Potholes: Treating the illness not just the symptom
With the publication of the ALARM survey, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, David Giles, talks to LocalGov about investing in local roads.
London’s high streets get £21m regeneration boost
28/02/2025 London’s high streets are to benefit from £21m additional funding this year aimed at regenerating the capital’s high streets. |
Tackling the ecological skills gap
21/01/2025 Catherine Spitzer, chief executive of Environment Bank, explains how private investment can help councils that are struggling to attract skilled ecologists. |
Devolution would help skills 'mismatch' - report
03/12/2024 Government should give local areas greater powers over skills to address the ‘mismatch' of people needed for future industries, Birmingham Uni has urged. |
Digital advisory group launched for Scotland’s public sector
03/12/2024 A new unit has been formed to develop digital skills across Scotland’s public and third sectors. |
Kendall: Local government to join up work opportunities
26/11/2024 Mayors and councils will be given powers to join up services locally to tackle worklessness, the work and pensions secretary will announce today. |
Call for national strategy for older prisoners
02/09/2024 The Government must create a national strategy to manage and care for rising numbers of older people in prison, a charity has said. |
Protecting our health
14/08/2024 Oliver Norman, Regional Vice President for UK & Ireland, Veritas Technologies, looks at why data protection should be a priority for healthcare organisations. |
Fixing care’s recruitment and retention issue
31/07/2024 Ben Weatherall, co-founder and director of Curam, looks at what local authorities can do to fix the care sector’s recruitment and retention issue. |
New Advanced CPD Set to Combat False Fire Alarms
22/07/2024 Advanced is pleased to announce the launch of its latest Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course: Managing False Fire Alarms: Tools & Techniques. |
Skills England to fix ‘fractured’ skills landscape
22/07/2024 A new body will tackle the ‘fractured’ skills landscape across England, the Prime Minister and education secretary have announced. |
King's Speech: Devolution takes centre stage
17/07/2024 The announcement of an English Devolution Bill took centre stage in the King's Speech. |
King's Speech: A plan for devolution
17/07/2024 The new Labour Government has set out a widespread plan for devolution and economic growth in its Parliamentary timetable, with central diktat reserved for planning proposals. |
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. |
NextGov: Planning under the next government
19/06/2024 Mike Kiely, chair of the Planning Officers Society, calls on the next government to build a more efficient and effective planning system. |
Levelling up progress ‘glacial’, think tank says
19/06/2024 Progress on levelling up in England has been ‘glacial’ and – according to some metrics – inequality has got worse, a new analysis by the IFS has revealed. |
‘Existential crisis’ for councils as £6bn funding gap revealed
06/06/2024 A new Local Government White Paper has uncovered a £6.2bn funding gap facing councils in England over the next two years. |
Local Government Apprentice of the Year announced
24/05/2024 Sara Jenner-Akehurst from Cambridgeshire County Council has been named as the 2024 Local Government Apprentice of the Year. |
Call to fix ‘incomplete patchwork’ of devolution deals
13/05/2024 The next government must extend devolution to 85% of England to address an ‘incomplete patchwork of mismatched deals’, a think-tank has argued. |
SkillGate’s Classroom Booking System - Training course booking made easy!
29/04/2024 Streamline your training course booking operations with SkillGate’s Classroom Booking System. |
What is a metro mayor?
