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. |
‘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. |
Bradford Council wins international recognition for nature reserve
09/01/2026 A nature reserve managed by Bradford Council has been highlighted in a ‘seven wonders of the world’ list for 2026. |
Consultation launched on taxi licensing reform
08/01/2026 The Government has launched a public consultation on proposals to reduce 'out-of-area' working by taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers. |
Councils empowered to crack down on pavement parking
08/01/2026 The Government has confirmed that local leaders will be given new legal powers to make it easier to restrict pavement parking. |
New inspections for academy trusts announced
08/01/2026 Council leaders have welcomed the Government’s plans to introduce inspections of multi-academy trusts, saying the move will bring ‘greater transparency’. |
Beach hut owners question legality of council tax change
08/01/2026 Beach hut owners on the south coast have questioned the legal basis of classing huts as second homes for the purposes of council tax. |
Birmingham faces MP criticism surrounding football fan ban
07/01/2026 MPs have accused Birmingham CC of providing a ‘biased picture’ surrounding the decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match against Aston Villa. |
Warrington BC seeks local views on new political boundaries
07/01/2026 Warrington Borough Council has launched a public consultation to help decide on the boundaries for new council wards. |
Mayor welcomes new road safety strategy
07/01/2026 West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker has welcomed the Government’s announcement of the first national road safety strategy in more than a decade. |
Councils that boycott Israel could face legal action, Reed warns
07/01/2026 Labour-run local authorities could face legal action if they pursue boycotts against Israel, Communities Secretary Steve Reed has warned. |
South Cambs communities to benefit from £100k allotment funding
06/01/2026 Funding of over £100,000 has been approved by South Cambridgeshire District Council to support the improvement of local allotments. |
Housing approvals drop in final quarter of 2025
06/01/2026 New data has revealed the number of housing projects granted approval dropped by 17% in the last three months of 2025. |
Councillors urge PM to end rule blocking betting shop controls
06/01/2026 Hundreds of councillors have backed calls to scrap an ‘outdated’ rule that limits councils’ ability to prevent betting shops from opening on high streets. |
Council housing cuts loom without rent reform, London boroughs warn
05/01/2026 London boroughs are warning that deep cuts to social housing services are inevitable unless ministers back changes to social rent policy later this month. |
Council responds to tragic incident in Withernsea
05/01/2026 The leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council has paid tribute to the emergency services and volunteers involved in a major search and rescue operation. |
Pothole payouts reveal postcode lottery for drivers
05/01/2026 Motorists seeking compensation for pothole damage face wildly different outcomes depending on where they live, new figures reveal. |
Durham CC takes ‘last resort’ legal action against landlord
05/01/2026 Durham County Council has secured a banning order to temporarily prevent a landlord from renting out properties. |
Cleverly backs pro-density housing report
23/12/2025 Shadow housing secretary James Cleverly has backed a report by think-tank Policy Exchange that called for a fresh approach to building high density homes. |
Reed says councils should not be offering 'full-time pay for part-time work'
23/12/2025 Local authorities should not be offering full-time pay for part-time work, communities secretary Steve Reed has told council leaders. |
Peers raise council capacity concerns
Council advances legal proceedings due to ‘reckless’ tree felling
Reform council facing challenge of beginning from 'standing start'
LGA: Councils best place to decarbonise housing
