Public services | LocalGov


Hunger costs put severe strain on public services 29/04/2025 Public services are under £13.7bn worth of pressure due to the Government’s negligence in addressing hunger and hardship, according to anti-poverty charity.
Funding boost helps council avoid cuts 18/02/2025 Coventry City Council has dropped proposed cuts to charity-run adult services, street cleaning and council tax support due to an increase in funding.
Rayner to launch public sector rewire White Paper 16/12/2024 Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will kick off a huge rewiring of public service reform with the launch of the devolution White Paper in Leeds later today.
State will operate 'more like a start-up' 10/12/2024 The launch of a £100m fund to pioneer public sector reform and deliver the Government's Plan for Change will see the state operate ‘more like a start-up', a minister has pledged.
Six tips to improve public services in the UK 15/07/2024 From social care and schools to bins and the criminal justice system, public services touch the lives of everyone. Here are six tips for improving them.
Poll reveals support for tax increases to boost public services 01/07/2024 More than half of UK households support investment in public services even if it means they are taxed more, according to new analysis.
General Election: Public services must be ‘centre’ of party manifestos 22/05/2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a general election at what local authority leaders have described as a ‘pivotal time’ for the country.
Scotland’s public services ‘crumbling’ 19/02/2024 Scots have observed worsening poverty and public services are failing to address social problem, according to a new report.
Scottish budget ‘missed opportunity’ for reform 03/01/2024 The Scottish budget is a ‘missed opportunity’ for delivering on public service reform, local authority leaders in Scotland have told Holyrood.
Public services ‘in a dire state’ 31/10/2023 No public services are performing better than before the pandemic and satisfaction with councils has dropped, a report has found.
Public support more focus on poor health causes 02/10/2023 The Government should invest more in public health to address the roots of poor health, according to a poll for the charity Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).
£80m bus funding confirmed 29/09/2023 The Government has confirmed the funding allocations of £80m to support local authorities’ bus service improvement plans (BSIPs) in 2024-25.
Council leaders create roadmap for a Starmer government 26/09/2023 A plan for a future Labour administration to ‘reform public services and rebuild trust’ has been drawn out by local authority leaders.
Welsh local services at ‘mortal risk’, council chiefs warn 15/09/2023 Local authority leaders in Wales have warned the UK Government that local services could be at ‘mortal risk’ if further funding was not forthcoming.
Gauke calls for new Office for Spending Evaluation 31/07/2023 Former Treasury minister David Gauke has called for a new Office for Spending Evaluation to prioritise ‘productive’ spending on public services.
Public sector pay increases do not add to inflation, think tank says 18/07/2023 Increasing pay for public sector workers by 10% would not add much to inflation, according to a new report by the think tank IPPR.
Seven in 10 support more control over local services 17/07/2023 Nearly 70% of people say they would like their community to have more control over how local services are delivered, a new poll has revealed.
Bankrupt Woking consults on future of services 12/07/2023 Woking Borough Council has launched a consultation on its discretionary services after it halted all non-essential spending due to unsustainable debts.
New council to adopt Armed Forces Covenant 01/02/2023 The new North Yorkshire Council is set to pledge its support to members of the Armed Forces and military veterans.
Gove urged to address ‘inequalities’ affecting GRT community 27/01/2023 Lords committee has asked the Government for more information on how it plans to address inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) people.
Devon council leader warns of ‘deep cuts’ 02/11/2022 Devon County Council’s leader has warned the council will have to make ‘deep cuts’ to the county’s local services unless the Government provides more help.
London councils face £700m funding gap 01/11/2022 Councils in London will be forced to find £700m of savings unless the Government boosts funding for local services in the capital, cross-party group says.
Chancellor warned local services ‘on a cliff-edge’ 01/11/2022 Local authority leaders have urged the PM ahead of the upcoming autumn statement to ensure that councils have the funding necessary to protect services.
Councils prepare for Queen’s funeral 16/09/2022 Local authorities across the country are set to close council buildings during the Queen’s funeral but many essential services will still take place.
Library demand surges due to cost of living crisis 09/06/2022 The Government has been told not to ‘take libraries for granted’ as survey reveals the cost of living crisis has increased demand for library services.
GRT community face ‘shocking’ levels of discrimination 18/05/2022 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people’s experiences of public services including housing, health and education are marred by discrimination, peers say.
Councils fighting to keep on top of rights of way maintenance 10/06/2021 Councils fight to keep on top of the maintenance needs of rights of way alongside a backdrop of increased public expectations, place directors have said.
Welsh ministers call for ‘end of austerity’ 30/08/2019 Local government leaders across Wales have joined with ministers to call for an end to austerity.
Local government workers deserve thanks 21/06/2019 Civil service workers are under-appreciated and it’s time to change that, says Heather Glanville of Boundless, the membership club for public sector workers.
Holyrood passes £42.5bn budget but warns of Brexit recession 22/02/2019 Holyrood has approved the 2019-20 budget which will see billions invested into public services — but warned Brexit could push Scotland into recession.
End ‘unnecessary’ homelessness catch-22, watchdog says 18/12/2018 A watchdog has called for an end to the ‘unnecessary catch-22’ where homeless people are unable to access public services because they have no postal address.
Code of conduct for private companies ‘urgently’ required, union says 08/02/2018 The Government needs to establish a new code of conduct for the delivery of public services by private companies, says public service union.
Whitehall announces nearly £2m for public service mutuals 12/01/2018 The Government has released £1.7m in funding in order to help organisations ‘become or grow’ as public service mutuals.
Innovative, inspiring and effective 19/12/2017 Laura Sharman attended a special event at Nottingham Castle to celebrate the winners of the first ever Local Public Ownership Awards.
Commission launched to study Brexit impact on public services 24/08/2017 A new commission has been launched tasked with exploring the risks and opportunities of Brexit for public services.
Public sector workers work £11bn of unpaid overtime a year, union says 24/07/2017 Two million public sector workers regularly work unpaid overtime, union says in response to chancellor’s suggestion public sector workers are ‘overpaid’.
Key policies to make Brexit a success for public services 17/05/2017 Brexit should be an opportunity to devolve power to the regions and promote local growth, commission says.
Majority of Leavers and Remainers support council-run services 15/05/2017 The majority of Leavers and Remainers would prefer to see more in-house services run by councils, new polling reveals.
Cuts are 'dismantling' neighbourhood services, warns report 25/04/2017 Spending on local services such as bin collections, parks, roads and libraries has fallen by £3.1bn between 2010/11 and 2015/16, new research has revealed.
Report: Further failure inevitable 26/07/2016 The Government’s ‘superficial’ means of tackling failure in public services is not the solution, a new report has claimed.
New e-book ‘tribute’ to dedication of public sector workers 15/07/2016 An new online publication aims to show the best of what people in local government do in their everyday work.
London borough signs new civil enforcement contract 21/03/2016 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has extended its parking and civil enforcement contract with NSL in a deal worth £65m.
Report: Millions of complaints about poor public services go unreported 26/02/2016 Around 15 million people who experienced poor public services in the last two years did not register an official complaint, a study has found.