Reed urges councils to use compulsory purchase powers
Retired engineer found guilty of blowing up ULEZ camera
Bolton Council advances flagship development project
Stoke-on-Trent declares UK’s first heritage emergency
Net zero: A whole life view
Chris Clarke examines how the public sector needs to change its way of thinking if it is to achieve net zero.
Council assets sale could generate nearly £60k
01/12/2025 The transfer of four community assets could create over £55k savings for a council. |
Major Salford regeneration project gets green light
07/11/2025 A major redevelopment of the Regent Retail Park in Salford has been approved by the city’s Planning and Transportation Regulatory Panel. |
Brighton and Hove back £50m spend to combat housing ‘disaster’
27/10/2025 Brighton and Hove City Council is to invest £50m to deliver more social and affordable housing. |
Leicester council secures 350 homes to tackle homelessness
22/10/2025 Leicester City Council has made a major push to expand temporary accommodation, securing 350 properties with a £45m investment over the past 18 months. |
Bolton town centre poised for £100m revamp
06/10/2025 Plans for a £100m regeneration of Bolton’s long-vacant Church Wharf site in the town centre have been officially approved. |
Council on board with surfing complex
22/09/2025 Enfield Council’s plans to develop a surfing lake could create around 200 jobs and generate over £50m. |
Council launches asset transfer programme ahead of LGR
22/09/2025 Reigate & Banstead BC is inviting community groups to take on some of its assets, as part of preparations for local government reorganisation. |
Funding has ‘saved’ Birnbeck Pier restoration
19/09/2025 The restoration of Birnbeck pier is ‘full steam ahead’ after funding of over £5m is delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. |
Westminster City Council launches ‘Westminster Living’
17/09/2025 Westminster CC has launched a new brand, Westminster Living, to showcase homes for sale across its developments, supporting the delivery of 4,000 new homes. |
School buildings to get £3bn maintenance boost
20/06/2025 Investment in the maintenance of school buildings is set to rise to almost £3bn per year as part of the Government’s 10-year infrastructure strategy. |
Stafford BC considers purchasing its offices
12/11/2024 Stafford Borough Council is considering buying its civic offices in a move aimed at saving money over the long term. |
Bradford leadership survives vote amid £50m venue criticism
16/10/2024 The leadership of Bradford Council has survived a vote of no confidence amid criticism over its handling of the £50.5m publicly funded venue, Bradford Live. |
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. |
Council criticised for fire risk assessment failings
25/09/2024 Harlow Council has been criticised by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) for failing to carry out thousands of fire risk assessments. |
Ealing Council apologises to family after ombudsman report
22/06/2023 Ealing Council has apologised to a family who lived in unsuitable accommodation for nearly 18 months |
Councils among top five offenders for data breaches
23/11/2022 Local authorities are one of the top offenders for data breaches across the UK, a new analysis has revealed. |
Next round of School Rebuilding Programme announced
12/07/2022 Sixty-one schools will be rebuilt or refurbished under the latest round Government's School Rebuilding Programme. |
Single-sex toilets will be mandatory in all new public buildings
05/07/2022 The Government has announced that all new public buildings must have separate male and female toilets. |
Over 100 village halls to share £3m improvement fund
31/05/2022 More than 100 village halls will be refurbished as part of a £3m fund to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. |
Over 18,000 affordable houses lost due to permitted development rights
09/05/2022 Council chiefs have called for an end to permitted development rights to ensure that all conversions contribute to the delivery of affordable homes. |
MPs call for deadline for asbestos removal
21/04/2022 Asbestos should be removed from all public and commercial buildings within 40 years, MPs have argued today. |
Astronaut Tim Peake launches £100m space research hub
15/03/2022 British astronaut Tim Peake has officially opened a new £100m space research hub in Leicester. |
Cap parking provision at one space per property, charity says
14/03/2022 A charity has called for car parking provision at new housing developments to be capped at a maximum of one space per property. |
Review launched to assess shortfall in housing-with-care options
08/03/2022 A review to assess the level of unmet need for housing-with-care for older people in the UK has been launched. |
Calls for a national tall buildings policy
24/01/2022 A charity has called for a new tall buildings policy to stop high-rises undermining the form and character of cities. |
Middlesbrough Council purchases £12m shopping centre
