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.
Council green lights Spurs park plans
13/02/2025 Enfield councillors have approved an application from Tottenham Hotspur for a new women’s training facility in a public park. |
Leeds proposes closing dozens of bowling greens
13/01/2025 Half of the council-run crown bowling greens in Leeds under plans to save nearly £275m over five years. |
Blackpool mothballs £320k visitor attraction
18/10/2024 A £320,000 high ropes course funded by Blackpool Council has been mothballed after visitor numbers dropped. |
Man United joins regeneration drive
10/09/2024 Manchester United has joined forces with Trafford Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to maximise regeneration opportunities. |
Plaque unveiled for ‘trailblazer’ black British Olympian
07/08/2024 One of Britain’s first black athletes to win an Olympic medal has been honoured with a plaque by Newcastle City Council. |
Birmingham to host 2027 Invictus Games
24/07/2024 Birmingham’s winning bid to host the Invictus Games in 2027 will see the event return to the UK for the first time since its launch. |
More than 900 public football pitches lost since 2010
12/06/2024 With the European Championships kicking off tomorrow, a trade union has revealed that 926 public football pitches have been lost in the UK since 2010. |
Chris Kamara granted Freedom of Wakefield
16/05/2024 Wakefield Council has awarded ‘local and national legend’ Chris Kamara MBE a Freedom of the City for his services to the area and to charity. |
Sir Bill Beaumont receives Freedom of Fylde
29/04/2024 Former England rugby captain Sir Bill Beaumont has been awarded the Freedom of Fylde – becoming just the second person to receive the honour from the Lancashire council. |
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. |
Two-thirds of councils to cut neighbourhood services
27/02/2024 Community services will have to be ‘drastically scaled back’ or cut altogether without further funding for councils, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Harry Kane statue in storage for years
22/02/2024 Waltham Forest Council is struggling to find a suitable location for a statue of local hero Harry Kane. |
City Hall to decide on Wimbledon expansion plans
23/01/2024 The Mayor of London’s office has called in a controversial planning application to expand Wimbledon’s tennis grounds. |
Combined authority approves £600,000 for athletics championship
15/01/2024 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has approved an extra £600,000 to go towards the cost of hosting the 2026 European Athletics Championships (EAC). |
Health chiefs back call for more gambling restrictions
21/12/2023 Local health chiefs have backed a call from MPs urging the Government to do more to minimise children’s exposure to gambling advertising. |
Sunderland to host Rugby World Cup opening match
12/12/2023 The Stadium of Light in Sunderland has been selected to host the opening match of the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup. |
The importance of targeted investment in communities
04/12/2023 Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England, discusses how targeted investment is helping people to get active, and how the strategy can be replicated locally. |
Councils respond to King’s Speech
08/11/2023 The Local Government Association (LGA) has responded to proposed legislation announced yesterday in the King’s Speech. |
Funding to target ‘manifestly unfair’ sport access
07/11/2023 Sport England has announced a funding overhaul to tackle regional disparities in access to physical activity. |
Council U-turns on decision to close 39 facilities
04/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has reversed its plan to close 39 community facilities after Scotland’s First Minister blasted the decision as ‘short sighted’. |
Council to shut 39 facilities
02/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has decided to close 39 community facilities in response to its financial shortfall. |
Yorkshire to host ‘internationally renowned’ triathlon
20/09/2023 The Long Course Weekend will take place in North Yorkshire next year, marking the first time the multi-sport event has been staged in England. |
Birmingham Commonwealth Games ‘challenge too far’
07/09/2023 The hosting of the Commonwealth Games by Birmingham City Council last year was a mistake, according to a formed advisor to the local authority. |
Sport’s strategy ‘misses chance’ to support local facilities
31/08/2023 New sports strategy ‘misses the chance’ to invest new money into the country’s ageing public leisure infrastructure, local authority leaders say. |
Councils urged to allow pubs to open early for World Cup final
18/08/2023 Michael Gove has written to council leaders across England urging them to ensure pubs can open early on Sunday for the Lionesses historic World Cup final. |
Sports clubs should pay £1m safety bill
11/08/2023 Charging regulations that force councils to pay £1m a year for sports clubs to have safety certification are outdated, says the Local Government Association. |
Youth centres to benefit from £70m investment
04/08/2023 An estimated 12,000 young people are set to benefit from the refurbishment of over 40 youth centres, the Government has announced. |
Council threatens Glasgow United after club fields rapist Goodwillie
