary housing pressures. |
Social housing investment could boost economy by over £50bn
26/02/2024 Much more investment in the construction of social housing could boost the economy by a dramatic £51.2bn, according to a new analysis. |
Teesworks inquiry finds no evidence of ‘corruption’
30/01/2024 An inquiry into accusations of corruption relating to the Teesworks scheme has found no evidence of ‘illegality’ but ‘transparency’ concerns remain. |
£2.9bn private investment in freeports, says Gove
10/01/2024 Michael Gove has said new freeports have attracted £2.9bn of investment and created 6,000 jobs since they were established in 2022. |
Social care career reforms ‘only scratch the surface’
10/01/2024 The Government today announced new measures to improve the career prospects of social care staff but concerns remain that this ‘may only scratch the surface’. |
Nine million adults lack essential skills
03/01/2024 Nine million adults lack essential skills with skill level disparities within local areas far exceeding those between local and combined authorities. |
Blackpool Council welcomes new £65m campus plan
29/11/2023 A plan for a multi-million-pound campus in Blackpool has been submitted, in what the council has described as a ‘game changing’ addition to the town centre. |
Getting the most out of LGPS funds
27/11/2023 Isio partner and Public Services leader Steve Simkins reflects on the Autumn Statement announcement of a surprise Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) target. |
Autumn Statement: East of England ‘bottom of pile’ for funding
23/11/2023 The East of England has received the smallest share of funding in round three of the Levelling Up Fund, according to local authority leaders from the region. |
Autumn Statement: West Midlands investment zone confirmed
23/11/2023 An investment zone is set to be established in the West Midlands focusing on three sites in Warwickshire, Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, Chancellor confirms. |
Autumn Statement: Level 4 devolution unveiled
22/11/2023 More powers will be offered to areas with a level 3 devolution deal, the Government has announced as part of the Autumn Statement. |
West Yorkshire to host £220m investment zone
21/11/2023 A new investment zone has been announced for West Yorkshire focused on life sciences. |
Investment in local care services could save £2.5bn
20/11/2023 Investment in home-based care, community and reablement services would help free up more hospital beds and improve care for the elderly, council leaders say. |
London council launches green investment scheme
17/11/2023 Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council is inviting residents and businesses to invest in green projects across the borough. |
West Yorkshire mayor unveils plan for 40,000 homes
16/11/2023 West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has unveiled plans to boost the number of houses in the region and to improve the quality of the area’s housing stock. |
Nine on 'flexible' Barnet highways framework
08/11/2023 Barnet Council has appointed nine contractors to a new four-year highway maintenance framework worth around £75m. |
Costain named strategic partner on Bradford's £250m investment plan
30/10/2023 Costain has been reappointed as Bradford Council’s strategic delivery partner, in a contract worth up to £5m with an initial run of two years. |
Turning pensions into fossil fuel playthings
23/10/2023 Robert Noyes, Platform London, argues that if councils are serious about net zero, then local government pension funds must divest from fossil fuels. |
Over £12bn of council pensions invested in fossil fuel
23/10/2023 Over £12bn of local government pensions are invested in the fossil fuel industry, environmental campaigners have revealed. |
Commission calls for £30bn public infrastructure investment
18/10/2023 Government should invest £30bn a year into public infrastructure to level up struggling areas and tackle climate change, says infrastructure commission. |
Government spends more maintaining Houses of Parliament than housing
04/10/2023 Government spends more maintaining the Houses of Parliament than on improvements to England’s 20 million rented and owner-occupied homes, new report reveals. |
Affordable housing investment could save £1.5bn a year
04/10/2023 Investing much more in social and affordable housing could save the Government an estimated £1.5bn a year, researchers at University College London estimate. |
Government pledges £60m innovation investment
04/10/2023 The Government has pledged to invest £60m into an innovation fund to support universities in areas with lower levels of research and development investment. |
Council pension funds call for climate vote
03/10/2023 Local authority pension fund managers have urged FTSE companies to give shareholders more of a say on plans to reach net zero. |
Unions call for £4bn investment in school estate
26/09/2023 In response to the RAAC crisis, trade unions have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to invest £4.4bn per year to improve the school estate. |
Level up seaside towns or lose power, Conservatives told
19/09/2023 The Conservative Government must level up England’s struggling coastal communities or risk losing 113 seaside seats to Labour, a conservative think tank warns. |
£600m boost for Oxford and Swindon Mini factories
12/09/2023 The BMW Group will invest more than £600m in its Mini plants in Oxford and Swindon as its electric production gains pace. |
Mayors call for Northern ‘New Deal’
11/09/2023 Mayors and business leaders are set to urge the main political parties to put the North of England at the heart of their 2024 general election manifestos. |
Combined authority approves £10m Leeds housing investment
