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.
Study reveals high costs of PFI contracts
23/01/2025 Payments to private companies for public assets have exceeded construction costs by over three times, research into PFI contracts has revealed. |
London boroughs raise concerns about looming PFI expiry
25/11/2024 Many London boroughs are not prepared for the expiry of their private finance initiative (PFI) contracts, report finds. |
Brum keeps shtum over funding axe reasons
06/12/2023 Birmingham CC has received a document setting out ministers’ reasons for pulling funding from its £2.7bn highways PFI contract but has refused to disclose it. |
Could key infrastructure at risk if PFI contract expiry isn’t taken seriously?
15/11/2022 Andrew Hirst warns the process and complexity for returning PFI contracts back to local authorities is being ‘vastly underestimated’. |
Schools and hospitals face 'serious disruptions' as PFI contracts end
19/03/2021 Vital public assets such as roads, schools and hospitals will face 'serious disruption' if Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts expire without a plan in place, MPs have warned today. |
County to take early control over four care homes
17/11/2020 Northamptonshire County Council is taking over the management of four care homes nine years earlier than planned after it negotiated a change to a long-running PFI contract. |
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Council to bring housing management back in-house
10/07/2020 Islington Council is set to bring the management of homes back in-house once its current Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract comes to an end. |
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Infrastructure could be left in a worse condition when PFI ends, watchdog warns
05/06/2020 Infrastructure could return to the public sector in an 'unsatisfactory condition' when PFI contracts come to an end, the public spending watchdog has warned today. |
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London council sues contractors for £130m over ‘fire safety failings’
29/11/2019 Camden Council has launched legal action against a group of contractors over ‘multiple fire safety failings’ that led to the evacuation of the Chalcots Estate two years ago. |
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Amey facing £200m Birmingham divorce bill
19/02/2019 Amey could be set to pay more than £200m to extricate itself from its troubled 25-year PFI contract with Birmingham after years of legal difficulties, according to reports. |
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Former Northants leader admits ‘mistakes’ over PFI deal
04/10/2018 Former leader of Northamptonshire County Council has admitted mistakes were made in a PFI deal which has meant up to £2m a year being paid for empty care beds. |
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Liverpool hospital to be built despite Carillion collapse
27/09/2018 The building of the New Royal Liverpool Hospital, whose future was in question after the collapse of Carillion, is to restart, the Government has announced. |
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Councils withheld just £32m last year on underperforming PFI deals
02/07/2018 Councils withheld £32m last year from underperforming PFI providers, according to new research published today. |
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MPs blast ‘unacceptable’ cost of PFI deals
20/06/2018 A damning report has warned the Government is unable to prove that Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts offer value for money for the taxpayer. |
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Taking accountability for the Private Finance Initiative
18/06/2018 Anne Stafford explains why the outcomes of PFI projects have failed to keep pace with expectations. |
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Contractor ordered to pay Birmingham £50m in PFI dispute
13/06/2018 Amey Birmingham Highways Ltd has been ordered to pay Birmingham CC £50m in compensation in a long running dispute over a highways PFI, according to reports. |
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The end of public-private partnerships?
11/04/2018 Rather than abandoning all public-private partnerships in the wake of Carillion's collapse, Richard Tinham urges councils to explore other partnership models. |
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Council demands answers over school repairs
09/04/2018 The body responsible for building and maintaining 17 schools in Edinburgh has been criticised by the council for failing to carry out repair work. |
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Half of Sheffield's trees threatened by controversial highways contract
12/03/2018 Up to 17,500 trees could be replaced in Sheffield City Council’s highways maintenance contract, newly released information has revealed. |
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Pause all outsourcing and PFI contracts, urges think tank
22/01/2018 A think tank has called for an end to the Government's 'love-in' with outsourcing and Public Finance Initiatives. |
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PFI contracts will be brought ‘back in-house’, shadow chancellor says
26/09/2017 A public service union has welcomed Labour’s promise to end the use of public finance initiative (PFI) contracts while bringing existing PFI contracts back in-house. |
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PFI: under the spotlight
24/05/2017 Following the closure of 17 schools in Edinburgh built under the Private Finance Initiative, how safe are other PFI buildings? Laura Sharman explores. |
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Architects warn hundreds of public buildings could be unsafe
15/02/2017 Hundreds of public buildings constructed since 2000 could be unsafe so need urgent safety checks, architects have warned. |
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School closures highlight danger of outsourcing warns union
12/04/2016 Councils should stop subcontracting out routine work on housing and properties and ensure work is being done by in-house staff, said a trade union following the closure of ‘unsafe’ schools in Edinburgh. |
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Scottish PFI-built schools closed due to safety concerns
11/04/2016 The City of Edinburgh Council has been forced to close 17 schools after the body responsible for managing them was unable to guarantee they were safe to use. |
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Blackpool refinances lighting PFI contract
15/02/2016 Blackpool Council has renegotiated its street lighting and traffic signals contract in a move that will save £157,000 a year. |
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Refinancing PFI debt
07/07/2015 Mark Dennison outlines what local authorities should consider when looking to refinance their Private Finance Initiative debts. |
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Street furniture and lighting costs councils £1bn a year
25/02/2015 Local authorities spend almost £1bn a year on street furniture and lighting, according to new research. |
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MPs slam PFI waste projects
17/09/2014 The funding agreements for ‘lax’ PFI waste projects have been criticised in a report from the spending watchdog. |
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PF2 - One year on
17/02/2014 Just over a year ago, the Government's revamped PFI model – PF2 – was born. But what progress has been made over the last year? |
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Manchester Councils signs contract for £100m Brunswick PFI
18/12/2013 The £100m regeneration plans for Brunswick have been signed by Manchester City Council, announcing S4B as the chosen consortium to deliver the plans. |
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Woking Council agrees £80m housing PFI
25/11/2013 A £80m Private Finance Initiative (PFI) has been agreed for Woking Borough Council to deliver a mixed-tenure housing development. |
