Greg Clark to return as local government secretary
06/07/2022 Former local government secretary Greg Clark has been appointed to replace sacked levelling up secretary Michael Gove. |
Talks held over council's debt concern
05/07/2022 Woking BC has held ‘positive and constructive’ talks with the Government amid ministerial concerns about the sustainability of the authority’s debts. |
Commissioners to oversee strategic decisions at Nottingham
23/06/2022 Commissioners are to oversee strategic decisions at Nottingham City Council amid fears of ‘further serious issues’ on the scale that led to a section 114. |
Rising wage bill could lead to service cuts
21/06/2022 Government pledges on the National Living Wage (NLW) could cost councils at least £400m over the next two years and force further service cuts, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Counties in inflation funding call
14/06/2022 County councils have called for extra Government funding to cope with huge increases caused by inflation. |
Queen's Speech: Plans unveiled to 'drive growth'
10/05/2022 The Government has unveiled a Queen’s Speech to boost the economy in a bid to fight the cost of living crisis. |
EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall risk warning over election reforms
29/04/2022 Whitehall officials have privately admitted councils could be overwhelmed by one of the largest sets of electoral reforms ever seen by local authorities, The MJ understands. |
Advisers call for minimum pay to ease care workforce crisis
27/04/2022 The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has said the Government should foot the bill for a minimum rate of £10.50 per hour for care workers in England. |
Nottingham expected to bring housing back under direct control after probes
27/04/2022 Nottingham City Council is expected to bring its housing back under direct control after two independent probes found ‘underlying issues around governance and finance’. |
UK comes under pressure to adopt rights charter
26/04/2022 Local leaders will continue to be ‘heavily constrained’ until the UK follows through on its promise to guarantee the rights of local government in law, a sector expert has warned. |
All regions told to take asylum seekers
14/04/2022 All regions of England, Scotland and Wales will be expected to take a share of asylum seekers under a new system of ‘full dispersal,’ the Government has told councils. |
Grenfell council admits leadership was 'unable to cope'
12/04/2022 Kensington & Chelsea LBC has admitted to the Grenfell Tower inquiry its ‘leadership was unable to cope’ in the days after the tragedy. |
Levelling up plans will fail, IfG report claims
31/03/2022 The Government’s plans for levelling up will not cut regional inequality, a report from the influential Institute for Government (IfG) has claimed. |
Data issues hampering councils' refugee response
30/03/2022 Councils are struggling to prepare for the arrival of refugees due to a lack of quality data, MPs have been told. |
Gove urges pension funds to add to Russian pressure
14/03/2022 Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has urged local government pension scheme (LGPS) committee chairs to consider what more they can do to exert pressure on Russia. |
Slough given conditions for £300m bailout
08/03/2022 Slough Council will only be considered for a £307m Government bailout to cover its deficits if it proves it can turn itself around financially, the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has warned. |
Councillors complain of lack of powers
07/03/2022 More than two out of three (68%) councillors in England feel they lack sufficient powers to represent the needs of their communities, a survey today by the Electoral Reform Society campaign group has found. |
DLUHC 'almost wilfully blind' to state of local government finances warn MPs
31/01/2022 A ‘chronic’ lack of funding for council services amid soaring demand means many communities face a ‘long slog’ out of the COVID-19 pandemic, MPs warned today. |
Sheffield chief apologises for Whitehall leaving do
14/01/2022 The chief executive officer of Sheffield City Council has apologised for having her Whitehall leaving do while coronavirus restrictions were in place. |
Shortcomings revealed in second child murder case
14/12/2021 A second court case in a month has revealed serious shortcomings in how local agencies responded to allegations of abuse shortly before a child’s murder. |
Leaked White Paper reveals reorganisation master plan
09/12/2021 A leaked version of the Levelling Up White Paper has revealed plans to scrap two-tier local government in England. |
Powers warning ahead of new deals
07/12/2021 A new report today warns areas reluctant to accept directly-elected leaders in the next wave of devolution deals may be offered ‘fewer powers and flexibilities’. |
LGA warning over soaring care costs
23/11/2021 Soaring adult and children’s care costs mean councils could ‘soon fail to support everyone they need to,’ town halls have warned. |
Transfer scheme for asylum children made mandatory
23/11/2021 Councils will have to take in asylum-seeking children as the national transfer scheme is made mandatory. |
Gove warned of climate change floods risk
