Politics and Policy

Fly-tippers to be charged for cost of seizing vehicles

30/04/2025
The Government is encouraging councils to work with the police to seize and crush vehicles used by waste criminals as part of a crack-down on fly-tipping.

Politics and Policy News

Council chiefs call for solar panels on new builds

28/04/2025

All new homes should have solar panels installed to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs for households, council leaders say.

Call for kerbside collections amidst battery-fire crisis

28/04/2025

Universal kerbside collections for waste batteries and electricals across the UK could save £6bn by boosting recycling and tackling the battery fire 'epidemic'.

Carbon tax could cost councils billions, LGA warns

25/04/2025

A scheme aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the burning of waste could place ‘billions of pounds’ of unavoidable costs on local authorities, LGA warns.

RAC fears private parking firms are escaping scrutiny

25/04/2025

Private firms that run local car parks are set to issue a record 14.5 million tickets to drivers this year.

Directors of children’s services criticise pepper spray policy

24/04/2025

Council directors working in children’s services have criticized the Government’s decision to allow the use of pepper spray in young offender institutions.

Councils risk being 'fleeced' over reorg, says former commissioner

24/04/2025

Councils facing reorganisation face being ‘fleeced' by consultants keen to profit from the process, a former Northamptonshire CC commissioner has claimed.

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.

Mayor urged to take over vacant shops to revitalise high streets

23/04/2025

The Mayor of London has been urged to provide more ‘financial and practical’ support to help drive high street regeneration across the capital.

Leeds battles Right to Buy housing crisis

23/04/2025

Efforts to deliver affordable housing in Leeds have been undermined by Right to Buy, the city council has warned.

Horsham challenges local plan decision

23/04/2025

Horsham District Council has complained to the planning inspectorate after its local plan was rejected.

Pothole breakdowns jump 20%

23/04/2025

Pothole-related breakdowns have increased by nearly 20% compared to the same period last year, according to the RAC.

Council rejects accusation it acted illegally in homeless mother case

22/04/2025

A London borough maintains that it has acted legally after the local government ombudsman accused it of refusing to find temporary housing for a pregnant woman.

Council to sell unsafe properties purchased after Grenfell fire

22/04/2025

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is aiming to sell off 14 properties that it purchased to house survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire.

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.

Welsh councils in need of net zero funding

22/04/2025

Local authority leaders in Wales have called for more funding to help deliver net zero commitments.

Blackpool to invest £30m in coastline defences

17/04/2025

Blackpool Council has announced a £30m investment to construct new coastline defences to prevent erosion.

Craig David backs call for 90,000 social homes

17/04/2025

Music icon Craig David has backed a call for tens of thousands of new social homes a year over the next decade.

Enfield threatens legal action over ancient oak felling

17/04/2025

Enfield Council has threatened the Toby Carvery pub chain with legal action after the felling of a 500-year-old oak tree.

Surrey to remain divided on unitary plans

16/04/2025

Surrey's borough and district councils have revealed the region is set to defy government requests for unity on final reorganisation proposals.

Council issues order to protect remains of ancient oak

16/04/2025

Enfield Council has issued an emergency preservation order to protect what remains of a 500-year-old oak tree that was partially felled by a pub chain.

Busking to cease in Leicester Square

15/04/2025

Local authorities have suspended two busking pitches in Leicester Square.

Reorganisation proposals average 544,000 population

14/04/2025

Reorganisation proposals submitted by councils would produce new unitaries of varying sizes but with an average population of 544,837, analysis reveals.

Police to deal with antisocial behaviour complaints

14/04/2025

Police forces in England and Wales are now required to respond to antisocial behaviour complaints within 72 hours.

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.

Scottish councils reject shared service proposal

11/04/2025

Three councils in Scotland have rejected a shared service proposal after concluding it would not offer ‘value for money'.

Local transport in Wales gets £110m boost

11/04/2025

The Welsh Government has announced an investment of £110m to boost local transport.

