Northumberland has ‘further to go’
13/03/2024 Northumberland CC has ‘further to go’ despite progress on its improvement journey, a report has found. |
LGA moves towards performance support role
14/02/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) is to take a more proactive role as it seeks to do more to prevent Whitehall intervention in councils, The MJ understands. |
Consultation on audit reset proposals launched
09/02/2024 Proposals to reset the local audit system and clear the backlog of accounts have been officially unveiled. |
Disposable vapes to be banned
29/01/2024 Disposable vapes will be banned in the UK to protect children’s health, the Government announced today. |
LGA calls for family hubs extension
10/01/2024 Council bosses have called for an extension of the family hubs programme after the Government announced that all local authorities involved in the scheme offer access to a centre. |
LGA appoints new chief exec
04/01/2024 Surrey County Council boss Joanna Killian has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Call for greater drug use surveillance
18/12/2023 Council chiefs have called for greater regulation and surveillance of the use of illegal drugs in response to what they have called ‘worrying new trends’. |
Swindon’s finances on a ‘cliff edge’
14/12/2023 Axing 80 jobs is one proposal among a raft of measures under consideration by Swindon Borough Council as it seeks to cover a £14m shortfall. |
Dudley's sustainability 'in jeopardy'
11/12/2023 Dudley MBC has set up an improvement board following stark warnings over its finances and governance. |
Councils call for support after ‘stark’ climate change warnings
11/12/2023 Local authority leaders have said they need support to prepare communities for climate change after a stark report described the impacts of changing temperatures on people’s health. |
LGA poised to shift position on Right to Buy
06/12/2023 Smith Square is poised to amend its position on Right to Buy, The MJ has learned. |
One in five councils report bankruptcy fears
06/12/2023 A poll of council leaders and chief executives has revealed that one in five think it likely that their chief finance officer will need to issue a Section 114. |
Thousands of refugees face homelessness at Christmas, LGA warns
29/11/2023 The Government’s push to clear the asylum backlog is putting ‘tens of thousands’ of refugees at risk of homelessness over Christmas, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Council reprimanded after suffering Cyber attack
28/11/2023 Gloucester City Council has pledged lessons will be learnt following a reprimand from a data watchdog over a Cyber attack. |
LGA seeks views on improvement framework
28/11/2023 The LGA has called on those working in or with local government to provide feedback on how the improvement and assurance framework can be improved. |
MPs launch inquiry into controversial watchdog
24/11/2023 An inquiry looking at the remit of the controversial Office for Local Government (Oflog) was launched by MPs today. |
Sector unites in plea to chancellor
22/11/2023 The local government sector in England has put out a call to Jeremy Hunt to ‘address the significant financial challenges faced by councils’. |
LGA responds to councillors’ ceasefire email
21/11/2023 The LGA has spoken out after two councillors threatened to name locally elected members who did not sign up to support a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. |
Temporary accommodation costs mount to £1.74bn
27/10/2023 English councils spent £1.74bn on temporary accommodation last year, research has found as more than 100 local authorities signed up to an ‘emergency’ housing summit. |
LGA: involve councils in asylum hotel decisions
25/10/2023 Councils want an active role in decisions about ending hotel use for asylum seekers, local government bosses have said. |
Councils ‘held back’ on net zero
24/10/2023 The organisations that represent English councils have collaborated in a call for the Government to change its approach on delivering net zero. |
'Devolution hopes rest on combined authorities'
24/10/2023 Combined authorities represent the greatest hope for devolution in England, according to a new report based on interviews with 95 former ministers and Whitehall mandarins. |
Councils welcome waste reform flexibility but await details on costs
23/10/2023 Councils were relieved not to lose all local discretion in the Government’s waste collection reforms but have said questions remain, including over funding. |
EXCLUSIVE: Sector to plot solutions for 'broken' finance system
18/10/2023 Local government is planning to collectively come up with some innovative ideas about how the ‘broken’ finance system could be improved, The MJ has been told. |
Chiefs' new professional development framework launched
17/10/2023 The first version of a new professional development framework to keep local government chief executives ‘ahead of the game’ has been launched. |
LGA claims ‘so much more could have been done’ in pandemic
04/10/2023 Councils were held back from effectively tackling the challenges of the pandemic by central Government, it has been claimed. |
