Delivering Regeneration: How collaborative contracts are transforming place-making
Discover how collaborative contracting is helping councils deliver regeneration more effectively with this free special report from LocalGov and NEC Contracts.
Small Scale, Big Potential: Town and parish councils and devolution
3/24/2026 Parish and town councils could play a central role in making devolution work for communities. |
King’s Lynn could see new town council created
1/13/2026 The Norfolk town King’s Lynn could be given its own council following approval from the borough council’s committee. |
Council faces backlash over near-600% parking hike
8/20/2024 ‘Ridiculous’ parking charge increases in a coastal Kent town have prompted complaints from residents and a petition with more than a thousand signatures. |
Residents vote to dissolve town council
8/14/2024 Voters in two north Yorkshire villages have come out overwhelmingly in favour of dissolving the local town council following allegations of bullying. |
NewGov: Think local Labour
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. |
Parish council members all quit amid grass cutting dispute
6/24/2024 All members of a parish council in Cumbria have resigned after a man was criticised for cutting hedges and a grass verge. |
Villagers invited to discuss issue with chickens
5/28/2024 A parish council in Norfolk has invited residents’ views on a flock of feral chickens residing in the village. |
North Yorkshire consults on new town councils
5/14/2024 Residents of Harrogate and Scarborough are being consulted on plans to create town councils for both areas. |
Unitary transfers services to town council in ‘historic’ deal
5/8/2024 Somerset Council has passed on several functions to a local town council after it narrowly managed to set a balanced budget with a pledge to devolve powers. |
Parish and town council spending nearly hits £800m
4/2/2024 Parish and town council spending is set to rise from £708m in 2023/24 to £783m in 2024-25. |
Parish council row ‘worse than Jackie Weaver’
7/28/2023 Thornton-le-Dale Parish Council has suspended its activities after a meeting broke into a row and mass walkout, with several councillors later resigning. |
Yorkshire councillors consider plans to create new town councils
6/29/2023 North Yorkshire Council members are set to consider plans to introduce town councils in Harrogate and Scarborough after householders show support. |
North Yorkshire Council green lights community partnerships
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. |
Parish councils can apply to £150m Community Ownership Fund
5/12/2023 Parish councils are now able to apply to the multi-million-pound Community Ownership Fund. |
Yorkshire local councils consulted on new parish charter
1/11/2023 Parish and town councils across Yorkshire are to be asked for their views on a charter that will help define how they work with the North Yorkshire Council. |
Jackie Weaver did not have the ‘authority’ to mute and eject councillors
3/30/2022 Jackie Weaver did not have the ‘authority’ to mute and eject councillors from the online parish council meeting that went viral, investigation concludes. |
Parish leaders call for council tax referendum exemption
1/17/2022 Local council leaders have called on the Government to grant parish and town councils a multi-year exemption on council tax referendum principles. |
Local councils call for access to same funding pots as principal authorities
1/12/2022 Parish and town council leaders have called for local councils to have access to the same funding initiatives as principal authorities. |
MPs campaign against parish council reorganisation in Cheshire East
11/25/2021 MPs have warned that proposals to abolish or merge parish and local councils across Cheshire East could damage community spirit. |
Calls for radical expansion of parish and town councils
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. |
Handforth Parish Council changes 'toxic' name
11/4/2021 Handforth Parish Council has changed its name in a bid to move away from the 'toxic' infamous zoom meeting. |
Call to make virtual councils meetings permanent
7/1/2021 Councils should be given the freedom to hold remote meetings permanently in the future, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has argued. |
Local councils complain about poor banking services
4/30/2021 The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has warned it has received a groundswell of complaints about poor banking services across England. |
New proposals to fix Britain's 'fraying social fabric'
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. |
Guide on the ‘significant role’ of community businesses launched
12/9/2020 A body representing thousands of town and parish councils has published a guide aimed at promoting the opportunities that community businesses can create locally. |
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Cornwall first to pass on COVID-19 funding to local councils
8/7/2020 Cornwall Council is set to be the first to pass on government funding to parish and town councils affected by the coronavirus crisis. |
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Kettering to create town council
1/20/2020 A new town council is to be created as part of local government reorganisation in Northamptonshire. |
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Village halls secure refurbishment funding
1/20/2020 The Government has awarded £1.2m to refurbish village halls in the past year. |
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Preventing and tackling abuse of councillors
11/5/2019 Clare Hardy explores how parish councils and local authorities can tackle and prevent the abuse of councillors. |
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The perils of being a parish councillor
10/25/2019 A mass walk-out at a parish council may be a good example of local democracy at work, says Mark Whitehead |
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Parish council shuts down after abusive calls and hate mail
10/11/2019 A parish council in Greater Manchester has been dissolved after councillors reported experiencing intolerable levels of abuse. |
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The rise of the ‘super’ parish council
6/26/2019 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. |
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Town clerk jailed for defrauding council
6/13/2019 An assistant town clerk has been jailed for four years for stealing more than £200,000 from Rugeley Town Council. |
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Charter trustees have ‘had their day’, says local council body
3/29/2019 The body representing local councils has urged the Government to abolish charter trustees by the end of the next parliament. |
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Parish councils protest against airport expansion
12/20/2018 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. |
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Clerks and councillors: Raising their game
9/25/2018 Neil Merrick outlines the five key areas that parish and town councillors should be trained in. |
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Welsh community councils criticised for management ‘failures’
9/6/2018 Four community councils in Wales have been criticised for ‘failures’ in governance and financial management. |
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Welsh local councils accused of operating in 'secretive ways'
