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.
Ministers accused of 'centralising zeal'
20/05/2025 Ministers have been accused of ‘taking away decision-making powers from local people' in a new amendment to its Planning and Infrastructure Bill. |
Judge rules in favour of campaigner in Battle for Brockwell
16/05/2025 A judge has ruled in favour of a campaigner who took legal action against Lambeth Council to stop it allowing the use of a local park for festivals. |
Council’s anti-slavery policy used to fight solar farm
12/05/2025 Locals opposed to a solar panel project on the Hampshire-Berkshire border are attempting to stop it by arguing it could breach anti-slavery commitments. |
Call for caution over land value capture reform
24/04/2025 Experts have urged against wholesale reform of developer contributions, despite the flaws within the current system. |
Horsham challenges local plan decision
23/04/2025 Horsham District Council has complained to the planning inspectorate after its local plan was rejected. |
Councils click into the future of planning
22/04/2025 In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different. |
Council spends £220k demolishing ‘man cave’
22/04/2025 Forest of Dean District Council was forced to spend £220,000 demolishing an illegally built leisure complex belonging to a millionaire. |
Council plans major repairs to Victorian-era bridge
14/04/2025 Leicester City Council has submitted a planning application for major repairs to the Victorian-era Rialto Bridge. |
Minister blocks Oldham exit from development plan
10/04/2025 Oldham MBC's attempt to exit an agreement that could see the development of 11,500 new homes has been stymied by the Government. |
Luton Airport expansion gets the green light
04/04/2025 The Government has signed off on the expansion of Luton Airport despite concerns about the environmental impact and a predicted increase in noise pollution. |
Local planning authorities working to out-of-date plans
01/04/2025 Two-thirds of local planning authorities (LPAs) outside of London are working to out-of-date research plans, new analysis has revealed. |
Council warns against ‘ploughing ahead’ with Stansted expansion
11/03/2025 Hertfordshire County Council has warned that plans to expand Stansted airport would lead to an increase in noise and air pollution for local residents. |
CCN: Planning legislation would ‘dilute’ local oversight
11/03/2025 Legislation aimed at speeding up planning decisions would ‘dilute’ the role of councillors on planning committees, warns the County Council Network (CCN). |
Council green lights multi-billion-pound data centre
06/03/2025 Plans for a multi-billion-pound data centre are a step closer to being realised after the local authority granted the proposals planning permission. |
Close planning loophole to save pubs, campaigners say
03/03/2025 Campaigners have written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner urging her to back calls for a change in the planning laws to protect pubs. |
Planning breaches uncovered at £6m mansion
03/03/2025 North Norfolk DC has launched an investigation after it was alleged the owners of a £6m house had built a pool and tennis court without planning permission. |
Local plans ‘overhaul’ announced
28/02/2025 The Government has announced an ‘overhaul’ of the local plan process in a bid to speed up development. |
Is enough being done to meet the 1.5m housing target?
28/02/2025 Jonathan Pearson, director of Residentially, asks if the Government is doing enough to meet its 1.5 million new homes target. |
Council to approve statue of rock legend Lemmy
25/02/2025 Stoke-on-Trent City Council's cabinet is set to sign off today on a statue of rock legend Motorhead frontman Lemmy. |
Developers leave 1.4 million homes unbuilt
14/02/2025 Councils have given planning permission for more than 1.4 million homes since 2007 that have not been built, research has found. |
Council green lights Spurs park plans
13/02/2025 Enfield councillors have approved an application from Tottenham Hotspur for a new women’s training facility in a public park. |
Data reveals council areas with most fast food outlets
12/02/2025 The London borough of Camden has more fast food outlets per resident than any other local authority area in England, according to new analysis. |
LGA to provide salary grants for planners
12/02/2025 The Local Government Association is offering councils financial support to help boost their planning capacity through the Pathways to Planning initiative. |
Housing plan on MoD site scrapped due to acid grasslands
07/02/2025 Colchester City Council is set to remove a former Ministry of Defence firing range from its development plans due to the site's ‘environmental value.’ |
McDonald's defeats council efforts to stop branches opening
06/02/2025 McDonald’s has defeated councils’ attempts to stop it opening new branches by claiming the fast-food outlets promote healthier lifestyles, an investigation has revealed. |
Biodiversity Net Gain ‘failing to deliver’
