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.
Charity calls for protected funding for children’s hospices
20/06/2019 NHS England is being urged to keep its promise to protect and increase funding for children’s hospices by charity Together for Short Lives. |
Manchester’s rough sleeping scheme secures NHS funding
20/06/2019 NHS in Greater Manchester has agreed to allocate £1.5m to help tackle rough sleeping and homelessness across the region. |
Calls to scrap ‘draconian’ Vagrancy Act
19/06/2019 A new report has argued the 1824 Vagrancy Act, which makes rough sleeping and begging illegal in England and Wales, is ‘inhumane’ and should be scrapped. |
Northern Ireland council staff sickness at highest level in nearly 30 years
18/06/2019 Sick leave at Northern Ireland councils is at its highest level since 1990, with nearly 15 days lost per employee a year, auditors have warned. |
Sleep-in care workers report unsuitable conditions
18/06/2019 Overnight care workers have reported being attacked at work and forced to sleep in offices, in a new survey conducted by Unison. |
Report highlights cuts to children's centres
17/06/2019 Councils have been forced to reduce spending on children’s centres by nearly £100 per child in the past three years, a charity has warned. |
Councils urged to work with credit unions to prevent homelessness
17/06/2019 Councils could save millions of pounds by partnering with credit unions to offer interest free loans to families at risk of eviction, a new study has found. |
Review launched into Blue Badge fraud
17/06/2019 A new task force to help councils tackle the fraudulent use of Blue Badges has been set up by the Government. |
MPs to investigate UK's regional imbalances
14/06/2019 A new inquiry into regional imbalances in the UK economy has been launched by the Treasury Committee. |
Children being denied advocacy, report warns
13/06/2019 A ‘significant’ group of children are being denied their legal right to advocacy, a new report has warned today. |
Town clerk jailed for defrauding council
13/06/2019 An assistant town clerk has been jailed for four years for stealing more than £200,000 from Rugeley Town Council. |
Union warns 130,000 people trapped in social care debt
12/06/2019 Nearly 100,000 people are facing debt collectors over unpaid social care charges, an investigation has revealed. |
Food regulation showing 'signs of strain' warns report
12/06/2019 Some local authorities are failing to meet their legal responsibilities on food control due to budget cuts, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned. |
Charities call for £1bn a year to reverse public health cuts
12/06/2019 Two health charities are calling on the Government to reverse the £1bn a year cuts to public health grants. |
Council apologises for failing to protect girls from grooming gang
11/06/2019 Kirklees Council has apologised for failing to protect two girls from abuse, after an independent review found opportunities were lost to protect them from exploitation. |
Poorest areas could lose billions after Brexit, campaigners warn
11/06/2019 The poorest areas of Britain could lose billions of pounds in post-Brexit funding, campaigners have warned. |
Welsh public sector could lose up to £1bn a year to fraud
11/06/2019 Welsh public services could lose up to £1bn a year to fraud, a new report has warned today. |
London Councils welcomes ‘new era of digital transformation’
10/06/2019 The London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) has officially launched today to help the digital transformation of public service. |
Councils warn of new wave in council tax scams
10/06/2019 Criminals are posing as council staff to con people out of money, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Local authorities will continue to commission public health services
10/06/2019 Councils will continue to commission local public health services, a government review has concluded. |
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.
