VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
London’s boroughs call for ‘seat at the table’ in devo settlement
03/04/2025 London’s councils have called for joint decision-making arrangements between the mayor and the capital’s boroughs as part of a new devolution settlement. |
London’s high streets get £21m regeneration boost
28/02/2025 London’s high streets are to benefit from £21m additional funding this year aimed at regenerating the capital’s high streets. |
London Councils pushes back on call to halve number of boroughs
12/02/2025 London Councils has hit back after the Taxpayers' Alliance campaign group called for the number of London boroughs to be halved. |
Biggest barrier to inclusive education is lack of funding, report finds
05/11/2024 Schools in the capital must become ‘genuinely inclusive’ to improve outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a new report has argued. |
Homeless youths missing from official stats
10/10/2024 The number of homeless young people in London is at a record high but is likely to be much higher than official figures suggest, a homelessness charity has warned. |
Several London councils ‘edging closer towards effective bankruptcy’
12/09/2024 Boroughs in the capital are set to overspend by more than £600m this year as housing and homelessness pressures ‘wreak havoc’ on their finances, according to London Councils. |
London Councils moves office to improve ‘financial footing’
28/08/2024 London Councils, the collective of local government in the capital, is moving to a new office to help make savings. |
How to tackle London’s housing crisis
18/07/2024 Piali Das Gupta, London Councils’ Strategy Director – London’s Future, looks at what the new government should do to solve the capital’s housing shortage. |
Lambeth leader elected chair of London Councils
17/07/2024 Lambeth Council leader Claire Holland has been elected chair of the cross-party London Councils. |
King recognises council chiefs in honours
17/06/2024 Current and former local authority bosses have been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. |
EXCLUSIVE: Councils given 100,000 asylum housing target
21/05/2024 Councils have been told to identify an extra 100,000 bedspaces for asylum seekers amid Home Office expectations of a surge in arrivals, The MJ can reveal. |
Short-term lets plans could ‘worsen’ housing shortage
20/05/2024 London boroughs have warned that government plans for regulating the short-term lets sector could worsen the capital’s housing crisis. |
Online sales tax not priority for London
20/03/2024 London Councils has decided it will not prioritise an online sales tax (OST) as part of its lobbying effort. |
Local government launches cultural services alliance
01/03/2024 Organisations representing local government have joined forces to form a new National Alliance for Cultural Services. |
Boroughs have ‘nothing to offer’ as refugee homelessness rises
07/12/2023 New research has found that an increasing number of refugees are rough sleeping in London after leaving Home Office accommodation. |
London Councils to step back support for land value tax plans
23/11/2023 London Councils is expected to distance itself from backing the idea of a land value tax when its leaders meet next month. |
Homelessness warning over LHA freeze
09/11/2023 A maintained freeze on local housing allowance (LHA) rates could push 60,000 Londoners into homelessness over the next six years, according to new analysis. |
DLUHC blasted over levelling up failure
08/11/2023 The levelling up department has been blasted for failing to deliver its remit by a senior sector figure. |
London borough trials pothole repair machine
06/11/2023 Redbridge Council is trialling a spray injection patching machine to fix potholes across the borough. |
Emergency summit held amid temporary accommodation warnings
31/10/2023 More than 150 councils this week attended an emergency summit as the cost of temporary accommodation to local authorities increases rapidly. |
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. |
London councils face £400m shortfall
11/10/2023 The capital’s boroughs face a £400m funding gap this year, set to rise to £500m in 2024-25, new analysis from London Councils reveals. |
London Councils eyes apprenticeship levy devolution
09/10/2023 London Councils has named securing devolution of the apprenticeship levy to its boroughs to fund skills and employment activity as a key short-term priority. |
Councils press for more stringent air quality targets
06/09/2023 Local authorities have dismissed claims air pollution targets cannot be met by 2030. |
South East Councils to consider devolution of vehicle excise duty
01/09/2023 The devolution of vehicle excise duty (VED) will be among the options expected to be considered by a London Finance Commission-style investigation. |
Homeless London families evicted as emergency housing deals end
30/08/2023 More landlords are quitting the temporary accommodation sector in London, causing homeless families to be evicted from emergency housing. |
Fresh calls to raise local housing allowance
23/08/2023 Calls have been made for ministers to increase local housing allowance (LHA) after research revealed 85% of English councils are facing a rise in homelessness. |
One in 50 Londoners homeless as councils struggle with costs
03/08/2023 London is facing an ‘unmanageable’ crisis, with one in 50 people in temporary accommodation and a forecast deficit of £2.5m across homelessness services. |
London Councils signals hike in parking and traffic penalties
01/08/2023 Cross-party group London Councils is consulting on penalty charges for parking and traffic offences, and says current charges are not high enough. |