22/11/2021 Local government secretary Michael Gove was today urged to align UK housing policy with climate change. |
No deal from last-ditch pay talks
16/11/2021 Last-ditch talks between local government employers and trade unions over this year’s 1.75% pay offer have broken up without agreement, The MJ understands. |
Delayed SEND review to reduce 'local variation'
11/11/2021 Proposals coming out of the Government’s review of special educational needs and disability (SEND) will look to reduce ‘local variation,’ children and families minister Will Quince has suggested. |
IFS reveals scope of Universal Credit
08/11/2021 Budget changes to Universal Credit mean families with well above-average earnings and even paying 40% rates of tax could be entitled to the benefit, according to an Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report. |
Commissioners to monitor Slough improvement plan
26/10/2021 Mismanagement and a dysfunctional culture contributed to Slough Council’s financial meltdown, two Government-ordered reviews have concluded. |
Pension funds urged to help achieve green economy switch
19/10/2021 Parliamentarians have urged local government pension funds to play an active role in achieving a ‘just transition’ to a green economy. |
Sunak urged to tackle backlogs in public services or face greater costs
19/10/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak must swiftly invest in public services hit hardest by the pandemic or face much greater costs down the line, a report has warned. |
Think-tank makes call for wellbeing budgets
18/10/2021 The Government should introduce ‘wellbeing budgets’ that look beyond gross domestic product (GDP) to reduce regional health inequalities, a think-tank has urged. |
Counties in council tax warning
07/10/2021 County leaders have warned council tax bills would have to rise by almost a quarter over three years to get close to eliminating their deficit. |
Slough approves asset fire sale
21/09/2021 Crisis-hit Slough Council has approved plans to flog around £600m worth of assets as it battles to get its finances under control. |
Levelling up too focused on infrastructure, claims report
14/09/2021 Ministers’ ‘levelling up’ agenda is too focused on new infrastructure projects at the expense of improving key public services, councils representing English towns and cities have warned. |
Districts call for government intervention over supported housing
03/09/2021 Three out of five district councils fear they do not have enough good quality supported housing for the next five years, a new survey has found. |
Government set to hike NI to pay for care and health
03/09/2021 Government is set to plough ahead with plans to raise national insurance to fund health and social, with an announcement expected next week. |
Khan pledges Afghan resettlement help
26/08/2021 The Mayor of London has pledged funding to help councils resettle Afghan refugees. |
£3bn gap looms for councils
24/08/2021 Councils in England, Wales and Scotland are grappling with huge budget deficits totalling more than £3bn for the next financial year, according to research published by trade union Unison today. |
Report attacks councils’ ‘shameful’ undermining of Right to Build laws
23/08/2021 Some authorities have been ‘subverting’ legislation designed to encourage self-built homes, an independent report has found. |
County areas chase devo dream
17/08/2021 County areas are lining up to strike one of the first tranche of devolution deals. |
Brighton & Hove raises concerns over support for asylum-seeking children
30/07/2021 The council said they had less than 24 hours’ notice before the Home Office placed a number of children in a hotel in the city. |
Government threatens borrowing cap return
29/07/2021 The Government has threatened to apply statutory borrowing caps on councils that continue to expose themselves to excessive risk. |
Johnson: Bring your devolution plans to me
15/07/2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for local leaders to take their devolution plans to him in a keynote speech from the West Midlands this morning. |
Reed accuses government of dropping devolution
07/07/2021 Shadow communities secretary Steve Reed has accused the Government of dropping its commitment to devolution. |
BREAKING: Slough becomes second council to issue Section 114 in a year
01/07/2021 Slough Council has become the second local authority in less than a year to issue a dreaded Section 114 notice. |
Special needs deficits to grow to £1.3bn in two years
30/06/2021 A ‘spiralling deficit’ in special educational needs services (SEN) is expected to grow to an ‘unmanageable’ £1.3bn in just two years’ time, county councils have warned. |
Councils can issue traffic fines from December
15/06/2021 Powers to enforce moving traffic offences will not be extended to local authorities in England outside London until the end of the year, a Department for Transport (DfT) minister has said. |
Patel reveals rota replacement scheme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children
10/06/2021 A new rota scheme will better distribute responsibility for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) among councils, home secretary Priti Patel has revealed. |
Controversial Somerset poll backs district plan
