Policy

• Labour hits out at housing cash shift

  Labour has called for all areas to receive greater Government backing after Whitehall shifted the focus of its housing cash.

  

• Councillors silenced on secret fiscal devolution report

  Senior councillors have been warned not to talk about a secret Local Government Association (LGA) report that models what fiscal devolution might look like, The MJ has been told.

  

• Ministry moves on Brexit

  Senior Marsham Street officials have stepped up their preparations for Brexit after complaints from frustrated councils that they were being shut out of the process.

  

• Recycling rates could be boosted by fraud, says auditors

  The UK’s success at recycling may be being boosted by fraudulent exports of unrecyclable materials, auditors have claimed.

  

• Northern Irish councils call for further devolution

  The time is now right to extend the responsibilities of local government in Northern Ireland through greater devolution from Stormont, a new report said today.

  

• Whitehall grabs £875m Right to Buy receipts

  Labour has demanded immediate Right to Buy (RTB) reforms after figures obtained by The MJ revealed the amount councils lose to Whitehall under the regime.

  

• Labour outlines housing policy

  Labour would scrap right to buy, and give councils new borrowing freedoms and central funding in a bid to kick-start house building, the party said today.

  

• Scrap 'outdated and regressive council tax, says think tank

  Council tax is ‘outdated and regressive’, and the Government should consider scrapping it in favour of a fairer system, according to a think tank.

  

• Five councils to help with Government integration plan

  The Government will work with five local authorities to develop integration plans as it develops a national strategy for England, it has announced today.

  

• Labour accuses Government of 'holding back' local government

  Labour MPs have urged ministers to provide ‘strategic vision’ for local government.