06/02/2025 A lack of ambition on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has left the scheme failing to deliver, according to new research. |
Council green lights UK’s biggest battery site
30/01/2025 City of Doncaster Council has granted planning permission for what is billed to be the UK’s biggest battery site. |
Mayor warns of creating 'behemoths'
22/01/2025 A mayor has warned of creating local government ‘behemoths' overburdened with responsibilities. |
Tackling the ecological skills gap
21/01/2025 Catherine Spitzer, chief executive of Environment Bank, explains how private investment can help councils that are struggling to attract skilled ecologists. |
Cabinet ministers support plans for new Chinese embassy
17/01/2025 The Government has backed the Chinese Government's plans for a major new embassy complex at Royal Mint Court near the City of London. |
Former minister Maclean among 38 new peers
23/12/2024 Former Conservative housing and planning minister Rachel Maclean is among 38 new peers who will enter the House of Lords. |
Government changes rules to spot slow planners
17/12/2024 The speed with which councils decide planning applications will be assessed over a shorter time period by the Government. |
Plans for Europe’s joint-tallest building approved
16/12/2024 London's skyline is set to be transformed with the erection of a 74-storey tower, which is the same height as the Shard, Western Europe’s tallest building. |
EV chargepoints ‘on track’ for 2030 goal but challenges remain
13/12/2024 The UK is on track to reach 300,000 public electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints by 2030, the national public spending watchdog has found. |
Mandatory housebuilding targets confirmed
12/12/2024 English councils must deliver on an ‘ambitious’ combined target of 370,000 new homes a year, the Government has confirmed. |
Rayner: NIMBYs will no longer have upper hand
09/12/2024 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has announced plans to end the influence of NIMBYs on housebuilding, vowing they will ‘no longer have the upper hand'. |
M&S triumphant after three-year demolition bid
06/12/2024 Oxford Street’s M&S store can be demolished, the Government has ruled, more than three years after the retailer submitted plans to rebuild the flagship shop. |
Rayner may intervene over plans for tower block near synagogue
26/11/2024 The Government could step in amid a dispute over plans to build a 43-storey office block near Britain’s oldest synagogue in London. |
Councils get £47m for new homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules
07/11/2024 Seven areas in England will benefit from a share of £45m to ‘unblock’ new housing developments that have been stalled by rules on nutrient neutrality. |
Planning policy fails to cut car reliance
06/11/2024 A national planning objective to promote sustainable transport has failed to reduce car reliance in new housing developments, research has revealed. |
Oil firm continues production despite Supreme Court ruling
28/10/2024 Surrey County Council is considering enforcement action against an oil company that is operating two wells in the county, despite a Supreme Court ruling. |
Councils 'sitting on' £8bn of s106 and CIL money
21/10/2024 Councils in England and Wales have failed to spend over £8bn of section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money, according to a new report. |
Planning departments hit hardest by staff shortages
14/10/2024 Planning departments are facing the worst workforce shortages, with eight out of 10 experiencing recruitment and retention issues, new research has revealed. |
Sky to appeal film studio planning refusal
14/10/2024 Broadcaster Sky is planning to appeal Hertsmere Borough Council's decision to refuse planning permission for an expansion of Sky Studios Elstree. |
Council leaders call for Government approval of hospital plans
10/10/2024 Council leaders have called for Government approval of plans for a new hospital ahead of the Autumn Budget. |
Permission given for 7,000 homes in flood zones
09/10/2024 Planning permission has been granted to build more than 7,000 homes in the areas at the highest risk of flooding in England, a new report has revealed. |
Rayner to decide on Hollywood-backed studio plan
09/10/2024 Buckinghamshire Council’s decision to reject plans for a multi-million-pound film studio is set to be reviewed by the Government. |
Housing targets ‘weaken local decision making’, LGA warns
03/10/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has raised concerns that mandatory housebuilding targets for councils centralise policy and weaken local decision making. |
Council ‘alarmed’ by local plan rejection
02/10/2024 The leader of Oxford City Council has said she is ‘alarmed’ after planning inspectors recommended the council withdraw its draft local plan. |
Building costs may exceed house prices in 60 council areas
01/10/2024 The cost of building a home may be higher than house prices in up to 60 UK local authority areas, according to new research. |
Councils warn over ‘excessive’ housing targets