New programme to help councils with climate change goals
03/10/2023 A sustainability programme has been launched by the Local Government Association (LGA) to help councils reach carbon reduction targets. |
Council's ‘low-risk approach’ questioned
02/10/2023 A council has been urged by Local Government Association (LGA) peers to take more risks to improve its financial outlook. |
Lords block plans to scrap nutrient neutrality rules
14/09/2023 The Government’s attempt to scrap nutrient neutrality rules has been defeated in the House of Lords. |
'Clarity' promised on waste reforms
12/09/2023 More certainty on the Government’s waste reform programme has been promised after mandarins were taken to task over delays. |
LGA: Section 114s show system is 'broken'
11/09/2023 The Local Government Association (LGA) will cite the number of section 114 notices issued by councils as evidence of a ‘broken’ system. |
Councils press for more stringent air quality targets
06/09/2023 Local authorities have dismissed claims air pollution targets cannot be met by 2030. |
New NHS dentists not going to areas most in need
24/08/2023 Council bosses have raised concerns that new dentists working for the NHS are not going to the areas that need them most. |
Councils face £18m bill from new housing standards
08/08/2023 Local authorities could be stuck with an £18m bill to implement new government housing standards, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Councils told to 'step up' on refugee housing
19/07/2023 The Government has told councils to ‘step up’ efforts to provide permanent homes for Afghan refugees, having served legal notices to quit to those in hotels. |
Minister: Oflog won't spot every council failure
04/07/2023 In his speech to the LGA conference this week, levelling up secretary Michael Gove officially launched the Office for Local Government (Oflog). |
LGA sets up tribute page for Lord Kerslake
04/07/2023 The Local Government Association as set up a tribute page following the death of Lord Bob Kerslake. |
Gove: Trust councils on waste collection
09/06/2023 Communities secretary Michael Gove has said the Government should not ‘dictate’ to councils on waste collections. |
LGA: Social care must remain 'rooted’ at local level
08/06/2023 Social care must remain 'rooted in local government' council leaders have warned, to make sure it is democratic and accountable. |
Councils better placed to deliver welfare than DWP, leaders claim
26/04/2023 Sector representatives were brought before the Work and Pensions Committee to hear their experiences of delivering the Household Support Fund. |
‘Significant concerns' over regional care cooperatives
23/03/2023 Regional care cooperatives (RCCs) will not resolve the issues around child care placements, councils have said. |
LGA moves to tackle workforce crisis
10/03/2023 The association’s executive advisory board heard that all of the LGA’s policy boards had highlighted ‘significant workforce capacity challenges’. |
Minister mounts Oflog defence
10/03/2023 Local government minister Lee Rowley told councillors to ‘judge us by what we do, not what you worry about’ as he defended the planned Oflog. |
Number of homeless Ukrainian refugees mounts
20/02/2023 Politicians have made a cross-party call to extend support for Ukrainian refugees to prevent them becoming homeless. |
Councillors split on solution to workforce crisis
26/01/2023 The LGA’s executive advisory board considered a survey that found more than nine in 10 councils were experiencing staff recruitment difficulties. |
Local net zero push held back by Government, review finds
13/01/2023 Local authorities’ efforts to achieve net zero are being held back, according to a Government-commissioned review. |
Top awards for sector in King Charles III's Honours list
03/01/2023 Local government figures from across the sector have been recognised in the first New Year's Honours list under King Charles III. |
CQC delays new care inspections
21/12/2022 The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has announced it is to delay the introduction of its new adult care assessments. |
District concern in wake of finance settlement
20/12/2022 Concern over funding for districts has been voiced following the announcement of the provisional local government finance settlement for 2023-24. |
Transformation stalled at unitary's planning service, peers find
19/12/2022 ‘Widespread dissatisfaction’ with enforcement has been uncovered by a peer review of a new unitary council’s planning service. |
Deaths caused by alcohol reach 'record high'
09/12/2022 Council leaders have called for a 'concerted approach' to tackling alcohol dependency after figures showed the number of deaths caused by alcohol has hit a record high. |
Councils could be forced to hike council tax by 20% over next two years
16/11/2022 Council leaders are warning council tax must rise by 20% over the next two years in order to meet ‘spiralling’ financial costs. |
Solace Summit: recruitment crisis laid bare