24/07/2023 Glasgow CC has threatened to 'walk away' from agreement allowing Glasgow United to use council training facilities after David Goodwillie played for the team. |
Council helps Premier League stop £7m streaming fraud
31/05/2023 Five men who illegally streamed Premier League matches have been jailed following a trading-standards investigation led by Hammersmith and Fulham Council. |
West Midlands CA welcomes unspent Commonwealth Games funding
20/03/2023 Around £70m of unspent Commonwealth Games funding is to be used to develop the West Midlands economy and boost its trade and tourism sectors. |
Leicester council to install solar array the size of 18 tennis courts
16/03/2023 Leicester City Council is set to install a series of solar panels the size of 18 tennis courts at a council-run sport and leisure centre. |
Budget 2023: Over £60m swimming pool fund confirmed
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed a multi-million-pound package to support publicly-owned leisure centres with pools. |
Publicly-owned leisure centres with pools to receive £63m
14/03/2023 Local leisure centres with swimming pools are set to receive a multi-million-pound boost tomorrow to help them with rising energy bills and maintenance costs. |
Council grants Millwall FC planning permission for new grounds
01/03/2023 Millwall Football Club has been given full planning permission for a new training ground. |
Majority of councils considering leisure services cuts
09/01/2023 Council leaders call for strategy to save leisure centres as report warns of cuts to leisure services as post-Olympics sports boom fails to materialise. |
Leisure centres in 40% of council areas at risk of closure
04/11/2022 Leisure centres and pools across a large number of the UK’s council areas are in danger of being closed down due to the high cost of energy, research reveals. |
Government announces £5m to keep youths away from crime
04/11/2022 The Government has announced that £5m will be made available to help keep young people away from crime by encouraging them to take part in sports. |
Women’s Euro 2022 gives Sheffield £8m boost
18/10/2022 Sheffield’s hosting of UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 gave the city’s economy an £8.3m boost, new research reveals. |
£60m Commonwealth Games underspend reinvested
04/10/2022 The Government has announced it will invest around £60m of underspend from the Commonwealth Games in the West Midlands. |
Decarbonising leisure facilities
26/09/2022 Everyone Active looks at the impending challenges that leisure facilities face to reduce carbon emissions. |
Council chiefs blast Government over ‘sugar levy’
12/08/2022 Council leaders have urged the Government to stick to their pledge to reinvest money raised from the soft drinks industry into anti-obesity initiatives. |
Neath Port Talbot leisure services moving ‘in-house’
02/08/2022 Leisure services in Neath Port Talbot are set to be brought back in-house next year, local authority says. |
Grassroots sport should be more inclusive, auditors say
08/07/2022 Government needs to do more to reach key groups who are less likely to be active including women, the least affluent and Black and Asian people, auditors say. |
Health pilot to explore using sports centres to tackle arthritis launched
01/07/2022 A project has been launched to investigate how to transform leisure facilities into musculoskeletal (MSK) hubs which can be accessed in every community. |
Skate parks are not the only fruit
21/06/2022 On Go Skateboarding Day, Susannah Walker asks councils and their leisure and park departments to think differently about what facilities they provide for teenagers. |
Birmingham City Council bids to host athletics championship
21/06/2022 Birmingham City Council has officially submitted a joint bid with UK Athletics to host Europe’s most prestigious athletics competition. |
Council leaders urge GPs to prescribe leisure centre trips
16/05/2022 Council leaders are urging GPs to prescribe obese patients classes at local leisure centres after research found it could increase life expectancy four years. |
Nottingham CC agrees to hand over tennis centre
22/04/2022 Nottingham City Council has announced that it is ready to hand over the Nottingham Tennis Centre to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) from the end of April. |
New guidelines to help disabled children be more active
16/02/2022 The first ever guidelines on physical activity for disabled children and young people have been published today by the UK Chief Medical Officers. |
Bury council welcomes £1m bid to buy football ground
24/12/2021 Town hall leaders have welcomed the news that a bid to acquire Gigg Lane and bring back football to the stadium has won Government funding. |
Omission of gyms from Omicron relief criticised as ‘shameful’
23/12/2021 The industry association representing gyms and sports centres has criticised the Government for omitting their members from the latest COVID support measures. |
Lords call for national plan to tackle inactivity
13/12/2021 Local authorities should have a legal duty to provide and maintain sport and leisure facilities, according to a Lords Committee. |
West Midlands to receive £6.5m to boost sports
18/11/2021 The West Midlands are to receive a £6.5m injection of cash to help improve facilities and level up access to community sport as part of the legacy of next summer’s Commonwealth Games. |
Putting health and wellbeing at the heart of Ashfield