25/04/2024 A metro mayor is directly elected by local people to oversee a region’s combined authority. |
UltraCrete wins Employment and Skills Award at RSTA Annual Conference
18/04/2024 UltraCrete are delighted to announce that they have been presented with the coveted Employment and Skills Award at the 2024 RSTA Annual Conference. |
LGA announces 2024/25 Sector Support programme
12/04/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has announced the 2024/25 Sector Support programme to help councils ‘deliver critical services to communities.’ |
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games boosted economy by £1.2bn
08/04/2024 The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games contributed approximately £1.2bn to the UK economy, according to an evaluation of the impact of the event. |
UltraCrete partners with Salford City College
27/03/2024 A new UltraCrete and Salford City College Group partnership will see Highways Maintenance Skilled Operative Apprenticeship students become UCARS Accredited. |
Putting personal assistants at the heart of care
19/02/2024 Ben Weatherall, co-founder and director of Curam, discusses the skills deficit in the social care system and what to do about it. |
National Apprenticeship Week: The importance of a national skills strategy
05/02/2024 Nichola Hay MBE, director of Apprenticeship Strategy and Policy at BPP, discusses the importance of a national strategy with a regional approach. |
Study reveals ‘worrying’ state of local government leadership
25/01/2024 Just over half of council leaders and managers believe their local authority isn’t ensuring accountability for failure, an alarming new study has revealed. |
Social care career reforms ‘only scratch the surface’
10/01/2024 The Government today announced new measures to improve the career prospects of social care staff but concerns remain that this ‘may only scratch the surface’. |
Nine million adults lack essential skills
03/01/2024 Nine million adults lack essential skills with skill level disparities within local areas far exceeding those between local and combined authorities. |
Skills shortage ‘putting brakes’ on net zero
12/12/2023 The skills shortage is undermining efforts to reduce carbon emissions and effectively tackle the climate crisis, local authority leaders in London have warned. |
Autumn Statement: Level 4 devolution unveiled
22/11/2023 More powers will be offered to areas with a level 3 devolution deal, the Government has announced as part of the Autumn Statement. |
Councils sign cross border partnership
13/11/2023 Two English councils, Herefordshire and Shropshire, and two Welsh county councils, Monmouthshire and Powys, have signed a partnership agreement. |
Skills devolution call
17/10/2023 Control of UK skills funding should be devolved to councils to ensure it is tailored to local jobs and economies, a national network of 27 cities has urged. |
London Councils eyes apprenticeship levy devolution
09/10/2023 London Councils has named securing devolution of the apprenticeship levy to its boroughs to fund skills and employment activity as a key short-term priority. |
New festival to light up Scarborough
05/10/2023 The Scarborough Lights festival will be launched next month as part of a three-year plan to boost arts, attract tourists and improve job opportunities on the North Yorkshire coast. |
Wales to consider funding bids straddling English border
11/09/2023 Wales’ economy minister has said he would consider funding bids from a new council partnership that crosses the Welsh and English border. |
EXCLUSIVE: Mayors press for trailblazer devolution powers
04/09/2023 Mayors are pressing for devolved powers currently reserved for their trailblazer counterparts in ongoing talks with the Government. |
County leaders call for ‘adult education revolution’
04/09/2023 County council leaders have urged the Government to ‘fast track’ devolution deals to help boost the number of people taking part in adult education. |
Welsh and English councils announce new partnership
30/08/2023 Councils on either side of the border between Wales and England are set to join a partnership in a bid to seek Government funding. |
Liverpool to provide 4,500 tablets to tackle digital exclusion
18/08/2023 More than 4,500 people in the Liverpool City Region will receive free tablets, internet access and training as part of a scheme to bridge the UK’s ‘digital divide’. |
Fresh LGA drive to influence MPs over skills
07/08/2023 The Local Government Association has proposed to establish a skills and employment working group as it seeks to influence MPs ahead of the election. |
LGA: ‘Radical shift’ towards local employment support needed
25/07/2023 Council leaders have called for a ‘radical shift’ from centralised employment support after a consultation emphasised the benefits of 'local involvement'. |
Skills shortage set to worsen with end of European fund
21/07/2023 Local authority leaders have warned that the ongoing skills shortage could get worse as the European Social Fund (ESF) finishes at the end of this year. |
MPs call for devolution of employment support
19/07/2023 The delivery of support aimed at helping people into employment should be devolved to groups of local authorities, MPs have said. |
Government backtracks on ‘employment only’ adult education outcomes
17/07/2023 The Department for Education (DfE) has scrapped its plans to end funding for adult education courses that are not directly linked to employment outcomes. |
Skilled worker shortage undermining net zero drive
01/06/2023 A skilled worker shortage means that at the current rate of heat pump and insulation installation it could take ‘several hundred years’ to meet net zero. |
Council chiefs welcome £165m skills fund
25/05/2023 Local authority leaders have welcomed the launch of a £165m skills fund but say councils should be given more powers to help people into employment. |
Strategy to deliver ‘joined-up digital inclusion’ launched
22/05/2023 A campaign group has launched a ‘unique and revolutionary strategy’ linking government, industry leaders and community organisations to tackle digital poverty. |
Greater Manchester unveils skills devolution plan
15/05/2023 The shape of skills devolution in the trailblazer devolution deals has been outlined by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. |
EXCLUSIVE: ‘It’s time for a new Audit Commission’
12/04/2023 An ex-senior mandarin has today called for a new Audit Commission as The MJ reveals the draft metrics the Government is considering for its new watchdog. |
Councils lack skills in deal-making, says commissioner