07/06/2021 A controversial poll on reorganisation in Somerset has come out in favour of a district-based proposal. |
MHCLG is 'too optimistic' about councils' cash, says watchdog
04/06/2021 The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is overly optimistic about councils’ financial resilience after the pandemic, MPs have warned. |
Wolverhampton's i9 selected to house MHCLG's Midlands base
28/05/2021 Two floors of Wolverhampton’s new i9 office building will be home to the first ministerial department outside of London, it has been announced. |
Levelling up is 'meaningless' without devo, say Lords
20/05/2021 The Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda is meaningless without more devolution to councils and investment in local public services says a report from the House of Lords. |
COVID crisis exposed council underfunding, says watchdog
19/05/2021 The COVID crisis exposed existing weaknesses in public services, including the underfunding of local government and the neglect of social care, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. |
More than 100 leisure centres could go bust, DCN warns
13/05/2021 More than 100 leisure centres in England could go bust due to the coronavirus crisis, district councils have warned. |
Queen's Speech: Controversial voter ID plans roll forward
11/05/2021 Voter ID is expected to be introduced by May 2023 after the Government pledged to introduce legislation to ‘ensure the integrity of elections’. |
Devolution White Paper to be replaced by levelling up proposals
04/05/2021 A levelling up White Paper will replace the long-awaited policy document on devolution and local recovery. |
Homelessness charity calls for Home Office rules to be scrapped
21/04/2021 Home Office rules ‘undermine’ efforts to end rough sleeping and should be ‘scrapped immediately,’ a charity has said. |
No simple north-south divide, says report
19/04/2021 There is no simple north-south divide, a new report by Legal and General (L&G) has argued. |
Vaccine may be made compulsory for care home staff
14/04/2021 Staff in English care homes with older adults may be required to have a COVID-19 vaccine in a bid to tackle hesitancy within the sector. |
Levelling up fund faces legal challenge
06/04/2021 The Government could face legal action over its ‘troublingly opaque’ allocation of the Levelling Up Fund. |
Council tax revaluation would help level up, says IFS
31/03/2021 A new council tax revaluation would boost the Government’s levelling up agenda, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said. |
Landmark judgement brings rough sleeping clarity
11/03/2021 Councils have the legal powers to help people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) who are sleeping rough during the pandemic after a landmark judgement. |
Tear down devolution 'barriers,' APPG urges
09/03/2021 Powers should be devolved to councils before reorganisation takes place, a new report has concluded. |
Councils left seriously underfunded, NAO finds
08/03/2021 Coronavirus has left local authorities seriously underfunded and facing budget cuts unless the Government can create a long-term financial plan for the sector, a study from the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned. |
Three Rivers tops recycling league
04/03/2021 Three Rivers DC in Hertfordshire has climbed to become the highest performing authority in England for household waste recycling, according to official government figures. |
Budget 2021: Sunak vows to do 'whatever it takes' to help businesses
03/03/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has vowed to ‘do whatever it takes’ to support businesses as the country looks to a post-coronavirus future. |
Budget 2021: Sunak warns of pain to come
03/03/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a budget to protect ‘livelihood and jobs’ – with a warning of public finance pain to come. |
Unison call for election safety measures
01/03/2021 The Government needs to implement strict measures in May’s local elections to keep staff safe, trade union Unison urged today. |
Employers branded a 'disgrace' over council pay delay
26/02/2021 Council employers have been branded a ‘disgrace’ after they said they would not respond to a union pay claim until after the May 6 elections. |
MHCLG to make move from Whitehall to Wolverhampton
22/02/2021 The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is setting up a second headquarters in the Black Country as part of plans to shift civil servants away from the capital. |
Government confirms May election date
05/02/2021 The Government has officially confirmed local elections will go ahead on May 6. |
More councils will be forced to issue Section 114 notices, MPs warn
22/01/2021 More councils will ‘soon be unable to balance their books and be forced to issue Section 114 notices,’ the influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned. |
Councils asked to 'redouble efforts' on rough sleeping
08/01/2021 English councils have been asked to ‘redouble their efforts’ to help accommodate people sleeping rough, with the Government finding an additional £10m funding. |
Major incidents over COVID declared
04/01/2021 Essex, Oxfordshire and Berkshire have declared major incidents amid fears the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases could overwhelm health services. |