08/09/2023 Members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have approved proposals to invest more than £10m in delivering over 800 new homes in Leeds. |
Historic lido reopens after £6m makeover
22/08/2023 The historic Northcroft Lido in Newbury has reopened to the public following a £5.7m refurbishment. |
Youth centres to benefit from £70m investment
04/08/2023 An estimated 12,000 young people are set to benefit from the refurbishment of over 40 youth centres, the Government has announced. |
North East to benefit from £8m hydrogen investment
02/08/2023 The North East is set to benefit from an £8m investment into the Tees Valley to support hydrogen-powered transport. |
'Flawed' climate change advice putting pension funds at risk
27/07/2023 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds are being put at risk by ‘flawed’ advice on the financial impact of climate change, according to a new study. |
Navigating the great LGPS investment reset
20/07/2023 Tom Pilcher, director in Redington's Investment Consulting team, looks at the Government’s ambitions for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). |
South Yorkshire named as UK’s first investment zone
17/07/2023 South Yorkshire was named by the Government on Friday as the site of the first UK investment zone. |
West Midlands Pension Fund announces first investment
14/07/2023 The West Midlands Pension Fund has invested in a private company for the first time through a £25m fund. |
£150m Derby business park expansion backed by officers
12/07/2023 Planning officers have backed plans to expand a Derby business park at an estimated cost of £150m. |
Ipswich unveils plans to improve town
11/07/2023 Ipswich Borough Council has unveiled its new draft corporate strategy, which aims to create a ‘prosperous and sustainable future’ for the borough. |
Tory MPs oppose boycotts ban
04/07/2023 Government moves to ban councils from imposing their own boycotts has faced opposition from Conservative benches. |
Coventry City Council to invest £500,000 in gigafactory
30/06/2023 Coventry City Council is set to invest half a million pounds into the delivery of a car battery factory. |
Plans for £210m regeneration in Huddersfield move to delivery phase
30/06/2023 The latest stage of funding to develop Huddersfield town centre has been approved by Kirklees Council’s cabinet. |
LGPS weathers turbulent year
27/06/2023 The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) achieved growth in a turbulent 2021-22, according to an annual report. |
UK trapped in underinvestment 'doom loop', think tank warns
20/06/2023 The UK is trapped in a growth 'doom loop' because of underinvestment by Government, think tank warns |
North of Tyne Combined Authority agrees £30m investment
14/06/2023 North of Tyne Combined Authority has agreed a £30m investment to 'breathe new life' into a former coal mining town. |
Pension figures lobbying over active management
08/06/2023 Council pension figures are lobbying for active management in case the Treasury renews pressure on the scheme’s funds to use cheaper passive investment. |
BREAKING: Woking's 'astonishing' financial crisis risks hitting Government borrowing
02/06/2023 Calamity-struck Woking BC may need to write off up to £1bn after a series of disastrous investments – a debt so big it would impact on Government borrowing. |
Campaigners call for reform of pre-school childcare
26/05/2023 Campaigners are calling for a fundamental reform of the pre-school childcare system to make sure all children benefit. |
EXCLUSIVE: Woking financial woes ‘like Thurrock on speed’
23/05/2023 A damning report into Woking BC’s finances has been described as making the borough look ‘like Thurrock on speed’. |
Pension fund managers called to account on climate
22/05/2023 Local government pensions expert has demanded a meeting with fund managers amid concerns about how investment managers use proxy votes at shareholder meetings. |
West Midlands Combined Authority signs £2bn warehouse partnership
18/05/2023 The West Midlands Combined Authority has announced a £2bn partnership to create warehouse facilities in the region over the next 10 years. |
Council chiefs call for statutory powers to boost economy
16/05/2023 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to give councils statutory powers over economic development. |
North East has highest percentage of empty shops
10/05/2023 The North East has the highest percentage of empty high street shops in Britain, a new study has revealed. |
Cornwall Council’s space centre launches new R&D facility
28/04/2023 The space centre owned by Cornwall Council has opened a new building for businesses developing and launching satellites. |
Council welcomes Jaguar’s all-electric facility
20/04/2023 Knowsley Council has welcomed a decision by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) to convert its production plant in Merseyside into the firm's first all-electric facility. |
Scottish council leaders and police strengthen collaboration
18/04/2023 Local authority leaders in Scotland have agreed four key priority areas to strengthen collaboration between local government and policing. |
Glasgow gets UKIB help on metro financing
14/04/2023 Glasgow City Council and the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) have agreed a project that seeks to accelerate the development of the Clyde Metro. |
Labour pledges to revitalise high streets
12/04/2023 Labour will today promote its plan to revitalise ailing high streets through a £700m fund to help small businesses with soaring energy bills. |
Austerity made country poorer, think tank says
30/03/2023 The UK’s long-term failure to invest in transport, housing, healthcare and local services has made Britain poorer, according to the Resolution Foundation. |
School buildings to receive £2.5bn investment
