Council may have broken law over £4m contracts
25/07/2024 Middlesbrough Council may have broken procurement law when it awarded four contracts worth more than £4m, an external audit has found. |
Council faces legal challenge over poultry unit
15/07/2024 A legal challenge has been launched over Shropshire Council’s decision to grant planning permission for a major intensive poultry unit. |
Lone asylum-seeking child arrivals to Kent up 87%
15/07/2024 The number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking (UAS) children arriving in the UK along Kent’s shoreline has risen by 87%. |
Government pulls defence of Cumbria coal mine
12/07/2024 The Government will no longer defend legal challenges of the planning permission it granted for a new coal mine in Cumbria. |
Pub owner threatened with legal action over mural
03/07/2024 A landlord has been threatened with legal action by the local council after he commissioned a painting of a bull on the side of his 17th century pub. |
Landmark fossil fuel ruling has ‘profound’ implications for planning
20/06/2024 A historic legal judgement has ‘fundamentally changed’ the landscape around planning permission for fossil fuel extraction, campaigners have said. |
Inquiry call over asylum hotel use
17/06/2024 A charity has called for a statutory independent inquiry into the use of hotels for unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children. |
EXCLUSIVE: Councils consider legal advice over waste guidance
12/06/2024 Councils are considering seeking legal advice over statutory guidance that will tell local authorities to collect residual waste at least every two weeks, The MJ understands. |
LGA pushes ahead with model parental leave policy
06/06/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has agreed to develop a model policy on parental leave for councillors. |
Judge: Kent cannot wriggle out of asylum duties
05/06/2024 Kent CC has been told by a judge it cannot wriggle out of its duties to ‘accommodate and look after’ all unaccompanied asylum seeking (UAS) children. |
EXCLUSIVE: LGA starts to shift on standards
04/06/2024 Senior Local Government Association (LGA) figures expect the organisation’s reluctance to beefing up the standards regime to shift after the General Election. |
Council demolishes ‘Britain's biggest man cave’
03/06/2024 Forest of Dean District Council has set to work demolishing a leisure complex that was built without planning permission by a local millionaire. |
High Court judge in trees ruling
31/05/2024 Councils and developers relying on planning permission exemptions to preservation orders cannot automatically cut down protected trees, High Court rules. |
Braintree withdraws legal challenge over asylum site
31/05/2024 Braintree District Council has withdrawn a legal challenge over the Government's use of former airfield RAF Wethersfield to house asylum seekers. |
High Court dismisses Bibby Stockholm legal challenge
23/05/2024 The High Court has dismissed a legal case challenging the Government’s controversial use of the Bibby Stockholm barge to house asylum seekers off the coast. |
BT: Too many councils failing to engage
21/05/2024 ‘Too many’ councils are failing to engage with telecoms giant BT as it works to switch customers to digital phone lines, the firm has said. |
Biffa sues Scottish Government for £55m over DRS
16/05/2024 Biffa has confirmed it is taking legal action against the Scottish Government for losses incurred after the scrapping of the deposit return scheme (DRS). |
Mandatory reporting exemptions a 'fudge'
13/05/2024 Ministers’ decision to exempt instances of child abuse from a new reporting law means they have dodged the mandatory duty demanded by a national inquiry. |
Council and Premier League club in stadium row
10/05/2024 Nottingham CC has warned ‘no local authority can subsidise a Premier League football club’ amid an escalating row over Nottingham Forest FC’s iconic stadium. |
Supreme Court overturns council’s Japanese knotweed fine
10/05/2024 A council in Wales will no longer have to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation for damage caused by Japanese knotweed, the Supreme Court has ruled. |
Councils spend £45m on planning appeal advice
03/05/2024 Councils spent £45m over the past three years on external legal advice relating to planning appeals, according to a freedom of information request. |
Council loses £600k buying back land it sold ‘wrongly’
02/05/2024 Shrewsbury Town Council has spent £1.34m buying back land it had ‘wrongly’ deemed ‘surplus to requirements’. |
Hainault: Council ‘shocked’ by sword attack