London boroughs call for more powers to oversee in-year school admissions
19/07/2023 Pupils who change schools during term-time run the risk of missing out on education because of a complex in-year admissions system, London boroughs warn. |
London’s consumption-based emissions not decreasing fast enough
26/06/2023 The emissions created by the lifestyles of Londoners have decreased each year but more needs to be done if net zero targets are to be met, council chiefs say. |
'No progress' on devolution to London
21/06/2023 The capital appears to have ‘taken a step backwards’ on devolution, a former chair of London Councils has said. |
Abuse victims ‘exposed to risk’ due to funding issues
24/05/2023 Funding to tackle violence against women and girls in London is fragmented, complex and difficult to understand, according to a new report. |
London boroughs agree first infrastructure framework
17/05/2023 All 33 local authorities across London have agreed an infrastructure framework on a cross-party, pan-London basis for the first time. |
London boroughs call for ‘emergency action’ on homelessness
12/05/2023 Council leaders in London have called for emergency action to tackle homelessness which they warn is ‘spiralling out of control’. |
Councils concerned over Afghan removal plan
12/04/2023 Councils have expressed deep concerns about Government plans to remove Afghan refugees from hotel accommodation amid ‘chronic’ shortage of affordable housing. |
London councils set out ‘shared vision’ to improve social housing
12/04/2023 London boroughs have vowed to do better for tenants in social housing after acknowledging the poor state of many homes. |
Report into Met’s misogyny and racism ‘bleak', say council chiefs
22/03/2023 London council leaders have pledged to work with the capital’s police force in rebuiliding trust with the public after the damning report by Baroness Casey. |
MPs call for more power to be granted to London’s councils
13/03/2023 MPs have called for more power and resources to be devolved to London’s local authorities in order to boost the capital’s productivity. |
Women’s rough sleeping often ‘hidden’, council chiefs say
08/03/2023 Council leaders in London have called for action to address ‘systemic inequalities’ creating barriers to women accessing support and housing. |
LGA to beef up council oversight amid Oflog fears
07/03/2023 The Local Government Association (LGA) today revealed plans to beef up its oversight of councils in an effort to stave off Government interference. |
London councils collaborating to avoid ‘bidding wars’
09/02/2023 The capital's councils are collaborating more than ever to avoid the costs of expensive agency staff for children’s social care, according to London Councils. |
Plans floated to tackle secure children's home shortage
21/11/2022 Plans have been floated for a secure children’s home that could be used by councils across London. |
London councils face £700m funding gap
01/11/2022 Councils in London will be forced to find £700m of savings unless the Government boosts funding for local services in the capital, cross-party group says. |
London boroughs call for ‘emergency’ social care funding
20/10/2022 Local authorities across London have called for ‘immediate emergency’ funding to boost adult social care provision across the capital ahead of winter. |
London boroughs call for COVID-style level of support
22/09/2022 Local authorities in London have called for a package of financial support that is similar to the one that helped councils through the worst of the pandemic. |
London boroughs warn of homelessness funding cut
02/09/2022 London’s councils could lose almost a third of their homelessness funding under potential reforms at a time of economic uncertainty, cross-party group warns. |
Inaccurate census could cost Londoners
29/06/2022 Census data on London’s population figures underestimates the capital's population and should be treated with ‘extreme caution’, council chiefs warn. |
London council chiefs welcome 24% drop in rough sleeping
28/06/2022 Council leaders in London have welcomed a dramatic decrease of nearly a quarter of the number of people who have been forced to sleep rough in the capital. |
‘Skyrocketing inflation’ driving £400m budget pressures in London
20/06/2022 Inflation is driving hundreds of millions of pounds of additional budget pressures on local government in London, the capital’s council chiefs have warned. |
Levelling up means making ‘sad Londoners happier’
11/05/2022 The Government’s levelling up agenda should focus more on affluent local authority areas in London that have low levels of wellbeing, think tank says. |
Boroughs ‘deeply concerned’ by nearly 30% reduction in homelessness funds
25/03/2022 London boroughs have warned that a reduction in Government funding risks undermining homelessness prevention work in the capital. |
London boroughs commit to work for a ‘more sustainable’ city
24/03/2022 Local authorities in London have committed to work collaboratively to reach net zero targets across the capital. |
National industrial action prospects over pay fade
07/02/2022 A nationally-coordinated wave of industrial action over this year’s pay claim looks increasingly unlikely as the outcome of trade union ballots emerged. |
Over 86,000 London children in temporary accommodation over Christmas
24/12/2021 More than 86,000 children in the capital will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation arranged by their local borough, London council leaders have revealed. |
London flash flooding review launched