London enters tier three restrictions
14/12/2020 The Government’s timetable for COVID-19 tier reviews has been pre-empted with the imposition of extra restrictions on London, Essex and Hertfordshire. |
Boost to local test and trace funding
11/12/2020 The increase of up to £200m per month follows criticism from the National Audit Office. |
Flood funding for councils may not be enough, watchdog finds
27/11/2020 The Government is unable to prove councils have enough funding for flood defences, a spending watchdog has discovered. |
Spending Review: UKSPF to reach £1.5bn a year
25/11/2020 The value of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will reach around £1.5bn a year on average, chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced. |
Spending Review: £2.9bn 'restart programme to help unemployed'
25/11/2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a three-year £2.9bn ‘restart programme’ to help more than one million people unemployed for more than a year find work. |
Leisure centre collapse warning
20/11/2020 Under-pressure leisure centres will go under without further rescue funding on top of the £100m already pledged by the Government, district councils have warned. |
Councils bid for vaccine role
16/11/2020 Councils have made a bid to play a key role in distributing the new coronavirus vaccine. |
Think tank calls for new health and social care tax
11/11/2020 A new health and social care tax raising £17bn should be the centrepiece of sweeping tax increases to raise £40bn a year, according to a new report from think-tank the Resolution Foundation. |
Councils call for clear lockdown exit strategy
04/11/2020 The Government has been urged to work with councils to develop a clear lockdown exit strategy by the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Crisis call for return of Everyone In
04/11/2020 The chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis has called for ring-fenced funding for councils to provide COVID-safe accommodation for anyone at risk of rough sleeping. |
Think-tank issues warning on Brexit readiness
03/11/2020 Local authorities and the devolved nations risk being overwhelmed by Brexit as they are trying to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, a think tank has claimed. |
Rapid review into Croydon’s ‘dysfunctional governance’
29/10/2020 The Government is conducting a rapid review into Croydon Council, focusing on its government, culture and risk management. |
Coronavirus leads to scrapping of three-year Spending Review
21/10/2020 Plans to create a three-year settlement for public spending have been abandoned as latest figures show the havoc coronavirus is wreaking on the public finances. |
Public sector exit cap signed into law
15/10/2020 The £95,000 cap on public sector exit payments was signed into law last night and will come into force on November 4. |
Three areas invited to submit unitary proposals
09/10/2020 The Government has today invited councils in three areas to submit proposals for the creation of unitary local authorities by April 2023. |
Fragmented council funding risks to value for money, report warns
05/10/2020 The increasing fragmentation in council funding ‘undermines central government’s understanding of service delivery’ and ‘risks impeding value for money,’ a report has warned. |
Planning proposals will 'disempower' councils
28/09/2020 The Lib Dems have used their autumn conference to warn that the Government’s planning proposals will ‘disempower’ councils. |
Hundreds of homeless lives saved by emergency accommodation, researchers find
25/09/2020 More funding and emergency legal changes are ‘critical’ so local authorities can continue to support people in safe and secure accommodation, the chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis has said. |
Sector surprise at COVID marshal scheme
09/09/2020 Local government has been blindsided by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that an army of COVID marshals will enforce tough new rules. |
LEPs need capacity boost to improve delivery, research finds
07/09/2020 Local enterprise partnerships (LEP) would be better at delivering large-scale capital projects if they had more capacity, independent research for the Government has found. |
Councils facing £2bn budget black hole
18/08/2020 Councils face a budget black hole of £2bn this year due to unfunded coronavirus costs, a new study has found. |
Councils urge extension for grants support scheme
03/08/2020 Fresh calls have been made for councils to be allowed to dole out to businesses the £1.6bn unspent from the Government’s small firms grant funds. |
Government handling of social care during pandemic attacked
29/07/2020 MPs have delivered a blistering attack on the Government’s handling of social care during coronavirus. |
MPs slate ministers over local government funding
23/07/2020 MPs have slated ministers for failing to give local government sufficient funding and urged them to ensure a 'clear and timely financial settlement’ in readiness for the next phase of the pandemic. |
Government launches Spending Review
21/07/2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned of ‘tough choices’ as he launched the Comprehensive Spending Review. |
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.