01/05/2024 A 14-year-old died and two police officers suffered ‘significant’ injuries yesterday after a man armed with a sword terrorized residents in north-east London. |
Bristol officers accused of 'misleading' over development
26/04/2024 Officers at Bristol City Council have been accused of providing ‘misleading’ advice linked to a decision to approve a controversial 28-storey development. |
Council apologises over FOI delays
23/04/2024 Walsall Council has apologised for delays to its response under the Freedom of Information Act. |
Legal challenge prompts council to install new LED bulbs
19/04/2024 Barnet Council has agreed to install new, softer LED bulbs after settling a legal challenge from a resident who complained the streetlights were too bright. |
Council warns of dangerous autism ‘cure’ fraud
18/04/2024 Greenwich council has warned schools and nurseries to be on guard after learning of an individual offering ‘experimental procedures’ for autistic children. |
Trade union law ‘nullifies’ right to strike, court rules
18/04/2024 UNISON has welcomed a landmark Supreme Court ruling that found UK trade union law ‘encourages and legitimises unfair and unreasonable conduct’ by employers. |
Rayner to be investigated by police after electoral law accusations
15/04/2024 Police have launched an investigation into whether Labour’s shadow local government secretary Angela Rayner broke electoral law a decade ago after allegations. |
Council eyes cutting back rubbish collection
02/04/2024 A council could reduce how often it picks up household rubbish that cannot be recycled or composted to once a month despite Government proposals. |
Court rules against police powers for West Midlands mayor
19/03/2024 The High Court has ruled against the Government’s plans to merge the role of the West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC) with the regional mayor. |
Cyber attack disruption to last weeks
18/03/2024 Leicester City Council expects disruption caused by a recent Cyber attack on the authority to continue until the end of the month. |
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. |
Leader bullied two senior officers, report finds
15/03/2024 A council leader’s behaviour towards two senior officers amounted to bullying, a report into a code of conduct complaint has found. |
Northumberland has ‘further to go’
13/03/2024 Northumberland CC has ‘further to go’ despite progress on its improvement journey, a report has found. |
Deprivation of Liberty backlog 'may never be eradicated'
08/03/2024 A report has called for councils to get more resources to tackle the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) backlog. |
Manchester CC spends £60k in noise dispute
06/03/2024 Manchester City Council has been forced to spend more than £60,000 in a three-year legal battle with a local music venue. |
High Court overrules Gove on M&S demolition
04/03/2024 The Government’s decision to block Marks & Spencer’s plans to demolish and redevelop its flagship central London store was unlawful, the High Court has ruled. |
Planning inspectors acted unlawfully over council’s net zero plans
22/02/2024 Planning inspectors were wrong to describe West Oxfordshire District Council’s net zero plans for a garden village as ‘too rigorous’, a High Court judge has ruled. |
Voter ID legal challenge launched
19/02/2024 A legal challenge has been mounted against the Government over voter ID requirements for elections. |
Former council worker jailed for fraud
19/02/2024 A former council employee and a roofing firm worker have been jailed for fraud and bribery after they conspired to defraud New Forest District Council. |
The Trading Standards Crisis
15/02/2024 John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, discusses the impact of the local government funding crisis on Trading Standards. |
REVEALED: Productivity plan demands toothless
15/02/2024 Councils have been told Whitehall will be unable to force them to submit productivity plans. |
At-risk EU migrants eligible for universal credit, court rules
09/02/2024 The Government must support EU migrants who are at risk of not being able to meet the ‘most basic needs’, the Supreme Court has ruled. |
Kent CC faces legal action over alleged abuse
06/02/2024 Nine former residents of a children's home in Kent are suing the county council over abuse allegations. |
Council sued after cyclist hits pothole
06/02/2024 Staffordshire County Council is facing legal action after the triathlete Paul Hughes hit a pothole while cycling breaking multiple bones and damaging a lung. |
Social housing reform: a recipe for more homelessness and litigation?