13/10/2022 The scale of the recruitment crisis facing councils has been laid bare at the Solace Summit. |
Majority of lead members call for delay to social care reforms
05/08/2022 The majority of senior councillors are worried social care reforms will make council services worse rather than better, according to the results of a new survey. |
Record-breaking year for Ombudsman
27/07/2022 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has directed more improvements to councils in the past year than ever before. |
Councils call for overhaul of providing secure children’s homes
22/07/2022 The number of children waiting for a place in a secure children’s home has doubled in the past year, new figures have shown today. |
Councils bring forward bin collections to protect staff during heatwave
18/07/2022 Councils across the country will be collecting bins, garden waste and recycling an hour earlier over the next two days to limit staff exposure to high temperatures. |
Skills devolution to boost jobs market by one million
11/07/2022 Devolution of skills funding could allow a million people to return to the jobs market, new research has found. |
Structural change not a cure-all for children's services
11/07/2022 Structural change alone is not enough to turn around children’s services, a new report has found. |
UK to take in Ukrainian child refugees
21/06/2022 The UK is to take in unaccompanied child refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine with hundreds already on their way to the UK. |
Polluted rivers will stop 20,000 homes from being built every year, councils warn
13/06/2022 More than seven percent of planned house building in England will be unable to go ahead due to river pollution levels, new analysis has revealed. |
Councils warn illicit tobacco could undermine smoking cessation efforts
23/05/2022 Council leaders have warned the cost of living crisis could cause more people to use cheap counterfeit tobacco, widening health disparities. |
Councils to fund housing for homeless refugees
01/04/2022 Local authorities will have to pick up the bill for accommodating homeless Ukrainian refugees from their own budgets, a minister has said. |
Data issues hampering councils' refugee response
30/03/2022 Councils are struggling to prepare for the arrival of refugees due to a lack of quality data, MPs have been told. |
New commission launched to show value of cultural services
07/03/2022 A new commission to promote the role of arts and culture in England's recovery from the pandemic has been launched by the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Warnings over unmet care needs
01/03/2022 Social care services could be put under further pressure due to unmet needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research. |
Councils urge households to arrange direct debits for paying council tax
28/02/2022 Councils are urging residents to set up a direct debit to pay their council tax bill in order to get the £150 energy rebate payment as quickly as possible. |
LGA: Youth services funding cut could have paid for 1,000 support workers
25/02/2022 More than 1,000 youth and community support workers could be recruited using money removed from a flagship government fund for youth services, local authority leaders have said. |
'Underfunded' adult social care reforms put services at risk, warn councils
25/02/2022 The underfunding of social care reforms will put the quality and availability of services at risk, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Councils call for local outbreak funding as part of 'Living with COVID' strategy
21/02/2022 Councils have warned they will be forced to stand down public health teams unless the Government extends local outbreak management funding. |
Storm Eunice forces councils to close services
18/02/2022 Councils across the UK have been forced to suspend public services, close schools and provide emergency help for rough sleepers due to Storm Eunice. |
A third of bus services could be cut without emergency funding, experts warn
14/02/2022 Councils have warned nearly a third of bus services will be axed unless emergency funding is extended beyond the end of March. |
Social workers report 'surge' in children with mental health needs
04/02/2022 The number of children being assessed by social workers as having a mental health need has increased by a quarter as a result of the pandemic, social workers have warned. |
LGA launches T Level support programme
27/01/2022 Up to 35 councils will benefit from a new support programme to help them create high quality T Level placements. |
Council chiefs call for digital champions to help gigabit broadband roll-out
19/01/2022 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to allow councils to create digital champions to help speed up the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband in hard to reach areas. |
Successful applicants of latest Housing Advisers Programme announced
18/01/2022 The 30 successful applicants chosen to receive help to overcome housing challenges in their local areas have been announced. |
Gove closes tax loophole on second homes