28/03/2023 Schools and colleges are set to receive £2.5bn in order to upgrade classrooms and refurbish buildings. |
Cambridgeshire set to see broadband boost with £69m contract
21/03/2023 Around 45,000 people in rural Cambridgeshire are set to see an improvement in their broadband thanks to a multi-million-pound Project Gigabit agreement. |
West Midlands CA welcomes unspent Commonwealth Games funding
20/03/2023 Around £70m of unspent Commonwealth Games funding is to be used to develop the West Midlands economy and boost its trade and tourism sectors. |
Islington council to invest £2m to improve recycling facilities
16/03/2023 Recycling facilities on estates across the borough of Islington are set to benefit from £2m of council investment. |
Budget’s lack of social care support ‘disappointing’
16/03/2023 Council leaders welcomed the new funding in yesterday's budget but were disappointed by absence of investment in social care, health and children’s services. |
Hunt stumps up tens of billions for infrastructure
15/03/2023 The chancellor has announced 'up to' £20bn for carbon capture and storage, alongside a new round of funding for city regions and £1bn for Levelling up. |
Budget 2023: Hunt confirms investment zone cash
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed in the spring budget plans to go ahead with 12 investment zones, each backed by a multi-million-pound injection of cash. |
Budget 2023: Hunt to boost mayors' financial autonomy
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced the Government will ‘boost mayors’ financial autonomy’ in his Budget. |
Council pension fund managers support social investments
15/03/2023 Most local government pension fund managers support investment that can achieve positive social benefits as well as financial returns, according to a survey. |
Suffolk CC to invest nearly £11m in new bridges
14/03/2023 Suffolk County Council is investing almost £11m into delivering two new bridges and a raft of regeneration projects. |
Chancellor to announce investment zones backed by £80m
14/03/2023 Twelve investment zones, each backed by £80m, will be announced tomorrow as part of the effort to boost local growth and level up left behind areas. |
Publicly-owned leisure centres with pools to receive £63m
14/03/2023 Local leisure centres with swimming pools are set to receive a multi-million-pound boost tomorrow to help them with rising energy bills and maintenance costs. |
Digitisation must not lead to ‘two-tier society’, auditor says
09/03/2023 Spending on internet infrastructure must be balanced with measures to prevent creating a two-tier society when it comes to services, Welsh government says. |
Councils should become primary provider of childcare, survey finds
06/03/2023 Councils should become the primary provider of state-subsidised childcare designed to get parents back to work and boost productivity, a new survey has found. |
Local government pension schemes to increase health sector investments
01/03/2023 A survey of Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) fund professionals reveals that the majority would like to increase their investment in the health sector. |
How institutional investors can boost the UK’s private rented sector
28/02/2023 Cedric Bucher, CEO, Hearthstone Investments, looks at the role of institutional investors, such as local authority pension funds, in delivering housing. |
Council welcomes ‘significant’ £20m Blyth investment
24/02/2023 The Government has announced a multi-million-pound funding package to help spread opportunity and boost local pride in Blyth. |
Two more LGPS investors back affordable housing fund
22/02/2023 Two LGPS investors have invested in the UK Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), which focuses on social and affordable rented housing. |
Unions warn many school buildings ‘at risk of collapse’
16/02/2023 A 50% decline in spending on school buildings over the last decade has left many of them unfit for the future, seven education unions have warned. |
Growth for pension pool despite Covid
13/02/2023 One of local government’s biggest joint pension partnerships has now pooled £47.5bn of the £60bn assets under its management. |
West Midlands Combined Authority sets out £1.1bn budget
13/02/2023 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has set out a £1.1bn budget which it says includes major investments to cut carbon while delivering growth. |
Brighton grapples with £44m 'high risk' loan
10/02/2023 Brighton & Hove City Council will have to put aside millions of pounds every year to cover a £44m loan labelled ‘high risk’ by auditors. |
Public sector pension funds call for ‘Say on Climate’ vote
09/02/2023 Public sector pension funds have written to all FTSE listed companies requesting that they give shareholders a vote on plans for reducing emissions. |
City leaders call for £100m boost to ‘cultural engagement’
07/02/2023 Cities with low ‘cultural engagement’ are more likely to be deprived, according to a new report. |
Councils back NHS anti-smoking investment
07/02/2023 Local authorities have backed investment by the NHS to help smokers quit, according to campaigners. |
Leicestershire council to convert its office into hotel
06/02/2023 A Leicestershire council is planning to turn parts of its office into a hotel because staff working from home means less space is needed. |
Northern councils sign up to ‘blockbuster’ film scheme
01/02/2023 A dozen councils in the North East have signed up to a scheme to help film and TV companies work in the region. |
Sector given role in NHS plan
31/01/2023 Local government will join an ‘expert group’ with the community sector and care providers to ‘build adult social care capacity’ as part of a new NHS plan. |
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.