3/24/2026

Parish and town councils could play a central role in making devolution work for communities.

10/1/2025

Dan Crowe, 3ni, examines Pride in Place, highlighting how community capacity-building, and hyper-local decision-making are critical to regeneration.

7/8/2024

Jonathan Owen, chief executive of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), discusses what parish and town councils want from the new government.

4/12/2024

A petition calling for the creation of a new town council in Salford has been submitted to Salford City Council.

6/26/2023

Barnsley MBC has taken the coveted title of Local Authority of the Year at The MJ Achievement Awards this afternoon.

6/13/2023

Richard Machin, lecturer in Social Work and Health at Nottingham Trent University, looks at what the Covid inquiry can learn from Nottingham City Council.

5/31/2023

North Yorkshire Council yesterday gave the go-ahead for a series of community partnership pilots in an effort to ensure local voices are heard.

8/5/2022

The vast majority of people support full funding for local authorities, a new report has revealed.

7/22/2022

Councils are spending 46% of their procurement budgets with local suppliers, new research has revealed.

6/28/2022

The first of 150 areas taking part in a long-term funding programme helping residents deliver community projects has distributed all of its £1.15m grant.

5/6/2022

Over two thirds of people responding to a recent poll argue that more power should be given to local communities to tackle the cost of living crisis.

1/12/2022

People living in deprived and urban areas will be encouraged to engage more with the planning system under new schemes being piloted by 11 councils.

12/16/2021

Tim Pope, local government expert at PA Consulting, explains what he hopes to see in the White Paper on levelling up

12/1/2021

Campaigners have called for a new Community Power Act to give communities a legal right to self-determination.

11/12/2021

Parish and town councils should be established in every neighbourhood to help places level up and revive local democracy, a think tank has said today.

4/29/2021

Following on from a three-day event in March, New Local's Building Stronger Things looked at how to put the ideas of the community paradigm into practice locally. Ann McGauran reports.

1/12/2021

Every local area should be represented by a parish or town council in order to rebuild ‘fraying’ communities after the pandemic, a think tank has argued today.

1/5/2021

Vidhya Alakeson argues that community businesses provide a tremendous opportunity to create vibrant and resilient high streets and communities.

9/23/2019

Local authorities should formally commit to including the neighbourhood in all decision making processes, says Centre for London.

9/10/2019

A radical new approach to children’s services is needed to avert the growing crisis, a think tank has warned today.

7/16/2019

An unusual way of providing public services has proved successful in an area hit by unemployment and huge cuts in government funding, as Mark Whitehead found out.

7/5/2019

Tony Armstrong writes about why and how we must commission public services locally, and the growing Keep it Local movement.

7/3/2019

Political parties and civil society groups have signed the Good Systems Agreement calling for reforms to the UK's voting system.

6/21/2019

A 'decade of localism' has led to wide differences in standards of fire services, inspectors have warned.

3/22/2019

Local Government News finds out why local community organisations and councils must work together to save public spaces.

2/25/2019

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council is one step closer towards setting up of a new town council for Weymouth.

2/15/2019

Funding has been announced in 16 boroughs, town and cities across England to encourage more people to get involved in local issues.

9/13/2018

Local authorities should shift their focus away from direct service provision and focus more on enabling communities to ‘step up’, new study argues.

6/4/2018

The Government should make it easier for communities to set up new local councils in England, according to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).

3/20/2018

The Government yesterday launched a £23m fund to help local residents plan their own communities.

3/19/2018

Town and parish councils are calling for new powers to be handed to them following Brexit in what they see as the next stage in local government devolution.

3/16/2018

A new partnership will soon equip councillors with ‘community organising’ skills to help them engage more effectively with their local communities.

3/15/2018

Mark Whitehead finds out why smaller councils are taking on bigger roles in terms of responsibilities and delivering services.

1/26/2018

Localism is a marathon, not a sprint, writes Lord Kerslake. Quick fixes through legislation will not be enough.

12/1/2017

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday announced he was ‘minded’ to support two locally-led proposals for merging district councils in Somerset and Suffolk.