27/09/2024 Councils in county and rural areas have raised fears that ‘excessive’ new housing targets could leave them at the mercy of speculative development. |
A new outlook for strategic planning
26/09/2024 Mike Best at Turley looks at the future of strategic planning under a Labour Government. |
Localis: Counterproductive ‘tax landscape’ threatens pubs
23/09/2024 A think tank has warned that a ‘counterproductive regulatory and tax landscape’ threatens the future of local pubs. |
Council overruled as new incinerator gets go-ahead
18/09/2024 Dorset Council has accused the Government of ignoring residents’ views by approving a new waste incinerator on the Jurassic coastline. |
'Larger projects slowing down housebuilding rate'
18/09/2024 The speed of approving large developments is slowing down the rate of housebuilding in the UK rather than refusals, research from Warwick University has found. |
Ministers back Khan to pedestrianise Oxford Street
17/09/2024 The mayor of London has unveiled government-backed plans to pedestrianise the capital's most famous shopping street. |
High Court blocks Cumbria coal mine plan
16/09/2024 The High Court has quashed the planning permission granted for the UK’s first new deep coal mine in 30 years. |
Affordable housing at risk in cash-strapped council areas
10/09/2024 Half of the councils most impacted by austerity have not built any affordable homes using contributions from private developers since 2010, a think-tank has found. |
Man United joins regeneration drive
10/09/2024 Manchester United has joined forces with Trafford Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to maximise regeneration opportunities. |
Devolution key to net zero transition, think-tank says
10/09/2024 Devolving powers to cities will be critical to the Government achieving its net zero goals, a think-tank has argued. |
New homes should be for Welsh speakers, council says
06/09/2024 A community council in Wales has objected to plans for a new affordable housing development amid fears of a decline in non-Welsh speakers. |
£27m flood protection scheme gets the go-ahead
06/09/2024 Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £27m contract to deliver a flood protection scheme in Scotland on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council. |
Controversial plans to build asylum site at RAF Scampton axed
06/09/2024 RAF Scampton will no longer be used to house asylum seekers, according to the local authority. |
John Lewis submits plans for £80m Reading housing scheme
04/09/2024 The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has submitted plans to Reading Borough Council to build new rental housing on the site of a disused town centre depot. |
Planning ‘dysfunction’ leaves new homes vulnerable to floods
03/09/2024 ‘Dysfunction’ in the English planning system is leaving new housing development vulnerable to flood risks, according to a report published today. |
Appointment to oversee shared planning service
02/09/2024 Guildford and Waverley BCs have appointed a single head to oversee shared planning services. |
Placing accessibility at the centre of house building
30/08/2024 Disabled architect and renowned access consultant, Amy Francis-Smith, argues that accessibility should be the focus of new local government house building. |
Manchester councillors approve 71-storey tower
30/08/2024 Councillors in Manchester have approved plans for five new skyscrapers that will provide no affordable housing among 2,388 flats. |
Councillors back controversial £1bn regen scheme
30/08/2024 Tower Hamlets Council members have granted planning permission to media mogul Richard Desmond's controversial £1bn development scheme on the Isle of Dogs. |
Council chiefs welcome New Homes Accelerator
29/08/2024 Local government leaders welcome the launch of a New Homes Accelerator, which has been tasked with speeding up the delivery of stalled housing sites. |
Row over collapse of legal action
22/08/2024 Proposed legal action over the Government granting planning permission for a large-scale solar farm has collapsed, provoking an angry reaction from two councils. |
Council reluctantly puts forward extra housing sites
22/08/2024 West Berkshire Council has proposed additional housebuilding sites ‘with great reluctance’ following a demand from a planning inspector. |
Councils to take legal action over solar farm permission
08/08/2024 Suffolk County Council has initiated legal proceedings in a bid to secure more funding after the new Government approved a large-scale solar farm. |
Ensuring packaged pump stations meet utility standards
30/07/2024 Helen Wilson, industry & infrastructure UK manager at Xylem UK, answers the questions developers may ask before selecting a pumping station. |
The Housing Crisis: a long road ahead
30/07/2024 Vistry’s CEO of Partnerships & Regeneration, Stephen Teagle, looks at what needs to be done to deliver more affordable housing. |
Government to kick off planning consultation
29/07/2024 The Government will release a promised consultation on its updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) tomorrow. |
