3/20/2026

The Government has strengthened its Tower Hamlets intervention after accusations the council is more interested in protecting its image than reforming.

3/19/2026

The Government is proposing to establish ‘local scrutiny committees' to oversee strategic authorities.

3/3/2026

MPs have warned that local government reorganisation could further undermine efforts to fix deep-rooted weaknesses in the UK’s public finances.

1/22/2026

Andrew Cook, ADEPT, responds to the Department for Transport’s publication of its new Red, Amber, Green (RAG) ratings on council road maintenance performance.

11/6/2025

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has backed a call for establishing an independent watchdog with legal powers to investigate institutional scandals.

8/29/2025

The Reform UK leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has banned a local newspaper from contacting him or his councillors following a row over reporting.

8/22/2025

Councillors and members of the public are not being presented with accurate or easy to understand information about local authority budgets, report has found.

5/16/2025

Support for establishing local versions of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) across England is softening as the Government ponders whether to push the idea.

4/26/2024

MPs have recommended that the National Audit Office (NAO) should investigate the finances of the controversial Teesworks regeneration project.

4/10/2024

Salford CC's opposition leader has called for transparency over a settlement agreement The MJ understands was paid to its departing monitoring officer.

11/24/2023

The Government must take urgent action to remedy the ongoing problems with local audit and improve accountability at the local level, MPs say.

9/7/2023

Auditors have found ‘significant deficiencies’ in the financial management and record keeping of Ammanford Town Council and Llanferres Community Council.

4/17/2023

Councillors in Scarborough have urged the new North Yorkshire Council to live stream all its meetings online to improve transparency and cut down on travel.

3/7/2023

Stakeholders in the local audit system must continue efforts to secure timely publication of audited accounts which are delayed for many reasons, says report.

11/18/2022

The UK has managed to double the number of cities that have been named as leaders in environmental action and transparency in 2022.

6/8/2022

Levelling up should be delivered with ‘measurable targets’, council leaders say as MPs raise questions over the funding of the Government’s flagship agenda.

5/19/2022

Councils administering Disabled Facilities Grants need to ensure their processes are transparent and accountable, Ombudsman says.

11/30/2021

The Government today launched one of the world’s first national standard for algorithmic transparency which will impact councils using computer algorithms.

3/29/2021

With the vaccine rollout and light at the end of the COVID tunnel, can local authorities revert their data strategies to pre-pandemic days?

9/3/2020

The leader of a scandal-hit council compared to North Korea has been deposed after a vote of no confidence at a fiery meeting.

1/29/2020

Auditors in Scotland have called for ‘more clarity’ when it comes to financing public infrastructure projects.

9/18/2019

The Government has called on council workers to give their views to a review on the quality of the financial reporting of local authorities in England.

9/4/2019

One of the biggest local government pension funds has called on housebuilding companies to improve the way they report environmental, social and governance issues.

8/27/2019

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership will hold a review into HS2 to ensure the North is ‘properly heard’ in the Government-commissioned review of the scheme.

7/17/2019

Local authority leaders have hit back at a Government suggestion that academies are more transparent and accountable than council schools.

5/30/2019

The Government has launched a consultation on proposals it says will bring about the ‘biggest changes’ to Companies House in nearly two centuries.

3/15/2019

One in five councils do not have proper arrangements in place to secure value for money for taxpayers, a new report has warned today.

4/24/2018

Thousands of communities will be able to access more information about local politics thanks to a £5m cash injection designed to ‘digitally enable’ councils.

12/8/2017

The Scottish Government must be more transparent in the way it reports on its non-domestic (business) rates, the official financial watchdog has warned.

5/10/2017

The Liberal Democrats have announced plans to introduce mandatory reporting on the ethnicity pay gap for organisations with 250 employees or more if elected.

3/22/2017

A new public database is committed to ending modern slavery by making supply chains more transparent. William Eichler finds out more.

9/27/2016

The taxpayer is being prevented from fully scrutinising the way public funds are spent, anti-corruption group warns.

7/12/2016

Government plans to make councils publish more data will put further financial pressures on councils for ‘no apparent purpose’, London Councils has warned.

5/4/2016

Local government needs to be more transparent when it comes to assessing waste service performance, a new report says.

5/4/2016

The increased used of outsourcing and devolution to local areas is undermining Parliament's ability to hold the Government to account, the public spending watchdog is warning today.

3/23/2016

The National Audit Office (NAO) has issued a warning over the transparency of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs).

2/25/2016

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) should not be used to fill in the gaps left by local councils in London, according to a new report published today.

11/13/2015

Camden Council has made a push towards becoming more transparent by committing to a new Open Data Charter.

10/30/2013

Learn how to complain about your local council with our step-by-step guide. Discover how to escalate issues, contact the Ombudsman, and seek resolution effectively.