11/13/2017

A £1b fund has been announced for communities near fracking sites to pay for extra facilities including parks, sports centres and libraries.

11/1/2017

Not enough cash from the support grant is going to local authorities because ‘too many top-tier councils’ are not following Government guidance, Javid says.

10/26/2017

Seven areas have been chosen to share £8m to create a network of new community businesses in their areas.

10/6/2017

Local experiment offers a way out, argues Ipsos MORI's Ben Page, and in the current uncertain environment it is more needed than ever.

9/11/2017

The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) and ITN Productions have launched a news and current affairs-style programme ‘Redefining neighbourhoods: Beyond austerity'.

7/4/2017

A new online tool to help reshape local politics and council spending decisions is being tested by four European countries.

5/19/2017

A new guide has been launched to give local councillors tips on how to plan for their neighbourhoods.

3/24/2017

LocalGov and We Own It are partnering up to launch the Local Public Ownership Awards.

2/7/2017

Tony Pilkington calls on councils to develop new models of care in order to empower local communities.

1/25/2017

The current trend among councils of standardising services and outsourcing contracts to big national charities and multinational companies is ‘counterproductive’, campaigners warn.

1/17/2017

The House of Lords is being urged to support the creation of new local councils in England's city areas in order to strengthen local democracy and improve the take-up of neighbourhood planning.

1/9/2017

The Government will take an active role in tackling ‘everyday injustices’ and building a ‘shared society’, says the prime minister.

11/15/2016

Devolution to local government will only be successful if power is driven beyond town halls and into local communities, a new report from the Co-operative Party has argued.

11/15/2016

Three local communities in south London are to be given more responsibility for services as part of a six-month pilot scheme launched by Croydon Council.

11/8/2016

The Government should invest £1bn to help transfer public buildings and land into the hands of community groups.

10/28/2016

The Local Government Association (LGA) has launched an online toolkit to help councils involve their residents in the design and delivery of services.

8/26/2016

Poorer communities are missing out on a government scheme to improve neighbourhoods, according to new research published by a think tank.

7/11/2016

200 neighbourhood plans have now been approved following three referendums in Herefordshire.

7/8/2016

A new report has revealed how the use of community currency - known as Time Credits - can help councils engage with and empower local communities.

7/6/2016

In the face of ‘massive austerity’ devolving power to local communities can give them a sense of ‘pride’, but cannot solve fundamental problems, according to an LGA panel on devolution.

6/22/2016

Local government should make more land available cheaply for groups who want to set up cohousing communities, a report launched in the House of Commons today says.

5/20/2016

With the Green Party failing to make headway in the recent local elections, William Eichler finds out why their growing membership is failing to translate into seats.

4/21/2016

Councils across the country are celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday in style today, with more than a thousand beacons being lit to mark the occasion.

4/6/2016

William Eichler meets up with the campaigners who are being empowered to take resident-led action to improve their local communities.

3/10/2016

Tony Armstrong welcomes the new 'healthy towns' initiative but warns engaged communities should be at the heart of any plans

3/8/2016

More than 3,000 buildings, green spaces and other assets have been protected under legislation designed to give people more say over developments in their areas, according to the Government.

3/2/2016

A campaign has been launched to establish London’s second parish council under the Localism Act.

2/16/2016

Community groups across the country will share £1.5m of funding to transform 87 neglected urban spaces into new ‘pocket parks’.

2/8/2016

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to give councils new powers and freedoms to end the ‘forced privatisation’ of public services.

11/23/2015

Council leaders in Wales have called on the Welsh Government to empower local authorities so that they can better protect local services.

11/3/2015

The majority of people (95%) think parks and play areas should be protected from future development, with half saying they would be less active if local green space was lost, according to a new survey.

10/15/2015

Telford & Wrekin Council is considering protecting more than 100 green spaces from future development under its new Green Guarantee.

10/15/2015

Two ‘Citizens’ Assemblies’ in Southampton and Sheffield will bring representative samples of the population together to discuss the future of local democracy, according to a statement from Democracy Matters.