05/02/2024 Helen Tucker, litigation partner in the social housing team at Anthony Collins, warns the Government's social housing reforms could lead to more litigation. |
Grenfell firefighters win £20m settlement
02/02/2024 More than 100 firefighters injured in the Grenfell tragedy have received a £20m settlement in the High Court. |
Government faces legal action over air pollution death
26/01/2024 The mother of a girl whose death was linked to poor air quality is bringing a High Court claim against the Government. |
Call to end £250m business rate loophole
11/01/2024 A campaign to end a loophole which is estimated could cost councils a massive £250m in lost business rates revenue has been backed by senior politicians. |
Finance watchdog launches Thurrock investigation
03/01/2024 The Financial Reporting Council has launched an investigation into the conduct of an unnamed accountant at Thurrock before it declared effective bankruptcy. |
The separation of planning and landowning powers
02/01/2024 Gemma Duncan and William Murrin, Sharpe Pritchard, discuss planning and landowning powers and the implications of a recent High Court judgement. |
Croydon cleared of discrimination claims
02/01/2024 Croydon LBC and its chief executive Katherine Kerswell have been cleared of allegations of racial discrimination by an employment tribunal. |
Court provides clarity on duties owed to children at home
21/12/2023 Court rules that Wolverhampton did not have a duty of care to protect a child because it could not be established they had assumed responsibility for them. |
Council confirms asylum centre appeal
21/12/2023 West Lindsey DC is to appeal against the dismissal of its judicial review over the Home Office’s asylum centre plans. |
Child trafficking victim owed back payments
19/12/2023 A child trafficking victim is entitled to back payments after the Home Office and Barnet Council left him without adequate care and support, High Court finds. |
Rental reforms at risk from cash-strapped councils
12/12/2023 Local authorities will struggle to enforce the Government’s rental reforms without a ‘significant boost to their resources,' MPs warn. |
Councils can ban ‘newcomer’ travellers from land, court rules
30/11/2023 Local authorities can ban unidentified travellers from occupying land through injunctions against ‘newcomers’, the Supreme Court has ruled. |
Home Secretary acted ‘irrationally’ over National Transfer Scheme
29/11/2023 The Home Secretary’s powers have been exercised ‘irrationally’ when it comes to the decision-making process in relation to the National Transfer Scheme (NTS), the High Court has ruled. |
West Suffolk defrauded of £52,000
27/11/2023 West Suffolk Council has revealed that it lost £52,000 in a fraud incident this year. |
Vape sniffer dog uncovers £18.5k of contraband
27/11/2023 A sniffer dog has helped Lancashire County Council’s Trading Standards team uncover thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit e-cigarettes and tobacco. |
Councillors urge Government to respect Rwanda ruling
16/11/2023 Nearly 130 councillors have urged the Government to respect the Supreme Court’s ruling on its controversial plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda. |
Current climate making it ‘impossible’ for councils to carry on
15/11/2023 Soaring demand, rising pay bills and inflationary costs are making it ‘virtually impossible’ to keep councils going, a senior chief executive has said. |
Councils brace as Supreme Court outlaws Rwanda asylum plan
15/11/2023 The Supreme Court has ruled the UK’s controversial proposal to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful – a decision likely to impact local government. |
Councils at ‘significant legal risk’ over issues facing monitoring officers
10/11/2023 A report has called for the creation of a professional body for monitoring officers and a review of council structures to ensure their position within the ‘top tier of governance’. |
Brum commissioners warn council will need further help to agree lawful budget
09/11/2023 Commissioners at Birmingham City Council have warned it will struggle to agree a lawful budget next year without further help. |
Government urged to push through ‘no fault’ evictions ban
09/11/2023 The chair of the levelling up, housing and communities (LUHC) committee has urged the Government to commit to a timetable for abolishing section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. |
VR training on coercive control rolled out
07/11/2023 An immersive training programme that aims to raise awareness of gender-based violence and support those affected has been rolled out in Greater Manchester and North Wales. |
Glasgow clean air bid gets all clear
31/10/2023 A legal challenge to Glasgow's Low Emission Zone (LEZ) from a local business has failed. |
EXCLUSIVE: Home Office accused of misleading council over asylum plans
24/10/2023 The Home Office faces accusations in the High Court it misled a council over controversial plans for an asylum centre at a former military base. |
Council beats Spurs in High Court challenge
19/10/2023 Haringey Council has won a High Court challenge by Tottenham Hotspur over a regeneration scheme near the football club’s stadium. |
Newham wins landmark cladding removal case
19/10/2023 Newham LBC has become the first council in Britain to successfully prosecute a building owner for failing to remove flammable cladding. |
Agency found guilty of harassing tenants
11/10/2023 In a prosecution by Brighton and Hove City Council, a lettings agency has been found guilty of harassing tenants and fined £60,000. |