30/03/2023 Children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, suggested support should be provided to negotiate the market for placements for children in care. |
Empowering cities could bring £420m economic boost
23/03/2023 Bringing together employment and skills services in urban areas could result in a £420m boost to the national economy, according to local government leaders. |
Planning authorities receive £1m skills boost
20/03/2023 Councils will be able to recruit more skilled planning professionals following a £1m funding boost, housing minister Rachel Maclean has announced. |
LGA moves to tackle workforce crisis
10/03/2023 The association’s executive advisory board heard that all of the LGA’s policy boards had highlighted ‘significant workforce capacity challenges’. |
Council chiefs call for devolution of skills powers
24/02/2023 Local authority leaders have called for the devolution of skills budgets and powers to help them support young people into education, employment or training. |
Solving the homelessness sector’s workforce crisis
14/02/2023 Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, discusses the first ever accredited qualification for the homelessness workforce. |
County chiefs call for powers to solve rural workforce crisis
06/02/2023 Council leaders have called for powers to tackle labour squeeze as a new analysis reveals that hundreds of thousands of people have left the rural workforce. |
Northern councils sign up to ‘blockbuster’ film scheme
01/02/2023 A dozen councils in the North East have signed up to a scheme to help film and TV companies work in the region. |
First ever qualification for homelessness workforce launched
24/01/2023 The first ever accredited qualification for the homelessness workforce has been launched to help frontline staff develop their skills. |
Be Part of a Net-Zero Future – BEIS-funded training available through the Retrofit Academy
23/01/2023 Retrofit Academy secures funding to deliver over 1200 retrofit courses in England to help the UK achieve its net zero goals by building a skilled workforce. |
Council chiefs welcome call to address creative skills ‘blind spot’
17/01/2023 Council leaders have welcomed a call for a Government focus on fixing the educational ‘blind spots' and digital skills shortage impacting creative industries. |
Deal reached on North East devolution package
03/01/2023 Details of a proposed mayoral devolution deal for the North East of England have been released. |
Better together: how to retain IT talent in the public sector
21/12/2022 Arun Kumar, regional director at ManageEngine, looks at how the public sector can get over its digital skills problem. |
Government’s £4bn annual skills spend ‘failing to deliver’
14/12/2022 Council chiefs have called for an end to the centralised approach to training as report finds that the Government’s £4bn skills spend is ‘failing to deliver’. |
Gove to sign devolution deals for Norfolk and Suffolk
08/12/2022 Devolution deals are to be signed in Suffolk and Norfolk giving them over £1bn to invest in their communities, the Government has announced. |
Cornwall £360m devolution deal unveiled
02/12/2022 A £360m devolution deal on offer to Cornwall has been unveiled today. |
Thousands of apprentices quit due to ‘poor quality’ of scheme
28/11/2022 Thousands of people who have taken up apprenticeships to help them develop new skills have dropped out due to the poor quality of schemes, research reveals. |
Council leaders call for reversal of adult education cuts
11/11/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to use next week’s Autumn Statement to reverse proposed cuts to community learning courses. |
MPs call for end to ‘culture of centralisation’
25/10/2022 The Government should review the requirement to have a directly elected mayor to achieve the highest levels of devolution, MPs say. |
Welsh digital and green sector gets £3m boost
17/10/2022 The Welsh government has announced a £3m boost to help support the development of skills in the digital and green sector. |
Council chiefs welcome call for £1bn skills funding
22/09/2022 Council leaders have welcomed a call to move away from the top-down approach to skills, and to provide communities with the funding needed to boost employment. |
Levelling up little more than a ‘slogan’, MPs say
24/08/2022 MPs have criticised the Government’s flagship levelling up Bill for a lack of clarity and funding commitments. |
Skills devolution to boost jobs market by one million
11/07/2022 Devolution of skills funding could allow a million people to return to the jobs market, new research has found. |
Councils urged to boost local digital skills
06/06/2022 Councils urged to do more to help small businesses with digital training as evidence suggests businesses are struggling with the social media revolution. |
Local college and The Open University to work together in £10m skills scheme
25/05/2022 The Open University is partnering with local further education providers as part of the effort to boost skills and job prospects across the country. |
Devolve powers to tackle jobs crisis, council chiefs say
17/05/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to devolve more powers to councils to free them up to tackle the growing job crisis at the local level. |
Tech giant Apple awards council for digital skills work
17/03/2022 Scottish Borders Council has been awarded Apple Professional Learning Provider (APLP) status as a result of the technology and professional development the council offers to staff and young people. |
Hull and East Yorkshire named UK’s fastest growing region for digital jobs
03/03/2022 Hull and East Yorkshire’s tech sector is one of the fastest growing in the UK, new figures have revealed. |
Devolution for all: Gove unveils long-awaited White Paper
02/02/2022 By 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal, the Government’s long-awaited Levelling Up White Paper has revealed. |
LGA launches T Level support programme
27/01/2022 Up to 35 councils will benefit from a new support programme to help them create high quality T Level placements. |
Council chiefs call for devolution of skills powers
30/11/2021 Local authority leaders are urging MPs to support measures that would see councils have more say in the delivery of skills development at the local level. |
New tools maps employment and training schemes
18/11/2021 A new online tool to help councils better understand employment and skills provision in their local areas has been launches. |
Is a multi-skilled workforce the future of local government?