10/9/2015

One hundred communities across England have voted for the adoption of their Neighbourhood Plans, announced Locality.

10/6/2015

Councils should have the power to directly intervene in failing centralised public services, by issuing a ‘red’ or ‘yellow’ card, according to the findings of a new report.

10/1/2015

Government must help Black, Asian and minority ethnic organisations take over community buildings to ensure future generations benefit from them argues a new report by Ubele Initiative and Locality.

9/10/2015

Plans to create a new town council in Sutton Coldfield have moved a step closer, following Birmingham City Council’s recommendation to set up a new parish council.

9/3/2015

Councils should encourage people to keep the streets clean rather than just relying on charges and fines to make up shortfalls in budgets, according to the findings of a new report.

8/5/2015

Local authorities could be given the power to extend Sunday opening hours in a bid to boost the local economy by £1.4bn a year.

7/30/2015

A consultation has begun on the number of councillors and electoral wards in Scotland by the Local Government Boundary Commission.

7/27/2015

A Government push to hand more power to local areas has now reached 250 communities across England.

7/23/2015

More funding should be made available to communities that want to build their own housing, according to Locality.

6/5/2015

Kingston Council is set to introduce resident-led debates, live webcasting of council meetings and changes to council question time, as part of a wider programme of constitutional reforms.

5/5/2015

A nationwide competition has been launched today, offering £10,000 to organisations that help re-shape public services.

4/28/2015

Council chiefs from across the UK have joined forces to call for the next government to make devolution an ‘urgent’ priority.

4/24/2015

Councils have been urged to develop initiatives that encourage a more active contribution from the public, as a new report hails the benefits of public engagement.

4/17/2015

Guildford Council looks set to adopt a hybrid system of governance in a bid to improve transparency and accountability.

4/2/2015

‘Town hall Pravdas’? No. Information is the lifeblood of local government and constricting its flow will cause injury and even death, writes David Walker

4/1/2015

Pubs are just as important to local life as community centres or post offices, a poll suggests.

3/24/2015

The majority of people believe local authorities or voluntary groups are best placed to deliver public services rather than profit making companies, according to a new poll.

2/27/2015

Neighbourhood planning groups are being encouraged to apply for a share of £22.5m to help decide the future development of their local areas.

2/24/2015

Local government needs a 'radical rethink' to examine 'what councils are for', according to a report from think tank MCA.

2/3/2015

Communities should be given more power to shape local services, save pubs from closure and build housing, MPs have said.

1/27/2015

The Government has announced it will take action to stop pubs in England being demolished or converted into different uses against the will of local people.

1/27/2015

Paul Tombs argues that wiith increased power comes increased responsibility.

1/20/2015

The Government’s Big Society has failed to deliver more power to local communities, according to a three-year investigation into the project.

1/16/2015

The mayor of Liverpool has called the decision of Eric Pickles to turn down the proposed regeneration of the Welsh Streets as ‘unacceptable, dishonourable and completely perverse’.

1/15/2015

Councils are being forced to divert at least £1.5m a month from frontline services to ‘subsidise’ the drinks industry, town hall chiefs are warning.

1/14/2015

Local authorities are being left out of government discussions on community energy policy, academics are claiming.

1/5/2015

A ‘plain English’ guide to the planning system has been published by the Government in a bid to get more communities involved in the planning process.

12/9/2014

Powers over local gambling proposed for Scotland must now be devolved to councils in England as well, town hall chiefs have said.

12/4/2014

Dorset County Council’s leader has quit ahead of a trial over his alleged failure to declare interests in two property companies.

12/2/2014

Dorset County Council’s leader is to stand trial after pleading not guilty to three charges of failing to declare interests in two housing companies.

12/1/2014

The leaders of 119 councils in England have united to demand an end to austerity and greater power to match Scottish devolution commitments.

11/20/2014

Legislation brought in to help communities influence planning decisions has had little impact in London because it does not fit with the capital’s diversity.