Small Scale, Big Potential: Town and parish councils and devolution
Parish and town councils could play a central role in making devolution work for communities.
Report highlights £5.3bn in unspent developer funds held by councils
10/03/2026 MPs are set to be alerted to £5.3bn in unspent developer contributions currently held in local authority bank accounts, says Urban Mobility Partnership. |
MPs urge overhaul of developer levies
28/10/2025 The system for capturing developer contributions is failing communities, leaving vital public amenities like schools and GP surgeries underfunded, MPs say. |
Housebuilders call for ‘meaningful action’ on planning staff crisis
05/06/2025 The association representing housebuilders in England and Wales has called on the Government to tackle the staffing shortage in local planning authorities. |
Councils ‘sitting on’ £3bn from developer contributions
13/09/2023 Councils in England and Wales are reportedly 'sitting on' £3bn allocated for new community infrastructure. |
Reforms to fast-track local plans
06/08/2020 Councils will face sanctions unless they draw-up local plans within 30 months under government proposals to overhaul the planning system. |
|
Councils to publish deals done with developers
05/06/2019 Councils will be required to publish how much funding they are receiving from developers under new rules announced by the Government. |
|
Developers encouraged to fund school places
11/04/2019 The Government has published new guidance which sets out how councils can encourage housing developers to fund the school places their developments create. |
|
Scrapping the Levy: Why we need a change in approach to CIL
25/10/2018 Research finds councils are not spending on local infrastructure. With such a complex fund raising system in place it's hardly surprising, argues Hannah Vickers of ACE. |
|
Planning and Ecology
01/05/2018 How can local authorities realize the environmental benefits required by new government legislation? Karen Colebourn reports. |
|
Counties call for strategic planning reforms to tackle rising house prices
16/02/2018 County councils have called for strategic planning reforms after figures showed house prices in England’s counties rose at triple the rate of London last year. |
|
Section 106 pricing developers out of market, research warns
07/08/2017 Costly Section 106 agreements are pricing some developers out of the market, according to the peer-to-peer lending website Lendy. |
|
Court upholds Whitehall’s affordable housing contributions plans
12/05/2016 A court has ruled in favour of the Government’s small sites affordable housing contributions policy. |
|
Cameron’s 106 reform: What it means for local authorities
06/11/2015 Mike Brogan gives his view on David Cameron’s recent announcement about Section 106 reforms and the implications for local authorities. |
|
Time to take action on housing
28/09/2015 Marc Vlessing calls for more innovation in policy thinking to solve the housing crisis. |
|
Spending review must tackle £10bn of unfunded council costs
01/09/2015 Councils will face around £10bn of unfunded costs over the next five years, according to analysis by the Local Government Association. |
|
Joint venture signs affordable housing agreement
27/08/2015 Heylo Housing, a joint venture with Lancashire County Pension Fund, has signed an agreement with Bellway to deliver more than 1,000 shared ownership affordable homes over the next three years. |
|
Councils win affordable housing court battle
04/08/2015 Two councils have successfully challenged the government’s reforms to the planning system. |
|
Council approves new infrastructure levy
16/04/2015 A new Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is expected to raise £18m for Peterborough City Council by 2031. |
|
Lewis pledges to speed up Section 106 agreements
23/02/2015 Changes to Section 106 agreements have been proposed by housing minister, Brandon Lewis, following concerns late negotiations are delaying the planning process. |
|
Councils deny 'sitting on' regeneration cash
07/01/2014 Councils have denied ‘sitting on’ millions of pounds of Section 106 money intended for social and community projects. |
