Supporting evidence-based policymaking
Andrew Carter explains how new guidance will help councils decide what services should be prioritised in the wake of swinging cuts.
Council overspends £100k due to ‘poor financial management’
17/10/2019 A town council has been forced to withdraw most the money from its reserves to cover an overspend of £100,000, auditors have revealed. |
Recycling and refuse top public’s spending priority list
17/10/2019 Councils should spend more money on rubbish collection and recycling, according to the results of a new poll. |
Chanceller urged to scrap inflationary business rate rise
17/10/2019 The chancellor has been urged to scrap an increase in business rates in the Autumn Budget, following warnings it will add more than £536m to the business rates burden. |
Number of young people gambling is ‘emerging’ public health risk
16/10/2019 A new study has found an increasing number of young people are experimenting with gambling, making them more likely to be problem gamblers later in life. |
Only 10% of recent homes built on the Green Belt are 'affordable'
14/10/2019 Only one in ten homes built on land released from the Green Belt over the past decade are considered ‘affordable’, a new report has found. |
Cost of B&Bs for homeless people rockets
14/10/2019 Councils are being forced to spend more than £90m a year on placing homeless people in bed and breakfasts, council chiefs have warned. |
A quarter of London’s parks have unsafe air quality
11/10/2019 One in four of green spaces in London breach safety limits for air quality, new analysis has revealed. |
Parish council shuts down after abusive calls and hate mail
11/10/2019 A parish council in Greater Manchester has been dissolved after councillors reported experiencing intolerable levels of abuse. |
Hike in PWLB rate will cost councils £70m a year
11/10/2019 The 1% increase to the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) rate will cost councils £70m a year, town hall chiefs have warned. |
New law to make it quicker to install faster internet connections in flats
10/10/2019 A new law has been passed to make it possible to install faster internet connections in flats where landlords ignore requests for access from broadband firms. |
Launch of first pooled LGPS property fund
10/10/2019 A new fund that pools the property assets of three public sector pension schemes has been launched. |
Developers offered loans to build new schools
10/10/2019 Housing developers will be given loans from the Government to build new schools before new properties are finished. |
Public call for more investment in housing benefit
10/10/2019 Three quarters of the public believe that housing benefit should increase in line with rents, according to a new poll published to mark World Homeless Day. |
Norwich council estate wins top architecture prize
09/10/2019 A council estate in Norwich has been named as the UK’s best new building. |
Review launched into handling of alleged misconduct of senior council officers
09/10/2019 A review into the way alleged misconduct by senior council officers is investigated has been launched. |
Millions struggling to pay council tax and household bills, study finds
08/10/2019 Nearly 1.6 million people are falling behind on their council tax payments, new research has revealed. |
Watchdog warns Public Service Boards must change to realise full potential
08/10/2019 Public Service Boards (PSBs) are not being used to their full potential or scrutinised properly, a new report has found today. |
Cambridge’s pioneering cohousing scheme
07/10/2019 Laura Sharman visits Marmalade Lane – Cambridge’s first cohousing development and the largest scheme of its type in the UK. |
Local Housing Allowance 'inadequate' for family homes, research warns
07/10/2019 More than nine out of ten family homes for private rent are too expensive for people on housing benefit, new analysis has revealed. |
Rent caps needed to curb housing crisis, report says
04/10/2019 A think tank has called for local leaders to have the power to cap rents in high-cost areas. |
This issue of Local Government News explores how councils can tackle modern slavery and trafficking in their supply chains, finds out more about Cambridge's first cohousing scheme and the launch of a new project to build a shared service pattern library for local government.
This issue also contains a special focus on children's services and how councils are protecting children following local safeguarding children boards being abolished.
