Councils click into the future of planning
In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different.
Two districts approve merger plans
14/12/2021 Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon district councils have both agreed to merger plans which will see the establishment of a single South Warwickshire District Council. |
Mitie and Interserve Support Services to merge
26/06/2020 Outsourcer Mitie has proposed to merge with facilities management firm Interserve Support Services by the end of the year in a £271m deal. |
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Welsh teenagers set to get the vote in local government ‘overhaul’
18/11/2019 A new law to give 16- and 17-year-olds in Wales the vote in local council elections has been unveiled by the Welsh government. |
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Lack of elections in Northamptonshire: An attack on local democracy?
10/05/2019 With a suggestion that local government reorganisation in Northamptonshire may not take place now until 2021, why were there no local elections in the county last week? Mark Whitehead investigates. |
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Redefining the shape of local government
20/03/2019 With the new authorities of East Suffolk and West Suffolk launching from next month, what final hurdles do the councils face in coming together? Neil Merrick reports. |
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Dorset’s achievement in a world transformed
07/02/2019 Andrew Flockhart shows how officers and members throughout Dorset worked together – despite a host of challenges – to be ready for the transformation on 1 April from nine councils to two unitary authorities. |
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Two Yorkshire LEPs approve merger plans
23/11/2018 Two local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) in Yorkshire have approved plans to merge and create a new business-led body. |
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Merger between council and the NHS to be considered for Scottish Borders region
21/09/2018 A plan to merge a council and the NHS to form a single public authority is to be considered for the Scottish Borders region. |
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Housing delivery should be considered in council mergers, warns report
19/06/2018 The merger of local authorities in Wales should not have any ‘unintended consequences’ on the delivery of affordable homes, CIH Cymru has warned. |
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East Suffolk council merger gets parliamentary backing
10/05/2018 Plans to create a new ‘super district’ council for East Suffolk have been backed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. |
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Suffolk councils put merger plans on hold
06/04/2018 Two Suffolk district councils have put their merger plans on hold after the county council ordered a review into the structure of local government. |
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Javid approves creation of new district council
23/03/2018 Two Somerset councils have been given ministerial approval to merge together to form one new single council. |
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Two councils vote in favour of merger
21/03/2018 Two Somerset councils have backed plans to dissolve both existing councils and create a single new one. |
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Welsh government should stop ‘hectoring’ councils over reform, minister says
21/02/2018 Wales’ government should stop ‘hectoring’ councils and apologise for past approach to reform, the local government minister said as he outlined a new approach. |
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Christchurch sets out bid to stop unitary plans
04/01/2018 Christchurch Borough Council has warned it could take legal action if the Government forces it to merge with Bournemouth and Poole councils. |
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Javid approves locally-led proposals to merge councils
01/12/2017 Communities Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday announced he was ‘minded’ to support two locally-led proposals for merging district councils in Somerset and Suffolk. |
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Leaders publish plans to create single West Suffolk council
09/05/2017 Council leaders have put forward ‘ambitious’ proposals to create a single council for West Suffolk in a move they hope will ‘drive prosperity’ in the region. |
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Cash reserves unable to meet cost of voluntary mergers, warns CIPFA
13/04/2017 Councils will be unable to cover the costs of voluntary mergers in Wales using their reserves, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPFA) has warned. |
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Kent’s 'super council' plans put on hold
23/03/2017 Plans to create a new single council for East Kent are being postponed after Shepway District Council voted against the proposal. |
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Critical lessons from merging councils
10/03/2017 Laura Sharman reports on a recent webinar exploring how two councils in Australia managed large scale change effectively when they became a ‘super council’. |
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Free webinar on how to successfully merge councils
24/02/2017 This is your last chance to sign up to a free webinar exploring how councils can implement successful mergers and partnerships. |
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Merging councils – more process, less stress
22/02/2017 Find out how Gosford City Council and Wyong Shire Council in Australia prepared themselves to merge together. |
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The key to successful shared services
09/02/2017 Ivan Seselj explores what UK councils can learn from their Australian counterparts when it comes to implementing successful shared services and mergers. |
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Free webinar: Critical lessons from merging councils in Australia
01/02/2017 Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils made history this month after becoming the first two districts in more than 40 years to approve a formal merger. |
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Two districts approve ‘historic’ council merger
27/01/2017 Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils have approved plans to formally merge and create a new ‘super district’ council. |
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Peabody and Family Mosaic agree merger
08/12/2016 Peabody and Family Mosaic have agreed to merge together, creating a new housing group to provide 55,000 homes. |
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The pitfalls of local government transformation
09/11/2016 William Eichler finds out why Taunton Deane and West Somerset Councils are facing a judicial review over their plans to merge. |
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Give councils financial incentive to merge says report