14/01/2022 A loophole that allows second home owners to avoid paying council tax by falsely claiming their properties are holidays lets will be closed under new measures. |
Councils warn funding will be needed to protect venues from terrorism attacks
11/01/2022 Councils will need 'significant' funding to ensure public places are prepared and protected from terrorist attacks, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Fund planners to solve housing crisis - Lords
07/01/2022 Peers have said council planning departments must be better resourced to prevent an ‘emerging crisis’. |
Royal recognition for local government figures
04/01/2022 Senior figures from the Local Government Association (LGA) have received awards in the Queen’s New Year Honours. |
Councils call for extension to outbreak funding
13/12/2021 Councils have urged the Government to extend its COVID-19 outbreak funding to support local contact tracing. |
Social care White Paper ‘set up to fail’
01/12/2021 The local government sector has praised the ambition of the long-awaited adult social care reform White Paper, but warned it will not succeed without funding to meet current demand. |
Nine councils chosen for Digital Pathfinders Programme
23/11/2021 Nine councils have been awarded funding to improve digital inclusion, connectivity and cyber security. |
Council chiefs warn HGV driver shortage could hit gritting services
23/11/2021 Local authority leaders have warned that the HGV driver shortage might hit gritting services this winter. |
New tools maps employment and training schemes
18/11/2021 A new online tool to help councils better understand employment and skills provision in their local areas has been launches. |
Councils most trusted on climate change, poll reveals
11/11/2021 Residents trust councils more than central government or world leaders to take action on climate change, a new poll has revealed. |
Councils warn investment in bus services is vital to meet climate targets
10/11/2021 The Government must fully fund the concessionary bus fares scheme if councils are to decarbonise fleets, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
LGA seeks urgent clarity on Community Renewal Fund
01/11/2021 Councils have urged the Government to give them more time to spend the Community Renewal Fund, after the announcement on successful projects has been delayed. |
Councils warn against 'unnecessary' free garden waste collections
25/10/2021 Councils have criticised government proposals for universal free garden waste collection, warning they are not the answer to reducing landfill. |
Council chiefs call for £875m investment in leisure facilities
25/10/2021 Local authority leaders have called on the Chancellor to invest millions into public sports and leisure facilities as part of the effort to tackle health inequalities. |
Councils warn children’s social care costs will soar by £600m a year
25/10/2021 The cost of children's social care in England will increase by £600m each year due to soaring demand, councils leaders have warned. |
Councils call for £12.2bn investment to achieve net zero
19/10/2021 Councils could retrofit over 1,000 homes a day with energy efficiency measures by 2030 with the right investment and powers, a report has argued today. |
Councils call for £100m investment in school counselling
15/10/2021 The Government has been urged to invest at least £100m per year to make school-based counselling available to all children. |
Age UK warns 10% council tax hike would still not fix care
15/10/2021 Charity Age UK has warned council tax would need to go up by another 10% next year just to allow social care to ‘stand still’. |
Councils warn housing waiting lists could double next year
13/10/2021 The number of people stuck on council housing waiting lists could double next year as COVID-related support schemes come to an end, a new report has said today. |
Council chiefs criticise Government’s ‘central first, local later’ COVID response
12/10/2021 Local authority leaders have said that councils could have been given ‘a greater role’ in the initial response to COVID-19 after MPs criticised the Government for pursuing a strategy of ‘central first, local later’. |
Councils calls for extension of council tax support funding
11/10/2021 The Government has been urged to fund local council tax support schemes for the next three years to support families on low income. |
Councils warn local road maintenance budgets face £400m cut
11/10/2021 Funding for local road maintenance has been cut by £400m this year, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Council chiefs warn driver shortages could hit gritting services
11/10/2021 Local authority leaders have warned that driver shortages could affect gritting services this winter. |
Council tax could easily rise by 5% a year warn finance experts
06/10/2021 English councils will need billlions more from government and big tax rises to maintain services and pay for social care reforms, says new analysis published today by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). |
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.