Government boosts incentive for councils to build homes
28/01/2026 Councils are to be freed up to build and manage up to 1,000 homes without having to open a Housing Revenue Account (HRA). |
Eleven cities lead in living standards growth, research finds
27/01/2026 Eleven UK cities have been identified as top performers in the improvement of living standards and disposable income growth. |
London’s affordable housing failing to keep pace with need
27/01/2026 The capital’s affordable housing system is failing to keep pace with need despite public investment, according to the London Assembly Housing Committee. |
Council leader considers random drug tests
26/01/2026 The leader of Hertsmere Borough Council is considering introducing random drug tests for councillors. |
Minister addresses council leaders on SEND reforms
26/01/2026 Minister leading reform of services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been told councils need more powers and funding. |
Wolverhampton council trials smart sensors in grit bins
26/01/2026 City of Wolverhampton Council is testing new sensor technology in grit bins as part of ongoing winter work to keep residents safe. |
Social housing provider secures £55m following funding freeze
26/01/2026 A social housing provider whose funding was frozen after being issued with a regulatory notice over the death of toddler Awaab Ishak has been granted £55m to deliver new homes. |
TfL unveils plan to modernise London’s street network
26/01/2026 Transport for London (TfL) has announced a new five-year pan-city roadworks strategy designed to improve how the capital’s streets function. |
Council secures High Court sentence over planning breaches
26/01/2026 Tewkesbury Borough Council has secured a High Court sentence after a landowner repeatedly breached planning control and a court injunction. |
Tower Hamlets’ efforts to scrap LTNs prove unsuccessful
26/01/2026 Tower Hamlets Council's attempt to remove three Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) has been blocked following a court ruling. |
Council leader ousted after election delay backlash
23/01/2026 Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has removed its leader following political fallout over a request to postpone upcoming local elections. |
Insulation scheme ‘catastrophic fiasco’, MPs say
23/01/2026 A Government-backed home insulation programme has been labelled an ‘abject failure’ by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). |
Reed confirms elections postponed for 29 councils
22/01/2026 The Government has confirmed that elections this year will be postponed for 29 local authorities as part of the push to reorganise local government. |
Peers raise council capacity concerns
22/01/2026 Questions have been raised over local government's capacity to play a role in the creation of new towns. |
Council advances legal proceedings due to ‘reckless’ tree felling
22/01/2026 Enfield Council has started forfeiture proceedings against Mitchells & Butlers following the company’s partial felling of an ancient oak tree. |
Reform council facing challenge of beginning from 'standing start'
21/01/2026 Durham CC’s adaptation to future challenges could be delayed due to the Reform UK leadership beginning from a ‘standing start’, a peer challenge concludes. |
LGA: Councils best place to decarbonise housing
21/01/2026 Local authorities are best placed to lead the effort to decarbonise the country’s housing stock, the LGA says in response to the Warm Homes Plan announcement. |
Picture remains unclear over local elections delays
21/01/2026 Uncertainty hangs over attempts to delay local elections in almost 30 councils amid a legal challenge by Reform UK. |
Epsom & Ewell mulls suing leisure operator
21/01/2026 Epsom & Ewell BC has ‘retained legal expert support' as it considers suing the former operator of a leisure centre handed over needing repairs. |
National conversation on neighbourhoods needed
20/01/2026 A senior Local Government Association (LGA) figure has called for a national conversation over the role of councils in improving neighbourhoods. |
Councils hold key to growth in 2026, study says
20/01/2026 Local government will play a decisive role in the UK’s economic performance in 2026 as business growth is shaped by support in council areas, analysis finds. |
Wokingham BC drives forward 20mph speed changes
20/01/2026 Wokingham Borough Council is to reduce speed limits despite a lack of support from residents. |
Council investigated over possible housing fraud
20/01/2026 Hundreds of homes owned by Barking and Dagenham Council's property company could have been allocated to organised criminal gangs, investigation reveals. |
Manchester boosts children’s access to sport pathways with new tennis pilot
20/01/2026 Manchester City Council and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have rolled out a new pilot programme to improve sporting opportunities for local children. |
Doncaster workers’ pay to be restored by millions of pounds
19/01/2026 The GMB trade union has revealed that over 4,000 Doncaster Council workers are due to receive a pay rise ‘worth millions’. |
New Town of Culture contest set to boost local pride