8/30/2018 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. |
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Parish councils and the devolution of services
6/6/2018 Neil Merrick finds out why some parish councils are doubling or trebling council tax precepts after taking on services from higher tier authorities. |
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Parish councils to ‘re-think’ role after Brexit
5/1/2018 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. |
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Parish and town councils welcome ‘fair funding’ letter
4/13/2018 The Government has written to billing authorities urging then to reconsider passing local council tax support on to parish and town councils. |
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Local councils prepare to lobby MPs for extra powers
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. |
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Councillors to be equipped with 'community organising' skills
3/16/2018 A new partnership will soon equip councillors with ‘community organising’ skills to help them engage more effectively with their local communities. |
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Power in the country lanes
3/15/2018 Mark Whitehead finds out why smaller councils are taking on bigger roles in terms of responsibilities and delivering services. |
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Parish councils face £3.5m yearly bill over new data protection rules
3/5/2018 It will cost parish councils over £3.5m a year to implement new data rules, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has warned. |
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Councillors agree to creation of new Durham City authority
9/21/2017 A new parish council is to be created for Durham City after councillors voted in favour of the proposal. |
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Local people should have control over new housing, argues think tank
8/11/2017 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. |
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Why parish councils are getting involved in planning
6/6/2017 Neil Merrick explores how parish and town councils are throwing off their 'Nimby' image through the use of neighbourhood planning. |
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The changing face of parish councils
5/2/2017 Neil Merrick explores the expansion of parish council duties – and the subsequent rise in precepts. |
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Durham residents back creation of new parish council
3/20/2017 Residents in Durham have voted in favour of creating a new parish council for the city. |
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Residents pass vote of no confidence in Desborough Council
6/13/2016 Local residents have passed a vote of no confidence in Desborough Town Council, after their council tax precept was increased by 422%. |
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Deptford bids to ‘get back its mojo’ with new parish council
3/2/2016 A campaign has been launched to establish London’s second parish council under the Localism Act. |
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Local councils warn court closures will have a negative impact on access to justice
10/19/2015 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. |
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New parish council set for Sutton Coldfield
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. |
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Thurrock rejects parish council plans
8/28/2015 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. |
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Residents vote to abolish Brierley Town Council
7/17/2015 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. |
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Council agendas modernised under new reforms
1/13/2015 Councils will now be allowed to send agendas and meeting papers electronically, ending an out-dated ‘budgetary burden’. |
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Creation of new town and parish councils simplified
1/8/2015 From today it will be easier for communities to set up new town and parish councils, under measures intended to remove ‘bureaucratic burdens’. |
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Watchdog raises accountability concerns in final report
12/11/2014 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. |
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'Short changed' parishes demand action over government funding
10/27/2014 Parish councils are demanding urgent action to ensure that local authorities pass on £9m of government funding they say is earmarked for them. |
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123 civil parishes to be changed in Cheshire West and Chester
10/27/2014 Cheshire West and Chester Council has announced 123 civil parishes will be changed following a major review. |
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Minister to write to councils over parish funding
10/24/2014 A Government minister has criticised some local authorities for ‘failing to pass sufficient money down to parish councils’. |
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New town council in Cumbria
10/3/2014 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. |
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‘Golden opportunity’ missed after Government rejects business rate share for local councils
9/2/2014 The Government has rejected proposals to hand town and parish councils a share of business rates to boost their role in economic development. |
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Parish councils should receive fracking payments says NALC
8/14/2014 Parish and town councils should receive at least £20,000 from fracking companies, according to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). |
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Local audit plans could place ‘much greater burden’ on councils
7/18/2014 Auditors have slammed plans to reform how parish councils are held to account, branding Government proposals overly ‘complex’. |
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Bleadon becomes first parish to use Sustainable Communities Act
6/25/2014 Local councils will soon be able to send agendas electronically rather than by post thanks to a change triggered by a parish in Somerset. |
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Funding boost to support largest new parish council
4/29/2014 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). |
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Billing authorities urged to pass on funding to local councils
4/7/2014 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). |
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Game of Thrones name-change set for Hertfordshire village
1/9/2014 A Hertfordshire village is changing its name to celebrate the third series of HBO’s fantasy tv series Game of Thrones. |
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Localism's elephant in the room
12/20/2013 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
11/12/2013 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
9/9/2013 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
5/1/2013 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
11/30/2012 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
11/29/2012 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. |