Hackney’s blue badge assessments ‘flawed’

11/04/2025

Drivers in Hackney have been urged to reapply for a blue badge after an investigation revealed flaws in the council’s scheme.

Kensington & Chelsea launches legal action against Grenfell companies

10/04/2025

Kensington & Chelsea LBC has launched legal action worth around £360m against companies involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.

Essex CC rejects combined authority plan ‘in its current form’

10/04/2025

Essex County Council has told the Government that it cannot support the proposal for devolution in Greater Essex ‘in its current form’.

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.

Government backs £30m Doncaster airport investment

10/04/2025

The Government has backed the decision by the South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard to invest £30m to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA).

LGA updates business plan amid reorganisation shake-up

09/04/2025

The Local Government Association (LGA) is working on a new business plan as mayors increasingly reject its advances.

EXCLUSIVE: Rayner drops Brum inquiry plan

09/04/2025

Angela Rayner has dropped plans for a statutory inquiry that would have investigated Labour-run Birmingham City Council's failed rollout of an IT system.

Social housing wait over a hundred years in some areas

09/04/2025

The Government has been urged to tackle the worsening housing crisis as new research reveals a century-long wait for social housing in parts of England.

Universal theme park deal ‘landmark moment’

09/04/2025

The agreement of a deal with Universal to open a new theme park in Bedford – billed as one of the largest in Europe – has been welcomed as a ‘landmark moment’.

Liverpool CC praised for ‘substantial’ progress

08/04/2025

Liverpool City Council has further to go on its improvement journey but has ‘made significant and substantial’ progress, according to an improvement board.

Extra support for military personnel ‘lottery’

08/04/2025

Military personnel and their families face a postcode lottery when it comes to accessing local services, the Commons Defence Committee has revealed.

RAC: Only 3% of council roads maintained last year

08/04/2025

Just 3% of England’s council-run road network received any form of road maintenance during the last financial year, Government data has revealed.

Angry reaction to Starmer stance on Brum bin strike

07/04/2025

A war of words has broken out between the Government and union bosses over the bin strike in Birmingham.

Anti-abortion campaigner fined £20k for ‘buffer zone’ breach

07/04/2025

An anti-abortion campaigner has been given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £20,000 to BCP Council for breaching a protest ‘buffer zone’.

Governance concerns prompt best value notice for Tees Valley

04/04/2025

The Government has issued Tees Valley Combined Authority with a best value notice due to concerns over governance and culture.

MHCLG reshuffle after engagement improvements

04/04/2025

Engagement between the UK Government and councils has generally improved since Labour's General Election win, The MJ has been told.

Gambling laws ‘desperately out of date’, councillors say

03/04/2025

Local authorities and mayors have urged the Government to grant them more powers to tackle gambling in their local areas.

London’s boroughs call for ‘seat at the table’ in devo settlement

03/04/2025

London’s councils have called for joint decision-making arrangements between the mayor and the capital’s boroughs as part of a new devolution settlement.

Whitehall dismisses Homes England cull reports

02/04/2025

Reports the Government plans to abolish Homes England as part of a cull of quangos have been dismissed by Whitehall.

Westminster City Council ordered to silence buskers

02/04/2025

A judge has ordered Westminster City Council to take action against buskers in Leicester Square.

Council clears tonnes of ‘nurdles’ after North Sea crash

02/04/2025

Teams from East Lindsey DC have cleaned up over 12 tonnes of plastic pellets from Lincolnshire’s beaches following a crash between two ships in the North Sea.

East Sussex unitary 'probably most likely option'

02/04/2025

A single tier East Sussex unitary of around 550,000 people is 'probably the most likely' reorganisation option, The MJ understands.

Minister: No compromise on building safety amid housing target pressure

01/04/2025

Building safety will not be compromised as the Government tries to meet its 1.5m new homes target, minister Alex Norris has insisted.

Council issues £45k in housing fines

01/04/2025

Salford City Council has issued £45,000 of fines to landlords in an effort to improve local housing conditions.

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