In a nutshell: What the election result means for local government
With the Conservative party securing its biggest majority since the 1980s, what does this mean for local government?
Bristol backpedals on diesel vehicle acquisition
03/12/2019 Bristol City Council has suspended its roll-out of a new vehicle fleet after purchasing dozens of diesel vehicles despite a planned city centre diesel ban. |
Glasgow considering default 20mph limit
27/11/2019 Councillors in Glasgow have recommended the adoption of 20mph speed limit for most roads in the city, but with limited, if any, traffic calming measures. |
Oakervee report 'backs full HS2 network'
12/11/2019 The Oakervee review into HS2, commissioned by the government, has recommended the full high speed rail network go ahead including the eastern leg, according to reports. |
Birmingham backs parking levy to cut pollution and congestion
18/10/2019 Birmingham City Council is to take forward work to develop a workplace parking levy (WPL) of £500 per space per year. |
Not so fast - HS2 could be cut at both ends
07/10/2019 Council leaders in West Yorkshire have warned of ‘grave consequences’ after it was reported that the leg of HS2 from the Midlands to Leeds could be axed. |
Health chiefs recommend new air pollution curbs
19/09/2019 Environment and public health chiefs have made a raft of recommendations to tackle air pollution in London, including new local measures to reduce car use. |
TfL to roll out 20mph limits in central London
09/09/2019 Transport for London (TfL) is set to take forward plans to lower speed limits on its roads across central London. |
Jenrick announces £9m Brexit cash for councils
22/08/2019 The Government has announced £9m to help local areas and major ports prepare for Brexit. |
Javid announces £600m housing infrastructure winners
19/08/2019 Five councils will share £600m of Government funding to support the delivery of up to 50,000 new homes in high demand areas. |
Think tank calls for fuel duty rise to tackle pollution
12/08/2019 A think tank has called for tough action to tackle air pollution, particularly from road transport, including higher fuel prices and a default 20mph urban speed limit. |
London boroughs eye £750 workplace parking charge
25/07/2019 Several London boroughs are considering introducing workplace parking levies (WPLs) of at least £750 a year to cut pollution and encourage active travel. |
MPs call for dedicated funding for active travel
23/07/2019 MPs have criticised the Government for inadequate and ‘piecemeal’ active travel investment and called for a dedicated funding stream for local walking and cycling. |
Calls for 'two clear actions' to cut road casualties
05/07/2019 A leading safety charity has called on ministers to set safety goals for the proposed major road network (MRN) of local authority roads and for over £500m to be spent across Great Britain to improve high risk routes. |
Burnham jumps aboard franchising bus
24/06/2019 Andy Burnham has become the first mayor in the country to recommend bus franchising, as part of a plan to create a ‘modern public transport system’. |
Bus users outline plan to reverse rural decline
13/06/2019 A group representing bus users across the UK has published a 10-point plan to reverse the decline in rural services. |
Mayors want Northern franchise scrapped
30/05/2019 Two North West metro mayors have called on transport secretary Chris Grayling to terminate the Northern rail franchise ‘as soon as possible’. |
North ‘being short-changed by HS2’
16/05/2019 A House of Lords committee has called on ministers to rethink HS2 after finding evidence that the costs of the high speed rail link ‘appear to be out of control’. |
Heathrow runway clears High Court hurdle
01/05/2019 The High Court has dismissed arguments against Heathrow expansion and found that the Government is free to ignore the Paris Agreement on climate action until it forms part of UK law. |
Khan hails 'landmark day' as London ULEZ begins
08/04/2019 London’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) – described by mayor Sadiq Khan as the world’s toughest vehicle emissions standard – began on Monday. |
Westminster inaction prompts pavement parking inquiry
08/04/2019 The Transport Select Committee has launched an inquiry into pavement parking. |
This issue of Local Government News explores what impact the increase to the Public Works Loan Board rate have on councils’ capital schemes and why adopting AI will not just improve customer service response times for councils.
This issue also finds out how local government pension funds are backing infrastructure projects and calls on local government to get better value from its technology spend.