01/11/2021 While many councils are struggling with outdated and under-used leisure facilities, Laura Sharman finds out how Ashfield District Council is bucking this trend thanks to a new leisure management contract and transformation programme. |
Council chiefs call for £875m investment in leisure facilities
25/10/2021 Local authority leaders have called on the Chancellor to invest millions into public sports and leisure facilities as part of the effort to tackle health inequalities. |
Tennis courts in deprived areas to receive £30m investment
04/10/2021 The Government has announced a £30m package to refurbish thousands of public tennis courts in deprived parts of UK. |
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. |
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. |
Sports funding essential to enable repeat of Team GB’s success, council chiefs say
04/08/2021 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to make the most of Team GB’s success at the Tokyo Olympics by investing in grassroots and community sport facilities. |
MPs call for a new exercise campaign to get children more active
29/07/2021 The Government should encourage children to become more active by launching a sports equivalent to the '5 A Day' campaign by the end of this year, MPs have said today. |
Councils welcome return of Parkrun events
26/07/2021 Council leaders have said they are ‘delighted’ that Parkrun events were able to return this weekend in England following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions. |
PM announces £50m football pitch funding
16/07/2021 The PM has announced a £50m investment in football pitches to help support the wave of interest in the sport inspired by EURO 2020 and Women’s EURO 2022. |
We need to put fun back into urban design – and councils are key
25/06/2021 Martin Bransby explores how to create better spaces that are geared towards improving both physical and mental wellbeing. |
Everyone Active generated £342m in social value
24/05/2021 Award-winning leisure operator Everyone Active generated £342m in social value at its sites across the country in 2019/20. |
Multi-million funding boost to tackle inequalities in accessing sport
13/05/2021 An extra £20m will be invested by Sport England to tackle inequalities in accessing sport and physical activities. |
Initial lockdown caused 'unprecedented' drop in activity levels
30/04/2021 The pandemic had an ‘unprecedented impact’ on activity levels during the initial restrictions, according to new research. |
Local authorities allocated £100m leisure recovery fund
22/03/2021 The Government has allocated £100m funding to 266 local authorities across England to help leisure centres prepare to re-open safely. |
Majority of parents warn pandemic has made children less active
08/03/2021 More than two-thirds of parents have warned their children are less physically active than before the start of the pandemic in a new survey. |
Council gives go-ahead to Everton FC’s new stadium plans
24/02/2021 Liverpool City Council have approved Everton FC’s plans for a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock and a community-led legacy project at Goodison Park. |
Sport England unlocks additional £50m for grassroots sport
26/01/2021 Sport England has announced it will invest £50m to help grassroots sport and physical activity recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. |
Councils voice concerns over drop in number of children being active
15/01/2021 Less than half of children and young people are physically active for the recommended hour or more a day, a new survey has revealed. |
Councils urged to end outsourcing of leisure facilities
13/01/2021 A trade union has called on councils to take back control of leisure facilities after estimating leisure services giant Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) has cut 2,000 staff on zero hours contracts since the start of the pandemic. |
Closure of leisure centres to cost £7.25m in missed health savings
08/01/2021 The continued closure of sport and leisure facilities during the latest lockdown will cost £7.25m in missed health savings, new analysis has revealed. |
Calls for 'credible plan' to keep people active during lockdown
06/01/2021 The Government has been urged to create a 'credible plan' to help people stay active during the winter. |
Hundreds of local authority owned pools will stay closed
02/12/2020 Around 200 council-owned pools will remain closed following the second lockdown, new research has revealed. |
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Council chiefs call for culture funding to support people during lockdown
11/11/2020 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to invest more in culture, sport and leisure activities as a new report reveals councils spend over £2bn a year on these areas. |
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Leaders call for a ring-fenced Sports Recovery Fund
22/09/2020 The Government has been urged to ringfence funding for sports and physical activities to avoid creating health problems for a generation. |
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Hull City abandons ‘return of fans’ match due to Covid-19 warnings
18/09/2020 Hull City have pulled out of a pilot that could have seen the return of live audiences at sporting events after the council declared it would not be safe. |
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Welsh sport and leisure sector welcomes £14m recovery funding