12/01/2022 Middlesbrough Council has acquired a multi-million-pound shopping centre as part of a drive to secure the town centre's long-term future. |
Thousands of new air filters to be installed in schools
04/01/2022 An extra 7,000 air purifiers will be installed across schools to protect face-to-face education and minimise disruption. |
New building renovation framework to support local authorities
14/12/2021 A new framework to help local authorities meet net zero targets through building renovation has been published. |
Newcastle to be new home of 9,000 HMRC staff
24/11/2021 Newcastle city centre is to be the new home for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the North East, the city council has confirmed. |
County commits £12.8m to decarbonise its buildings
11/11/2021 Suffolk County Council will invest £12.8m to reduce the carbon produced by hundreds of its buildings. |
Council breaches Home Standard after missing safety inspections
28/10/2021 Norwich City Council failed to carry out inspections relating to fire, electrical, asbestos and water safety, causing the potential for 'serious detriment to tenants'. |
Budget 2021: £24bn multi-year housing settlement
27/10/2021 The chancellor has today announced £11.5bn to build up to 180,000 new affordable homes, calling it the largest cash injection in more than a decade. |
London boroughs agree retrofitting housing plan
15/10/2021 A new plan to upgrade all housing stock in the capital has been agreed by all the London boroughs. |
Plans for new children's hospital submitted to Cambridge City Council
12/10/2021 Plans for the first dedicated children’s hospital in the East of England have been submitted to Cambridge City Council. |
Nearly 2,000 swimming pools at risk of closure by end of decade, report warns
22/09/2021 Almost 2,000 public swimming pools could be lost by the end of the decade unless ageing facilities are replaced or refurbished, a report has warned today. |
Green homes 'revolution' would give £9.8bn boost to UK economy, report argues
21/09/2021 A new strategy to decarbonise the UK's housing stock could create up to 138,600 new jobs and boost the economy by £9.8bn by 2030, according to a new report. |
Councils call for £1bn investment for ageing sport facilities
16/09/2021 Council leaders are calling for the spending review to include £1bn to modernise sport facilities, after warning nearly two-thirds of the leisure estate is past its replacement date. |
Welsh Government doubles spending for low carbon social homes
05/08/2021 The Welsh Government has doubled its spending on social housing for rent in order to deliver 20,000 new low carbon homes. |
Second round of schools rebuilding programme announced
19/07/2021 A further 50 schools have been confirmed for the second round of the Prime Minister’s rebuilding programme. |
Scottish councils to receive £3.2bn housing grant
19/07/2021 Councils in Scotland will receive a 20% uplift in grant funding for affordable homes over the next five years. |
Right to Buy-back fund launched
13/07/2021 London boroughs are to receive funding to purchase former council homes on the private market. |
Bill aimed at improving safety standards for high-rise buildings published
05/07/2021 A new Bill aimed at strengthening safety standards for the construction of high-rise buildings will be published today four years after the Grenfell Tower fire. |
Welsh council to end property joint venture
30/06/2021 Powys County Council has decided to end its joint venture with Kier and bring housing and building maintenance services back in-house. |
More than a thousand school buildings to share £483m investment
23/06/2021 Schools in the North East and North West will receive the biggest share of funding to improve school buildings. |
Boroughs call for ‘fit for purpose’ fire safety regime
15/06/2021 London boroughs marked the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire yesterday by calling on the Government to put in place a fire safety regime that is ‘fit for purpose’. |
Councils to set priorities for First Homes scheme
04/06/2021 Councils will be able to set a ‘local connection test’ to give priority to people such as key workers. |
Wolverhampton's i9 selected to house MHCLG's Midlands base
28/05/2021 Two floors of Wolverhampton’s new i9 office building will be home to the first ministerial department outside of London, it has been announced. |
Shared ownership reforms could lead to loss of affordable homes, providers warn
19/05/2021 Proposed reforms of the shared ownership regime may result in a loss of affordable homes due to the increased administration and costs for social housing providers and local authorities. |
Government consults on new £2bn developer tax
30/04/2021 The Government has launched a consultation into a new residential developer tax to help towards the cost of removing unsafe cladding. |
Pilot phase launched for government-backed 'value toolkit'
29/04/2021 The Construction Innovation Hub has launched the pilot phase for its 'Value Toolkit', designed to drive better social, environmental, and economic outcomes in the built environment. |
