Declaring a climate change emergency
Local authorities can play a key role in tackling climate change – and there is plenty for them to do. Never before has thinking globally and acting locally been more important, says Mark Whitehead.
The rise of the ‘super’ parish council
26/06/2019 With figures showing parish precepts have risen by 4.9% this year, Neil Merrick explores how parish councils are using the extra revenue to deliver increased and better services. |
Town clerk jailed for defrauding council
13/06/2019 An assistant town clerk has been jailed for four years for stealing more than £200,000 from Rugeley Town Council. |
Charter trustees have ‘had their day’, says local council body
29/03/2019 The body representing local councils has urged the Government to abolish charter trustees by the end of the next parliament. |
Parish councils protest against airport expansion
20/12/2018 A group of parish councils have protested at plans to expand Bristol Airport on the grounds that it will increase traffic and damage the environment. |
Clerks and councillors: Raising their game
25/09/2018 Neil Merrick outlines the five key areas that parish and town councillors should be trained in. |
Welsh community councils criticised for management ‘failures’
06/09/2018 Four community councils in Wales have been criticised for ‘failures’ in governance and financial management. |
Welsh local councils accused of operating in 'secretive ways'
30/08/2018 Local councils in Wales have been accused of being 'secretive' and anti-democratic after research revealed not all provide electronic access to minutes and meetings. |
Parish councils and the devolution of services
06/06/2018 Neil Merrick finds out why some parish councils are doubling or trebling council tax precepts after taking on services from higher tier authorities. |
Parish councils to ‘re-think’ role after Brexit
01/05/2018 Community council leaders have announced they will be starting a ‘big, radical conversation’ on the role of parish councils in the post-Brexit local government landscape. |
Parish and town councils welcome ‘fair funding’ letter
13/04/2018 The Government has written to billing authorities urging then to reconsider passing local council tax support on to parish and town councils. |
Local councils prepare to lobby MPs for extra powers
19/03/2018 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. |
Councillors to be equipped with 'community organising' skills
16/03/2018 A new partnership will soon equip councillors with ‘community organising’ skills to help them engage more effectively with their local communities. |
Power in the country lanes
15/03/2018 Mark Whitehead finds out why smaller councils are taking on bigger roles in terms of responsibilities and delivering services. |
Parish councils face £3.5m yearly bill over new data protection rules
05/03/2018 It will cost parish councils over £3.5m a year to implement new data rules, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has warned. |
Councillors agree to creation of new Durham City authority
21/09/2017 A new parish council is to be created for Durham City after councillors voted in favour of the proposal. |
Local people should have control over new housing, argues think tank
11/08/2017 Up to five million new homes could be built if people in individual streets were given control over planning permission, according to the Adam Smith Institute. |
Why parish councils are getting involved in planning
06/06/2017 Neil Merrick explores how parish and town councils are throwing off their 'Nimby' image through the use of neighbourhood planning. |
The changing face of parish councils
02/05/2017 Neil Merrick explores the expansion of parish council duties – and the subsequent rise in precepts. |
Durham residents back creation of new parish council
20/03/2017 Residents in Durham have voted in favour of creating a new parish council for the city. |
Residents pass vote of no confidence in Desborough Council
13/06/2016 Local residents have passed a vote of no confidence in Desborough Town Council, after their council tax precept was increased by 422%. |
Deptford bids to ‘get back its mojo’ with new parish council
02/03/2016 A campaign has been launched to establish London’s second parish council under the Localism Act. |
Local councils warn court closures will have a negative impact on access to justice
19/10/2015 The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has demanded that the Government puts a halt to its plan to close and integrate local courts and tribunals across England and Wales. |
New parish council set for Sutton Coldfield
10/09/2015 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. |
Thurrock rejects parish council plans
28/08/2015 Councillors in Thurrock have narrowly decided against establishing a new parish council for a housing estate in the Essex borough despite two consultations coming out in favour of the proposal. |
Residents vote to abolish Brierley Town Council
17/07/2015 Residents have voted in favour of scrapping a town council in south Yorkshire, after its town clerk was jailed for fraud and theft in 2013. |