17/09/2020 The Welsh government has announced a £14m funding package to support Wales’ sport and leisure sector during the Covid-19 lockdown. |
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A third of council-owned pools will stay closed this year
27/07/2020 Nearly a third of council-owned swimming pools could remain closed until next year, new research has revealed. |
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Pools, gyms and leisure centres set to re-open
10/07/2020 Councils leaders have welcomed the news that gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres will be allowed to re-open later this month. |
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How councils can protect leisure services
10/06/2020 Leisure services offer communities a lifeline, so we must protect them from the worst of Covid-19, says Penny Rinta-Suksi. |
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Sport England unveils £195m funding package
01/04/2020 Sport England will make £195 funding available to support sport and physical activity during the coronavirus crisis. |
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Air pollution stopping children reaching sporting potential, report warns
11/02/2020 More than a quarter of children’s sports grounds have dangerous levels of air pollution, a new report has found. |
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Councils call for £500m to upgrade outdated leisure centres
27/01/2020 A quarter of all council-run leisure centres have not been refurbished in more than 20 years, new figures have revealed. |
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Government announces £2.4m ‘boost’ to improve sports teaching
27/01/2020 Schools are set to receive a £1.6m funding boost that will help them provide more sports activities to pupils after school and during the holidays. |
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Council chiefs call for investment into leisure facilities
18/10/2019 Local authority leaders have voiced concerns over the ability of councils to continue to provide leisure centres, which contribute to public health, without more Government investment. |
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Khan announces £1.1m sports funding to tackle crime
01/08/2019 London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced £1.1m funding for sports groups as part of a drive to stop young people getting involved in crime and violence. |
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Council cancels World Cup public screenings after ‘outbreaks of disorder’
10/07/2018 Middlesbrough Council has cancelled the public screening of England’s World Cup semi-final after ‘outbreaks of disorder’ during the last match. |
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Cornwall to provide £3m for the construction of a new stadium
18/04/2018 Cornwall Council yesterday agreed to provide up to £3m of funding for the construction of a new sports stadium. |
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Getting physical
27/02/2018 Andy Howell explains how active healthier lifestyles are being driven by urban renewal in Slough. |
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Council chiefs urge Government to expand sports funding
31/01/2018 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to expand its sports funding in order to help tackle the child obesity problem. |
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Birmingham named next Commonwealth Games host city
21/12/2017 Birmingham has received an ‘early Christmas present’ by being selected as the host city of the next Commonwealth Games. |
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Mayor to review plans for new Bristol arena
10/11/2017 Plans for a new arena in Bristol have been put on hold while the city council carries out a review. |
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Leisure centres 'old and tired’ due to underfunding, council chiefs warn
30/10/2017 The Government will miss a chance to transform the nation’s health if it fails to inject new funding into leisure infrastructure, councils have warned. |
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‘Sugar tax’ helps double funding for sports in schools
25/10/2017 Funding to help primary schools improve the quality of their PE and sport provision has been doubled to £320m a year, the Government has announced. |
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Birmingham selected as UK candidate to host Commonwealth Games
08/09/2017 Birmingham has been selected as the preferred UK candidate city for a potential bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Government has revealed. |
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Salford set to approve stadium loan
16/08/2017 Salford City Council is poised to approve a £630,000 loan to the home stadium of its main rugby league and union clubs. |
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Liverpool crowned UK’s top sporting city
08/08/2017 Liverpool has been named as Britain’s top sporting city as it bids to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. |
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Children getting enough physical activity drops ‘dramatically’
18/07/2017 The number of children getting enough physical activity drops by 40%, health body warns. |
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.
