Councils click into the future of planning
In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different.
Tewkesbury consultation extended
09/07/2024 Tewkesbury BC has extended a consultation on its planned name change to North Gloucestershire BC, giving residents until the end of July to respond. |
Department ditches 'levelling up' moniker
08/07/2024 PM Keir Starmer has ditched Whitehall’s 'levelling up' department and re-named it with immediate effect – signalling an end to the controversial brand. |
Council staff 'live in fear of abuse, assault or worse'
03/06/2024 Council staff and members often live ‘in fear of abuse, assault or worse,’ experts have warned. |
High Court judge in trees ruling
31/05/2024 Councils and developers relying on planning permission exemptions to preservation orders cannot automatically cut down protected trees, High Court rules. |
Government digs in over asylum housing target
29/05/2024 Home Office has doubled down on council concerns over asylum targets and insisted Full Dispersal can ‘strike balance between equity and housing availability’. |
EXCLUSIVE: Tower Hamlets Best Value Inspection extended
28/05/2024 The Best Value Inspection (BVI) team at Tower Hamlets LBC has extended its work to include the council’s oversight of the General Election. |
High Court dismisses Bibby Stockholm legal challenge
23/05/2024 The High Court has dismissed a legal case challenging the Government’s controversial use of the Bibby Stockholm barge to house asylum seekers off the coast. |
MacAlister: Not enough has changed on children's social care
23/05/2024 The author of the Government’s independent review of children’s care has warned ‘not enough has changed’ since he proposed reforms two years ago. |
EXCLUSIVE: Councils given 100,000 asylum housing target
21/05/2024 Councils have been told to identify an extra 100,000 bedspaces for asylum seekers amid Home Office expectations of a surge in arrivals, The MJ can reveal. |
Flood councils in urgent £11m cash call
21/05/2024 Councils managing flood risks have urgently called for £11m cash to plug a ‘widening gap’ in Internal Drainage Board (IDB) funding. |
BT: Too many councils failing to engage
21/05/2024 ‘Too many’ councils are failing to engage with telecoms giant BT as it works to switch customers to digital phone lines, the firm has said. |
Auditors add to council biometric warnings
20/05/2024 A spending watchdog has echoed councils’ concerns that biometric entry requirements at UK ports could lead to freight delays and gridlock on major roads. |
Pension funds told to report annually on pooling progress
17/05/2024 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds should report annually on progress against pooling and private equity investments, fresh guidance has said. |
Mandatory reporting exemptions a 'fudge'
13/05/2024 Ministers’ decision to exempt instances of child abuse from a new reporting law means they have dodged the mandatory duty demanded by a national inquiry. |
Council and Premier League club in stadium row
10/05/2024 Nottingham CC has warned ‘no local authority can subsidise a Premier League football club’ amid an escalating row over Nottingham Forest FC’s iconic stadium. |
Councils frustrated by Whitehall siloes, says chief
07/05/2024 Whitehall’s siloed approach to city centre renewal has led to ‘frustration’ from councils, slowed down projects and increased costs, council chief warns. |
Re-elected Burnham calls for Right to Buy suspension powers
07/05/2024 Greater Manchester’s re-elected mayor has called for powers to suspend Right to Buy on new homes under plans to build 10,000 houses across the region. |
Vote warning
01/05/2024 Elections officers have warned of the impact of changes to postal vote rules as polls open across England and Wales on Thursday. |
Brum equal pay wait goes on
01/05/2024 Birmingham City Council faces a further wait before declaring its equal pay liabilities after auditors' warning. |
Think-tank: Growth in tall buildings failing to tackle housing need
30/04/2024 ‘Unplanned proliferation’ of tall buildings has not delivered the housing Britain needs, Policy Exchange has warned. |