Controversial crematorium plan quashed
11/10/2023 Plans to develop what would have been one of England’s largest crematoriums in Cornwall have been quashed by the High Court. |
Red tape risk to levelling up
06/10/2023 New rules around subsidies risk holding back levelling up efforts, according to analysis published today. |
Safeguarding review after 10-year-old's death
05/10/2023 An independent safeguarding review is to begin following the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif. |
Righting the wrongs of equal pay
28/09/2023 David M Hutchison, head of Employment Law at Dallas McMillan, asks why councils are still struggling to get to grips with the equal pay issue. |
Council to limit non-essential spending amid s114 threat
28/09/2023 Windsor & Maidenhead BC is to limit all non-essential spending as it raised the risk of a section 114. |
Councils ‘wasted’ £46m on SEND tribunals
26/09/2023 Councils ‘wasted’ £46m on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) tribunals in 2021-22, economists have reported. |
Cash injection for Kent as councils drag feet on National Transfer Scheme
18/09/2023 Government has given Kent £10m for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children amid concerns other councils have been slow to support the National Transfer Scheme. |
Brum braced for Government intervention
12/09/2023 Birmingham City Council is braced for a wide-ranging Government intervention to help rescue the authority’s bleak finances, and improve political and officer leadership. |
Council halts Home Office work on RAF Scampton
08/09/2023 West Lindsey District Council has ordered the Home Office to stop work to convert a former military base into accommodation for asylum seekers. |
Early intervention drive amid social housing repossessions
25/08/2023 Councils with some of the highest relative rates of social landlord repossessions have described their early intervention efforts after new data was published. |
Families sue over Covid care home deaths
25/08/2023 Thirty families are launching legal action against the Government over the deaths of their relatives from Covid-19 in care homes when the pandemic began. |
Councils urged to check pay policies following tribunal
24/08/2023 Councils could be at risk of breaking the law on pay to senior officers in the wake of Croydon LBC’s recent tribunal loss, employers have warned. |
DfT faces Court of Appeal challenge over kerb heights
16/08/2023 A disability campaigner has won the right to take her case to the Court of Appeal in battle over the Department for Transport's minimum kerb height guidance. |
Deprivation of liberty applications surge
07/08/2023 The number of applications seeking authorisation to deprive children of their liberty has increased following the launch of a dedicated court. |
Councils slammed over '47-year negligence' after Uber court case
02/08/2023 A union representing private hire drivers has claimed victory in a court case that has clarified the legal status of ride-hailing services and their drivers. |
Met still stop and search without body-worn cameras
31/07/2023 The Met have carried out 6,225 stop and searches since January 2022 without using body-worn video (BWV) cameras, according to new data. |
‘Systematic’ housing of child refugees in hotels unlawful
27/07/2023 Kent County Council has acted unlawfully by failing to accommodate and look after all unaccompanied children seeking asylum, the High Court has ruled. |
Council loses legal bid over asylum hotel plans
10/07/2023 Carmarthenshire CC has been unsuccessful in its application for an interim injunction to prevent asylum seekers being housed at a hotel in Llanelli. |
Campaigners call for more ‘sex for rent’ protections
29/06/2023 Generation Rent has called for the Government to do more to protect financially vulnerable renters from being forced into ‘sex for rent’ arrangements. |
Council loses asylum appeal
26/06/2023 Braintree DC has lost its appeal against Government plans to house asylum seekers on a former airfield. |
Leeds pollution still at illegal levels after CAZ ditched
16/06/2023 Toxic air pollution in Leeds was above legal limits in 2021 after the city council chose not to proceed with a government-mandated Clean Air Zone (CAZ). |
Poor pandemic planning criticised
13/06/2023 Public health directors have criticised the Government’s Covid-19 preparedness – warning Whitehall must utilise council expertise to avoid repeat. |
North Kelsey oil drilling planning appeal dropped
09/06/2023 A company has withdrawn its appeal over plans to begin exploratory drilling for oil in a Lincolnshire village. |
Council threatens evictions to force children to inform on knife crime
06/06/2023 Barking and Dagenham council has warned families could be evicted from their homes if their children do not inform on people who commit knife crime. |
Rogue landlords are using ‘fake bailiffs’, charity warns
05/06/2023 Rogue landlords are using fake private security guards dressed like court bailiffs to force families out of their rented homes, a charity has warned. |
Court widens grounds in ULEZ challenge
31/05/2023 The High Court has allowed further grounds to be added to the Judicial Review into the proposed expansion of the ULEZ to outer London. |
Council investigation reveals mother’s forgery
23/05/2023 A mother in Barnet has admitted in court to forging official documents to get her son into a popular secondary school. |
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.