21/12/2021 An independent review examining the flash flooding that affected many parts of the capital in July 2021 has launched. |
London boroughs agree retrofitting housing plan
15/10/2021 A new plan to upgrade all housing stock in the capital has been agreed by all the London boroughs. |
London needs 100,000 new homes each year to tackle housing crisis
16/08/2021 London needs 90-100,000 new homes each year to tackle the ongoing shortage of housing in the capital – double the number currently being built. |
Coalition calls for reforms to ‘flawed’ apprenticeship levy
09/07/2021 The Government has been urged to make urgent reforms to the apprenticeship levy by a coalition by local government and major employers in London. |
Net zero could generate £330bn investment into UK, commission finds
02/07/2021 Meeting net zero in London and the UK’s Core Cities could bring up to £330bn of investment into the UK, new analysis has revealed. |
Boroughs call for ‘fit for purpose’ fire safety regime
15/06/2021 London boroughs marked the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire yesterday by calling on the Government to put in place a fire safety regime that is ‘fit for purpose’. |
London's 'triple whammy' risks homelessness crisis
20/05/2021 London Councils has warned there is a ‘triple whammy’ of impending risks that threaten to push homelessness to record levels this summer. |
London repairs backlog hits 'staggering' £1bn
19/05/2021 The cost of the road maintenance backlog on London’s roads has now passed £1bn, according to the fourth annual ‘State of the City’ report from the London Technical Advisers Group (LoTAG). |
London councils awarded £150,000 for digital projects
17/02/2021 Two local authority digital projects in London aimed at making smarter use of data have been awarded £75,000 each. |
Nearly 90,000 children set to spend Christmas in temporary housing, warns London Councils
14/12/2020 Nearly 90,000 children in the capital will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation organised by their local council, new figures have warned today. |
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London boroughs vow to do more to tackle racial inequalities
09/12/2020 The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities shows there’s ‘so much more to do’ to promote racial equality, London borough leaders have said. |
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Apprenticeship levy is 'flawed' says London Councils
02/12/2020 ’Flaws’ in the apprenticeship levy are stopping councils from making use of the funds, London Councils has warned today. |
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London boroughs face £600m adult social care shortfall by 2025
23/11/2020 Local authorities in London have called on the Government to ensure adult social care receives the same funding increases as the NHS in the upcoming spending review. |
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Crisis call for return of Everyone In
04/11/2020 The chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis has called for ring-fenced funding for councils to provide COVID-safe accommodation for anyone at risk of rough sleeping. |
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London boroughs call for £115m to retrofit energy inefficient buildings
03/11/2020 Local authorities in London are calling on the Government to ‘secure London’s environmental and economic future’ by increasing funding for councils to retrofit energy inefficient buildings. |
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London boroughs meet digital apprentices target
28/08/2020 Councils in London have met their target of recruiting 100 digital apprentices by September 2020. |
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Income compensation scheme fails to cover the cost of Covid
25/08/2020 Government plans to compensate councils for income lost due to COVID-19 are only likely to cover half the cost of the losses, it is claimed. |
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Evictions ban extended
21/08/2020 The Government has extended the ban on evictions of renters for a further month following lobbying by councils. |
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Councils warn of ‘avalanche of evictions’
21/08/2020 The local government sector is braced for a deluge of homelessness following the end of the evictions ban. |
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London councils triple the number of apprenticeships created by boroughs
18/08/2020 Local authorities in London have this year increased the number of apprenticeships created directly by boroughs by 14%, according to new data released by London Councils. |
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London boroughs face £23m rent arrears due to Universal Credit
22/07/2020 The rollout of Universal Credit is leading to thousands of council tenants falling behind on rent payments, new research commissioned by London Councils has found. |
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London Councils warn spending on homelessness is 'unsustainable'
08/06/2020 London boroughs are spending an extra £50m on homelessness services due to Covid-19, new figures have revealed. |
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London boroughs call for urgent increase to rateable value threshold
29/04/2020 London Councils has called for the rateable value threshold to be increased to help more businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic. |
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PPE supplies to 'run out within days'
