The rise of the ‘super’ parish council
With figures showing parish precepts have risen by 4.9% this year, Neil Merrick explores how parish councils are using the extra revenue to deliver increased and better services.
£15m project launched to support vulnerable families
22/05/2019 A scheme has been launched to try and keep children with their families instead of being sent into care. |
Councils support nearly 400,000 ‘troubled’ families
29/03/2019 The Government's programme to help families with serious challenges is making good progress, according to communities secretary James Brokenshire. |
Councils call for Troubled Families funding after success of scheme
20/03/2019 Council leaders have called for continued funding for the Troubled Families programme after an evaluation found the scheme has helped hundreds of thousands of families. |
MHCLG to make 'compelling case' for more funding
13/02/2019 Local government minister Rishi Sunak has vowed that his department will ‘make a compelling case’ for more funding ahead of this year’s Spending Review. |
Five London councils commission programme to keep troubled youngsters out of care
16/01/2018 Five London boroughs have jointly commissioned a new programme to help vulnerable young people stay out of care. |
First annual report into Troubled Families scheme is published
05/04/2017 Unemployment and parental conflict are key causes of problems for disadvantaged families, work and pensions secretary Damien Green has said. |
Keeping kids out of care
04/01/2017 Safe Families for Children is hoping to reduce the number of children going into care by 10% through early intervention. William Eichler finds out how. |
No ‘evidence’ Troubled Families programme works, MPs say
20/12/2016 The Government has ‘overstated’ the effectiveness of the program designed to deal with disadvantaged families and has been ‘evasive’ in its dealings with MPs, committee report says. |
Troubled Families programme had no 'significant impact'
18/10/2016 There is little evidence that the government’s flagship Troubled Families programme had any ‘significant or systematic impact’, new analysis has revealed. |
Troubled Families scheme had no 'discernible impact' claims 'suppressed' report
09/08/2016 A leaked report has claimed the government’s flagship Troubled Families programme has had ‘no discernible impact’ on employment rates, offending or benefit take-up. |
Social services staff criticised for ‘cover up’ by judge
24/11/2015 Social services staff at Hampshire County Council have been criticised by a judge for attempting to ‘cover-up’ failings in a family custody case. |
Government urged to expand Troubled Families initiative
21/09/2015 Expanding the Troubled Families scheme to target a quarter of a million people most in need would help to reform local services and offer more effective support, according to a leading think tank. |
Cameron to promise more devolution
11/09/2015 David Cameron will promise more devolution in a speech today outlining the Government’s approach to the autumn Spending Review. |
Innovation in inertia – the cultural barrier
31/07/2015 Why councils need to overcome cultural barriers and the skills gaps to achieve transformational change. |
Early intervention fund for councils could save £17bn, claim charities
05/05/2015 Early intervention into the lives of troubled young people could save the Government almost £17bn every year, a coalition of over 50 charities has claimed. |
Charity calls for more effective way of treating those with complex needs
17/04/2015 A national programme to deliver public services to people with multiple and complex needs should be developed, according to a new manifesto from charity Revolving Doors Agency. |
Pickles backs service transformation plans
16/03/2015 Ministers have backed plans to roll-out the troubled families-style reforms into other local services. |
Pickles brands troubled families efforts a ‘triumph’
11/03/2015 Over 90% of England’s 117,910 most problematic families have now been turned around by the Government’s troubled families programme. |
Government doubles troubled families specialists
19/01/2015 The number of specialists helping council’s troubled families teams are set to double this year, under £10m extra investment. |
Success for 99% of troubled families, says Pickles
22/12/2014 Almost all the households targeted in the government's Troubled Families programme have been helped so far, communities secretary Eric Pickles has announced. |
Pickles is Scrooged
17/12/2014 Communities secretary Eric Pickles would choose to play Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens’ legendary short story ‘A Christmas Carol’ in pantomime, it has emerged. |
Panel calls for £5bn transformation fund
27/11/2014 The best performing councils should be allowed to strike a ‘deal’ with government for greater flexibility, according to a panel tasked with looking at the future of public services. |
Troubled families scheme proves key role for councils shows report
19/11/2014 More than 11,500 troubled families in London have had their lives turned around with the help of local authorities. |
Pickles praises Troubled Families success
29/10/2014 The government’s Troubled families programme has helped to turn around the lives of 69,000 families, according to new figures published today. |
Pickles blames early morning for figures confusion
19/08/2014 Eric Pickles has confessed he struggled to find figures on the costs of the ‘troubled families’ programme because of his early start. |
Troubled Families scheme expanded to include vulnerable youngsters
19/08/2014 The Troubled Families programme has been extended to help vulnerable children under the age of five. |
PM announces ‘family test’ for all domestic policy
18/08/2014 Future Government policy will be examined for its impact on families, as councils are put in line for more funding to support local communities. |
Report shows Troubled Families have multiple serious problems
23/07/2014 ‘Troubled families’ have an average of nine different serious problems, according to a new report into the government’s programme. |
Pickles welcomes new results on troubled families
10/07/2014 Communities secretary Eric Pickles has applauded council efforts to support almost 53,000 of England’s most troubled families over the past two years. |
Pickles praises troubled families success
01/07/2014 Communities secretary Eric Pickles has insisted the Government's troubled families programme is 'performing strongly'. |
Top judge in contraception call for prolific parents
11/06/2014 Parents who have scores of children taken away by social services should be encouraged to use contraception, the president of the High Court’s family division has said. |
Government insists troubled families plan is on track
01/05/2014 Only a third of England’s most troubled families have been ‘turned around’ following two years of Government graft, figures reveal. |
Troubled families targets could be missed, MPs warn
04/04/2014 Government departments could miss targets for ‘turning around’ 120,000 troubled families by 2015 unless efforts are accelerated, a panel of MPs has said. |
Pickles announces £410m funding to redesign services
03/04/2014 Councils will receive a share of £410m funding to transform the way they deliver local services. |
Cockell: troubled families progress a triumph for councils
25/11/2013 Council chiefs have hailed news that the Coalition’s flagship troubled families initiative to turn the lives of 120,000 families around by 2015 has reached half way ‘vindicates government’s decision to put councils at the heart of the programme'. |
LGA conference: Troubled families tsar praises council efforts
02/07/2013 The £200m funding boost to the Government's troubled families scheme has been made possible by local authorities delivering on their promises, according to Louise Casey, head of the troubled families unit. |
The March issue of Local Government News explores alternative funding channels that are available to councils beyond the Public Works Loan Board, what hurdles merging councils face in coming together, and how local government is handling GDPR.
This issue also has a special highways and street lighting section exploring how councils can use lighting to embark on their smart city journey and using IoT technology to weather the storm.