Council agendas modernised under new reforms
13/01/2015 Councils will now be allowed to send agendas and meeting papers electronically, ending an out-dated ‘budgetary burden’. |
Creation of new town and parish councils simplified
08/01/2015 From today it will be easier for communities to set up new town and parish councils, under measures intended to remove ‘bureaucratic burdens’. |
Watchdog raises accountability concerns in final report
11/12/2014 Only 11% of parish councils - 1,015 in total - had their accounts qualified in 2013/14 - according to a new report from the Audit Commission. |
'Short changed' parishes demand action over government funding
27/10/2014 Parish councils are demanding urgent action to ensure that local authorities pass on £9m of government funding they say is earmarked for them. |
123 civil parishes to be changed in Cheshire West and Chester
27/10/2014 Cheshire West and Chester Council has announced 123 civil parishes will be changed following a major review. |
Minister to write to councils over parish funding
24/10/2014 A Government minister has criticised some local authorities for ‘failing to pass sufficient money down to parish councils’. |
New town council in Cumbria
03/10/2014 The Cumbrian town of Whitehaven is the latest community in England to get the go ahead for a new town council following a campaign to give local people more power. |
‘Golden opportunity’ missed after Government rejects business rate share for local councils
02/09/2014 The Government has rejected proposals to hand town and parish councils a share of business rates to boost their role in economic development. |
Parish councils should receive fracking payments says NALC
14/08/2014 Parish and town councils should receive at least £20,000 from fracking companies, according to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). |
Local audit plans could place ‘much greater burden’ on councils
18/07/2014 Auditors have slammed plans to reform how parish councils are held to account, branding Government proposals overly ‘complex’. |
Bleadon becomes first parish to use Sustainable Communities Act
25/06/2014 Local councils will soon be able to send agendas electronically rather than by post thanks to a change triggered by a parish in Somerset. |
Funding boost to support largest new parish council
29/04/2014 Local campaigners looking to set up England’s biggest parish council have been given a cash boost from the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). |
Billing authorities urged to pass on funding to local councils
07/04/2014 Seventeen local authorities have been accused of refusing to pass down £4.8m government funding to local councils, according to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). |
Game of Thrones name-change set for Hertfordshire village
09/01/2014 A Hertfordshire village is changing its name to celebrate the third series of HBO’s fantasy tv series Game of Thrones. |
Localism's elephant in the room
20/12/2013 Why local councils can no longer be masters of their own destiny. |
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'Unreasonable' cheque burden to be lifted from parish councils
12/11/2013 The requirement for every cheque payment made by a parish council to be signed by two members is finally expected to be lifted. |
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New measures make it easier to create new parish councils
09/09/2013 It will be easier to create a new parish council in the future, under new measures announced by local government minister, Don Foster. |
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Auditor finds government fails at Kirby Muxloe Parish Council
01/05/2013 Kirby Muxloe Parish Council failed to have effective arrangements for corporate government in place, according to a report from the Audit Commission. |
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Pickles tells parish councils to rethink council tax hikes
30/11/2012 Communities secretary Eric Pickles has told parish councils to rethink average 3% hikes to their council tax precept - which he said are outstripping levies raised by the rest of local government. |
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Pickles rejects calls to 'protect' parish councils from funding cuts
29/11/2012 Local government secretary Eric Pickles has rejected pleas from parish councils to end an anomaly in which they stand to lose as much as a third of their precept income due to council tax benefit changes. |
The June issue of Local Government News contains the full details of all the winning schemes in the 2019 Street Design Awards. From Children's Play to Pedestrian Environment, find out who has been recognised for their innovation and use of best practice.
This issue also explores how local government pension funds can hedge currency risk, how councils can best address the shortfall in school places, and an update on the number of authorities banning the use of Roundup over safety fears.
