Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2017

From council pay to the Housing White Paper, here is a run-down of the 100 most popular stories on LocalGov during 2017:

1. Council employees offered ‘overdue’ pay rise

2. The six challenges facing local councils over next 20 years

3. Local government figures named in New Year’s Honours list

4. Council warns it may have to bring in mandatory unpaid leave

5. Right to Buy ‘devastating’ social housing stock, new figures reveal

6. Wheelie bins replaced by underground waste system

7. Digital experts name top UK council websites

8. Liverpool council chief arrested over alleged financial irregularities probe

9. Councils urged to control invasive weeds after court ruling

10. Hammersmith & Fulham blamed for collapse of tri-borough arrangement

11. Council at war with Lamborghini driver over parking spot

12. Council fined £150,000 for publishing personal data about family

13. Row over new £40m council headquarters

14. More than 2,000 senior council staff paid six-figure sums, finds research

15. Technology could make 250,000 admin roles redundant in public sector

16. Unions call for 5% pay increase for council staff

17. Local authorities turning to commercialisation to escape austerity

18. Javid launches social housing green paper

19. Councils accused of paying out ‘excessive’ mileage allowances

20. Council IT officer jailed after stealing £1m from authority

21. Council heads paid off with £300,000 after suspected misconduct

22. Council accused of ignoring Grenfell Tower fire safety concerns

23. Housing white paper criticised for ‘glaring omissions’

24. Weed killer ban could add £230m to council tax bills

25. The changing face of parish councils

26. Kent district councils consider merging to create super council

27. Key local government figure loses seat in snap election

28. BBC investment will increase coverage of council meetings

29. Local government figures honoured by the Queen

30. Revamped council websites fail usability test

31. Queen's speech fails to mention reforms to local government finance

32. Reclassifying council pension funds would put infrastructure spend ‘at risk’

33. 'Glitch' in car parking app causes serious data breach

34. Thousands of council staff consulted over pay

35. Public sector pay cap could be lifted next year

36. Stockport chief to head up Manchester's 'super' council

37. Councils hit out at lack of new money in final settlement

38. Public sector workers earn more than their private sector peers, analysis reveals

39. Tories unveil plans to fund social care

40. New lollipop sign invention has ‘potential to save lives’

41. New ‘wellbeing indicators’ to help councils understand their residents published

42. Javid claims local government is facing ‘looming crisis in confidence’

43. Council staff told to take mandatory unpaid leave

44. Local government accountability inquiry ‘long overdue’, MPs say

45. Councils to be banned from adding credit card fees

47. Birmingham chief executive announces resignation

48. Academics warn LED street lighting could affect wildlife

49. Social housing is becoming ‘increasingly commercialised’, says study

50. Back pay ruling could lead to social care crisis, warns charity

51. The sleep-in care crisis

52. Architects warn hundreds of public buildings could be unsafe

53. What do the General Election manifestos mean for local government?

54. Council leaders ‘outraged’ by new Lower Thames Crossing

55. Rugby council official and wife found dead

56. MPs urged to examine local government pension scheme

57. Five 'key symptoms' of financial stress councils should watch out for

58. Javid announces support for local government overhaul in Dorset

59. Whitehall gives councils powers to fix Britain’s ‘broken’ housing market

60. Surrey to quit LGA and CCN

61. Industrial Strategy snubs councils

62. Council introduces £150 diesel levy

63. Local government pension deficit falls to £35bn

64. Government announces £54m to help councils unlock surplus land

65. Council apologises for £300 sandwich wrapper fine

66. Surrey's cabinet approves 15% council tax hike

67. Budget 2017: What should councils look out for?

68. Brexit: Local government facing ‘policy vacuum’

69. A quarter of councils yet to appoint a data protection officer

70. Councils paying staff £15m for trade union time

71. FOI: 1,172 council staff suspended on full pay

72. Councils urged to 'stop lying' about financial problems

73. Hammersmith & Fulham blamed for collapse of tri-borough arrangement

74. Lack of commercial skills in local government ‘barrier’ to outsourcing

75. Councils set to build 15,000 homes per year with local housing companies

76. Five councils sign 'ground breaking' outsourcing contracts

77. Surrey denies ‘sweetheart’ deal with Gov over council tax referendum

78. London borough builds first council houses in 30 years

79. Dramatic increase in tactical voting reveals flaws in ‘lottery’ electoral system

80. Japanese knotweed: debunking the myths

81. Local authority announces proposed council tax cuts

82. Councils could raise enough money to reverse social care cuts

83. Man charged for compiling ‘hit-list’ of Durham councillors

84. Harrogate tops index for best council website

85. TUC: public sector workers will lose thousands in real pay by 2020

86. Councils ordered to list buildings with cladding similar to Grenfell Tower

87. Bus retrofitting 'much better value than diesel scrappage'

88. K&C chief steps down under pressure from Whitehall

89. Court delivers landmark ruling strengthening hand of local planners

91. Police to guard all polling stations in Tower Hamlets to tackle voter intimidation

92. Councils save over £600m by sharing services

93. Councils hit out at 'ill-advised' calls to scrap licensing committees

95. Public sector workers work £11bn of unpaid overtime a year, union says

96. Council pension deficit falls by £9.2bn since 2013

97. Councils awarded £50,000 for digital approach to social care

98. Councils warned about danger of overgrown verges

99. Front line staff ‘left behind’ on digital journey, report finds

100. 44 UK cities in breach of international air quality guidelines