08/11/2016 Local authorities should be financial incentivised to merge together, such as limiting business rates retention to combined and unitary authorities, a new report has argued today. |
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Drakeford sets out timetable for council revamp
04/11/2016 The timetable for local government reform in Wales has been set out by the local government secretary, Mark Drakeford. |
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Welsh councils to work regionally rather than be forced to merge
05/10/2016 There will be no forced mergers of councils in Wales, although they will be required to work together to deliver key services, according to new proposals. |
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South West districts to merge
08/09/2016 Taunton Deane and West Somerset councils are set to merge following a council meeting last night. |
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Report calls for merger of two Somerset councils
23/08/2016 The leader of West Somerset District Council has called for his council to merge with Taunton Deane Borough Council to secure the financial future of the authorities. |
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District council votes for merger
27/07/2016 Taunton Deane BC has given the green light to merger plans with neighbouring West Somerset Council. |
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Welsh council merger map is ditched by minister
24/05/2016 The Welsh first minister has admitted the reorganisation map for local government was not going to be implemented. |
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Housing association merger will create country's 'largest provider of affordable homes'
07/04/2016 Three housing associations have entered into merger talks and together will build 100,000 new homes across London and the South East. |
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Welsh council mergers could save £650m but 2,000 jobs at risk
25/11/2015 Cutting the number of councils in Wales from 22 to eight or nine would deliver savings of £650m over ten years, according to figures published by the Welsh Government. |
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Council mergers delayed following Labour-Plaid deal
21/10/2015 The forced merger of councils in Wales will be delayed until after the National Assembly for Wales elections in 2016, following a deal between Plaid Cymru and the Labour Welsh Government. |
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Tories call for referendums to decide council mergers
30/09/2015 Councils would only be merged in Wales if residents approved plans in a local referendum, under plans launched by the Welsh Conservatives. |
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Loss of top council jobs ‘a good thing’, says Welsh first minister
23/06/2015 Top local government jobs will be lost under the planned shake-up of Welsh councils, the first minister has said. |
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Council chiefs warn over impact of proposed mergers
18/06/2015 Council leaders have warned the proposed restructure of local government in Wales – which will see 22 local authorities cut down to eight or nine – will cause ‘disruption and distraction’ in the sector. |
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Reform of Welsh councils unveiled
17/06/2015 Plans to cut the number of local authorities in Wales to eight or nine have been unveiled by the Welsh Government. |
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Welsh councils could save £151m on admin finds report
15/06/2015 Councils in Wales could save £151m a year in administrative costs if they transformed back office services in line with English authorities, a new report has concluded. |
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Local government system ‘bleeding to death’, warns Welsh council leader
03/06/2015 A council leader has called for fast-paced local government reorganisation in Wales because the current system is ‘bleeding to death’. |
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County leader pushes for town hall merger
12/05/2015 The outgoing leader of North Yorkshire CC has called for his county to be merged with districts to form a unitary. |
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Council considers cheaper funeral service
06/03/2015 North East Lincolnshire Council is considering setting up a new organisation to deliver an affordable funeral service. |
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Conwy slams ‘disrespectful’ language of Welsh Government in merger spat
05/02/2015 A Welsh council has slammed a government vision for local government reorganisation, branding it ‘disrespectful’ and a ‘threat to local democracy’. |
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Council merger plans rejected by minister
27/01/2015 Plans for six councils in Wales to merge have been rejected by minister for public services, Leighton Andrews. |
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Councils agree staff merger, sparking job loss fears
26/01/2015 A union has warned that plans for two London councils to ‘merge’ could lead to ‘massive job losses’. |
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Council mergers could hurt local democracy warns report
21/01/2015 The reorganisation of local government in Wales could deter new councillors from standing for election, a new report is warning. |
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Minister slams Welsh councils for ‘disappointing’ response to reform plan
09/12/2014 Welsh councils have been blasted for their ‘disappointingly low’ response rate to a plan on the future of local government. |
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Councils fail to agree voluntary mergers
02/12/2014 Just six of the 22 local authorities in Wales have submitted voluntary merger plans in time for the government's deadline. |
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Council mergers could cost £269m says report
25/11/2014 Local government mergers in Wales could cost £269m, according to a study on the financial implications of reform. |
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Conwy and Denbighshire take first steps towards merger
18/11/2014 Conwy and Denbighshire councils look set to merge after councillors at both authorities voted in favour of the move. |
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Welsh council considers merger options
07/10/2014 Rhondda Cynon Taf is to investigate the pros and cons of merging with neighbouring authorities. |
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Welsh councils urged to push ahead with voluntary mergers
24/09/2014 Local authorities in Wales have been urged to agree voluntary mergers to end uncertainty for staff and service users, by minister for public services Leighton Andrews. |
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Council merger would be ‘a step backwards’, argues town hall
05/09/2014 A council in South Wales has insisted it can ‘stand alone’ amid proposals to merge it with two other local authorities. |
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Concerns raised over council mergers in Wales
05/08/2014 Independent councillors have raised concerns over the reorganisation of local authorities in Wales. |
