Breaking down England's fiscal devolution plans
David Phillips of the IFS tells LocalGov why England's regional finance reforms are modest by global comparison and what ministers still need to get right.
Dudley Council looking to reduce SEND ‘cost pressures’ amid £15.4m overspend
13/08/2026 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council is looking to cut the cost of supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) after recording a £15.4m overspend. |
West of England mayor allocates £500k to help buildings stay cool
13/08/2026 West of England mayor Helen Godwin is offering grants worth up to £15k to help care homes and community groups improve their energy efficiency and help people stay cool amid heatwaves. |
Action needed to avert reorganisation’s threat to councils’ links with charities, report warns
13/08/2026 Action is needed by councils undergoing local government reorganisation (LGR) to ensure the changes do not hinder partnerships with their local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. |
North Devon Council to stage ‘special meeting’ amid maternity unit closure concerns
13/08/2026 North Devon Council is to stage a ‘special meeting’ next week amid concerns around the temporary closure ‘with little notice’ of the area’s maternity unit. |
Half of LGA meetings shrouded in secrecy
11/08/2026 The Local Government Association (LGA) has insisted it is looking to ‘maximise transparency’ despite not making agendas publicly available for almost half of its meetings. |
EXCLUSIVE: LGA redundancies down to just six
06/08/2026 The Local Government Association (LGA) is now proposing axing just six full time equivalent (FTE) posts, it has emerged. |
Mayors warned over partnership working
03/08/2026 Mayoral strategic authorities need to improve their partnership working with investors to ensure they are brought into opportunities earlier, report warns. |
Directors warning over proposed powers for child protection authority
16/07/2026 Stronger powers expected for the Government's child protection authority (CPA) need to be ‘proportionate' and focus on improving outcomes, ADCS says. |
Initiative to tackle profiteering in child placements expanded
13/07/2026 Over 100 councils will take part in the Government's expanded regional children's care initiative, which ministers hope will help tackle profiteering. |
Former councillor rages at lack of accountability for Brum failures
16/06/2026 Officers and commissioners at Birmingham CC should be held to account for their ‘failures' at the under-intervention local authority, says former councillor. |
Farage announces social housing foreigner ban
16/06/2026 Foreign nationals would be banned from social housing under a Reform UK government, party leader Nigel Farage has said. |
Councils question financial sustainability and timescales of SEND reforms
05/06/2026 Councils have raised a raft of concerns around the Government’s plans to overhaul the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. |
Council fines firms over £200k after removing 2,500 dumped e-bikes from its streets
04/06/2026 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has collected more than £210,000 in fines from rental firms after removing over 2,500 dumped e-bikes from its streets. |
Green Party names leader of newly formed LGA group
04/06/2026 The Green Party has named Emily O’Brien as leader of its newly formed Local Government Association group. |
Reform UK council wants ‘to axe climate emergency’
03/06/2026 Reform UK-led Suffolk County Council has announced plans to scrap the local authority’s climate emergency declaration and overhaul its environmental spending. |
Council to buy 26 homes to protect tenants at risk of eviction
03/06/2026 Fife Council is working with the Scottish Government to fund the purchase of 26 homes where tenants in its area are at risk of losing their homes. |
Regeneration body to launch in Greater Cambridge to ‘unlock stalled and derelict land’
03/06/2026 The Government has created a development corporation for Greater Cambridge to boost regeneration, housebuilding, infrastructure and economic growth in the area. |
Council to move ad screen after cycle lane forces cyclists to swerve
02/06/2026 The London Borough of Harrow has pledged to take action after it constructed a cycle lane in a section of road where there was already a digital advertising screen in place. |
Children’s services directors oppose under-16s social media ban
02/06/2026 The Association of Directors of Children’s Services has said its members are against a complete social media ban for under-16s. |
Information watchdog to publish guidance for councils on procuring AI
02/06/2026 The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is set to publish guidance to support councils and other public bodies on procuring artificial intelligence (AI) tools. |