Bromley first to approve John Lewis homes
26/07/2024 Councillors have approved retailer John Lewis’ plans to build a housing block above a Waitrose store in Bromley town centre. |
Interview: Fighting climate change in court and as a councillor
25/07/2024 Fresh from a landmark legal win said to have ‘fundamentally changed’ the planning landscape around fossil fuels, Sarah Finch chats to LocalGov about her experience taking action on the climate – both in the courts, and as a councillor. |
Call for clarity on decarbonising buildings
25/07/2024 The Government’s net zero and economic growth ambitions could be ‘derailed by a lack of clarity’ on decarbonising older buildings, a report has argued. |
Planning funding restoration needed to meet homes target
23/07/2024 Labour will have to return planning department funding back to 2010 levels to achieve its ambition of 1.5 million homes, a network of councils has said. |
York council green lights government hub
23/07/2024 City of York Council has signed off on plans to construct a six-storey government hub near the city centre. |
Plans to boost Teesside Freeport vehicle and access approved
22/07/2024 Plans for new transport facilities to support the growing number of vehicles entering the Teesworks site on Teesside have been given the green light. |
King’s Speech: Labour commits to ‘modernising planning committees’
17/07/2024 The Labour Government will deliver its aim of building 1.5 million houses by ‘modernising planning committees.’ |
King's Speech: Devolution takes centre stage
17/07/2024 The announcement of an English Devolution Bill took centre stage in the King's Speech. |
King's Speech: A plan for devolution
17/07/2024 The new Labour Government has set out a widespread plan for devolution and economic growth in its Parliamentary timetable, with central diktat reserved for planning proposals. |
Council faces legal challenge over poultry unit
15/07/2024 A legal challenge has been launched over Shropshire Council’s decision to grant planning permission for a major intensive poultry unit. |
Plans for £2.3bn ‘Venice of Britain’ scrapped
15/07/2024 Planning applications for a £2.3bn town on the site of a former power station on the Hampshire coast have been withdrawn. |
Pro-growth planning could deliver 407,000 jobs
10/07/2024 A pro-growth planning environment could deliver 407,000 jobs and 55.7 million square feet of commercial floorspace in central London by 2045, study says. |
The Grey Belt: Is it the panacea that is needed?
10/07/2024 The new Government plans to ‘get Britain building again’ by releasing 'Grey Belt' land. William Nichols, Regional Director, Lanpro looks at what this means. |
Rayner: Labour ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’
09/07/2024 Deputy PM Angela Rayner is set to tell regional mayors that Labour is ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’ through a major programme of devolution. |
Reeves: Labour set to bring back housebuilding targets
08/07/2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce today that she will bring back compulsory housebuilding targets. |
Pub owner threatened with legal action over mural
03/07/2024 A landlord has been threatened with legal action by the local council after he commissioned a painting of a bull on the side of his 17th century pub. |
NextGov: Resolving the housing crisis
28/06/2024 The Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) policy and external affairs manager, Laura Markus, discusses what the next government should do to tackle the housing crisis. |
Labour will need to back up strategic planning 'with teeth'
27/06/2024 Labour’s proposed push for a return to strategic planning will need to be ‘backed up with teeth’, an expert has suggested. |
Two-thirds of renewables projects fail to pass planning stage
25/06/2024 Almost two-thirds of applications for renewable energy projects failed to make it through the planning process in the past five years, research has revealed. |
Planning officer boost needed to meet parties' housing goals
21/06/2024 A major boost to planning department resources would be needed to meet the housebuilding aims of any of the main parties, experts have said this week. |
Landmark fossil fuel ruling has ‘profound’ implications for planning
20/06/2024 A historic legal judgement has ‘fundamentally changed’ the landscape around planning permission for fossil fuel extraction, campaigners have said. |
Council to restrict new takeaway sites
20/06/2024 New measures to limit the development of new hot food takeaway sites have been introduced by Newcastle City Council. |
Questions raised over funding for housebuilding pledges
19/06/2024 A think-tank has warned that a lack of cash for affordable housing will make political parties’ ambitious housebuilding targets difficult to achieve. |
NextGov: Planning under the next government
19/06/2024 Mike Kiely, chair of the Planning Officers Society, calls on the next government to build a more efficient and effective planning system. |
