Fighting the Fakes: The battle against AI disinformation
The Electoral Commission has launched a deepfake detection pilot ahead of May's elections. LocalGov's editor William Eichler finds out how it works.
EXCLUSIVE: 'Illegal' deal to end Birmingham strike risks £200m equal pay bill
30/04/2026 Birmingham City Council could open itself up to equal pay liabilities worth £200m if a proposed deal unveiled by leader Cllr John Cotton goes ahead. |
'End in sight' for Birmingham strike
27/04/2026 After more than a year of industrial action, Birmingham CC's leader John Cotton has tabled an offer he believes will ‘end the strike once and for all'. |
Southport Inquiry: Councils face challenge to prevent future attacks
23/04/2026 Councils face a challenge to prevent attacks such as those in Southport that claimed the lives of three schoolgirls, children's services directors warn. |
Key amendments stripped from English Devolution Bill
23/04/2026 Ministers have moved to block curbs to their powers under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. |
MPs launch fiscal devolution inquiry
22/04/2026 The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Local Government has announced an inquiry into fiscal devolution in England. |
Woking-owned Thameswey debt exceeds £600m
21/04/2026 Woking BC's wholly owned company racked up debts of more than £600m, according to its latest accounts. |
Call to devolve employment support
17/04/2026 Mayors should be enlisted to provide support for people out of work due to ill health, a new report has urged. |
Council receives first record-keeping watchdog warning
13/04/2026 A watchdog has intervened after Perth and Kinross Council was found to have abolished a director-level post ‘without a single record being kept’. |
Sector mourns loss of 'giant of English devolution'
07/04/2026 Tributes have been paid to the former chief executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Eamonn Boylan in the wake of his death. |
MPs call for safeguarding to ease pressure on Prevent
01/04/2026 MPs have called for the wider safeguarding system to ease pressure on the Prevent programme. |
Regions facing grant cut as fiscal overhaul takes shape
30/03/2026 The Treasury’s Northern growth strategy shed light on the overhaul of funding, which will initially target places with the ‘potential to benefit’. |
Chief executive defends by-election integrity
30/03/2026 Manchester City Council chief executive Tom Stannard has defended the ‘integrity' of last month's by-election after police found no evidence of illegality. |
Essex threatens legal action over reorganisation
26/03/2026 Essex CC is looking to mount a legal challenge to the Government's decision to reorganise the county into five unitary authorities. |
Final reorganisation decisions for four priority areas announced
25/03/2026 The shape of local government reorganisation in four devolution priority areas has been unveiled by the Government today. |
Government to introduce local scrutiny committees for mayors
19/03/2026 The Government is proposing to establish ‘local scrutiny committees' to oversee strategic authorities. |
Former local government minister Phil Woolas dies
16/03/2026 Former local government minister Phil Woolas has died, his family has announced. |
Wirral management overhaul to create executive director roles
16/03/2026 Wirral MBC is proposing to create two executive director roles as part of a restructure of its senior leadership. |
Future Forum: Reorganisation threat to transformation
12/03/2026 Fears that ambitions to include transformation alongside local government reorganisation may not be realised have been voiced at The MJ's Future Forum. |
Council backlash over asylum reforms
11/03/2026 The Government was this week accused of shifting the burden of supporting asylum seekers to councils. |
Councils urged to tackle family voting
10/03/2026 Councils have been challenged to focus on tackling family voting in May's local elections. |