24/04/2020 Dwindling supplies of vital life-saving personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline care workers will run out within days, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned today. |
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London has highest poverty rates, report shows
21/04/2020 London has greater levels of poverty than any other region in the UK, new figures have revealed today. |
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Next London mayor must ‘forge’ new template for devolution
24/02/2020 London boroughs have called on the next mayor to ‘reset’ the relationship between central Government and Britain’s cities and counties. |
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London Councils drives forward co-ordinated approach to car clubs
20/02/2020 London Councils has launched a new online resource to help boroughs take a more co-ordinated approach to car clubs. |
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London aims to be ‘first city’ to stop new HIV infections
05/02/2020 Over 30 organisations have joined together in an effort to make London the first city in the world to stop new HIV infections. |
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Boroughs in GP estate devolution call
24/01/2020 London Councils has called for more devolution to boroughs of decisions on the GP estate. |
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Sector presses for further action on cladding
21/01/2020 Building safety reforms billed as the ‘biggest change for a generation’ do not go far enough to clamp down on potentially dangerous cladding, councils argued this week. |
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Welfare provision ‘overly centralised’, London council chiefs say
17/10/2019 Council leaders in London have called on Whitehall to give them the powers to deliver local welfare support to residents. |
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Pledging to make air pollution a national priority
09/10/2019 Cllr Julian Bell explains how the capital's local government is leading the way by raising awareness of air pollution, and tackling it with innovative projects. |
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London boroughs warn of £540m care crisis
21/08/2019 A report has warned that unless Whitehall addresses the national social care crisis London’s adult social care system faces a funding gap of £540m by 2025. |
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Drug poisoning deaths up 16% in face of public health cuts
16/08/2019 Council chiefs warn that cuts to public health grants are a ‘false economy’ which make it more difficult to provide support and treatment to drug users. |
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Financial risk for children's services across London is 'unsustainable'
22/07/2019 Children’s services across London are facing an unsustainable level of financial risk, a new report commissioned by London Councils has warned. |
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Criminals making £100m a year from London’s illegal tobacco trade
28/06/2019 Illegal tobacco trade in London is bringing crime into communities and undermining stop smoking efforts, London Councils has warned today. |
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London Councils welcomes ‘new era of digital transformation’
10/06/2019 The London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) has officially launched today to help the digital transformation of public service. |
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Council tax system needs 'fundamental reform'
16/05/2019 The council tax system is ‘highly regressive and unsustainable,’ and needs ‘fundamental reform,’ progressive think-tank IPPR has argued. |
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London council budgets slashed 17% over last decade
13/05/2019 London’s local authority budgets have dropped by nearly a fifth – or 17% – per head over the last eight years, a new study has revealed. |
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Housing benefits should be ‘at least’ 30% of market rates, London Councils says
09/05/2019 London boroughs have called on Whitehall to lift the Local Housing Allowance to at least 30% of local market rates for private sector accommodation to help ease the pressure on councils. |
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Modular homes to be developed for homeless families in London
16/04/2019 Temporary modular homes are to be developed for homeless families in the capital following a £11m investment by mayor Sadiq Khan. |
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Councils collaborate to address homelessness crisis
14/03/2019 Over a dozen London boroughs have joined the collaborative programme Capital Letters, which aims to support homeless households across the capital. |
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Place jobcentres next to council services, London boroughs urge
24/01/2019 Jobcentre support should be placed alongside council services to help tackle long-term unemployment and in-work poverty, London Councils have said today. |
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London Councils forms company to tackle homelessness
02/01/2019 A not-for-profit company will be created to provide housing for homeless families in 11 London boroughs. |
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Capital's councils demand 'fair share' of new roads cash
13/11/2018 London’s boroughs have said they are not getting a fair share of road maintenance cash after they were awarded only £17m of the extra £420m for local authority roads announced during the budget. |