19/01/2026 The Government is launching a new Town of Culture competition to celebrate the cultural legacies of UK towns. |
Mayor hikes council tax to fight phone thefts
19/01/2026 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced he plans to increase council tax to help the police crackdown on phone thefts. |
New Town properties at risk of ‘severe’ aviation disruption, analysis says
19/01/2026 Eleven of the Government’s proposed New Town locations will experience ‘significant aircraft noise exposure’, research suggests. |
Reed hails housing starts increase
16/01/2026 The number of new build starts in the year ending September 2025 has increased by 18% compared to the previous year. |
Government unveils £200m SEND teacher training programme
16/01/2026 The Government has announced a £200m programme to expand training for teachers and education staff to better support pupils with SEND. |
Resident told to pay council £18,000 for ‘dishonest’ accident claims
16/01/2026 A resident has been fined over £18,000 for making false claims in attempt to seek compensation from the council. |
Residents thanked for bomb disposal co-operation
16/01/2026 Residents have been told they can return to their homes after an operation to dispose of an unexploded World War Two bomb found in Exmouth Marina. |
Cotton piles pressure on West Midlands Police chief to stand down
15/01/2026 Birmingham City Council’s Labour leader John Cotton has called for the chief constable of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, to stand down. |
Councils defy party lines on election delays
15/01/2026 Council leaders have strayed from party lines over proposals to delay local elections. |
Major £300m fraud investigation into social housing sector launched
15/01/2026 The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched an inquiry into the past management of Home REIT amid allegations of fraud and bribery. |
MP questions hotel staff’s treatment of vulnerable guests
15/01/2026 The Housing Committee has written to a Holiday Inn in Manchester to seek an explanation for staff’s ‘appalling’ discrimination against people experiencing homelessness. |
Yorkshire residents urged to license monkeys
14/01/2026 East Riding residents who keep primates are being urged to obtain a licence under new legislation. |
‘Record amounts’ spent on improving housing quality, says report
14/01/2026 Social landlords spent £10bn on repairs and maintenance by March last year, research has found. |
DCN: Surge in river maintenance costs can be ‘devastating’ for councils
14/01/2026 The District Councils’ Network has warned that councils are facing a rise in river maintenance spending due to the Environment Agency cutting back its work. |
Broxtowe council hit with C3 rating over housing failings
14/01/2026 Broxtowe Borough Council has been given a C3 grading by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) after failing to meet required consumer standards. |
Tensions rise over out of area placements
14/01/2026 Council relations have strained over housing placements, with some authorities accused of ‘cleansing themselves’ of challenges and ‘exporting’ ‘more complex’ cases outside their area. |
Tower Hamlets considers 2am leisure centre openings
14/01/2026 A council’s proposals to keep leisure centres open until 2am could increase income by £300,000. |
DCN name change pressure
13/01/2026 The District Councils’ Network (DCN) is coming under increasing internal pressure to move quickly to change its name to secure the future relevance of the organisation. |
Scottish islands challenge local growth funding cut
13/01/2026 Multiple local authorities in the Highlands and Islands area have challenged the Government’s decision not to allocate them any local growth funding. |
King’s Lynn could see new town council created
13/01/2026 The Norfolk town King’s Lynn could be given its own council following approval from the borough council’s committee. |
New system launched to assess councils’ road repair performance
12/01/2026 A new traffic light rating system has been rolled out to assess how effectively local highway authorities (LHAs) are fixing potholes and maintaining roads. |
Residents warned of risk to homes during Storm Goretti
09/01/2026 Great Yarmouth Borough Council has told those living in clifftop properties that their homes are at ‘serious risk’ of collapse from Storm Goretti. |
Council leader welcomes gas network’s £870m investment
09/01/2026 Peterborough City Council has welcomed the news that National Gas is investing £870m in the East of England over the next five years. |
Mayor ‘appalled’ by destruction of Holocaust memorial bench
09/01/2026 Salford mayor Paul Dennett has said he is ‘deeply saddened and appalled’ following the destruction of a Holocaust memorial bench in Clowes Park. |
MPs raise concerns over delays in PIP claims
09/01/2026 MPs have highlighted continuing problems with the way the DWP processes PIP claims, warning that long waiting times are leaving some claimants in difficulty. |
Call to bolster powers of strategic authorities
Government extends £150 energy bill support
Council defers gas wellsite decision upon Government request
Nearly half of parents are nervous about SEND system changes, poll reveals