17/11/2021 Chris Hornung explains why multi-skilling can provide councils with the tools needed to bridge the gap between different areas, streamline communication and improve productivity?. |
Government allocates £200m Community Renewal Funding
04/11/2021 The Government has announced which projects will receive a share of the £200m Community Renewal Funding, and has given local authorities extra time to spend the money. |
£30m skills deal approved for South West Wales
26/10/2021 A £30m programme to provide thousands of people access to skills opportunities across South West Wales has been approved by the UK Government and Welsh Government. |
Over a third of the most deprived areas will not benefit from Levelling Up Fund
25/08/2021 More than a third of England’s most deprived areas will not benefit from the Government’s £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund, according to new Salvation Army research released today. |
Local government can drive the UK’s green skills revolution
10/08/2021 Cara Jenkinson, cities manager at the climate solutions charity Ashden, looks at how local government can drive the UK’s green skills revolution. |
Coalition calls for reforms to ‘flawed’ apprenticeship levy
09/07/2021 The Government has been urged to make urgent reforms to the apprenticeship levy by a coalition by local government and major employers in London. |
Call to give councils greater role in creating jobs and training opportunities
18/06/2021 The Government should use the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill to give councils a greater role in tackling unemployment and skills shortages, the Local Government Association (LGA) has argued. |
Councils called on to create new programmes to close skills gap
14/06/2021 Local authorities should create skills programmes to train workers in their areas as part of the effort to tackle the UK’s engineering skills shortages, a new report argues. |
Over £600m awarded to 26 new Town Deals
08/06/2021 The Government has announced the latest round of towns deals, which will see 26 towns across England share over £600m. |
Queen's Speech: Levelling up takes centre stage
11/05/2021 The Government’s levelling up agenda was at the forefront of today’s Queen’s Speech, but the role councils will play remains uncertain. |
Harnessing the power of innovation to ensure that nobody is left behind
12/04/2021 Paul Duan explains how a new online coach is helping to make training and careers advice more targeted and accessible. |
Transforming the jobs outlook for young people in Essex
04/03/2021 Nicole Wood outlines how Essex CC has committed to creating 1000 new entry level jobs for young people, of all abilities, within 12 months, using an ambitious three pronged approach. |
Long-term unemployment could rise above one million, report warns
01/03/2021 Targeted, local solutions will be needed to tackle long-term unemployment after the COVID-19 crisis, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Report sets out need for new digital operating model
21/01/2021 Local and regional authorities should be given greater power and support to help the Government hit connectivity targets, a report has argued today. |
Community-led skills devo should be the way forward
03/12/2020 A more comprehensive and community-led approach to devolution would enable skills strategies and local services to be joined up more effectively, says Charlotte Morgan. |
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Supporting our young people in the path to economic recovery
03/11/2020 Clare Hatton explains how the West Midlands Combined Authority has made it a priority to support all young people, but especially those not in education, employment or training (NEET). |
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Khan calls for further devolution of adult education funding
28/10/2020 The mayor of London has urged the Government to devolve adult education funding to the capital or risk undermining its long-term recovery from the pandemic. |
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Councils calls for COBRA-style action to tackle youth unemployment
06/10/2020 Council leaders have called for a COBRA-style response to tackle youth unemployment and save a ‘lost generation’ of young people. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.
