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.
Ministers still unconvinced by Tees Valley's Best Value
28/04/2026 The Government has said it continues to require assurances that Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) is fulfilling its Best Value duty. |
LCN chair: CCN existence 'illogical'
09/04/2026 The chair of the Local Councils Network (LCN) has suggested it seems ‘illogical' for the County Councils Network (CCN) to exist in light of reorganisation. |
Legal threat looms as counties oppose Whitehall LGR ruling
02/04/2026 Disgruntled county councils could slow down local government reorganisation with legal challenges to Whitehall's verdict. |
Council tax goes up by £10bn in five years
25/03/2026 England's council tax bill has gone up by more than £10bn in five years, new government data has revealed. |
Lords block Government move to influence council pension investments
19/03/2026 Lord John Fuller has lauded the decision of fellow peers to scupper the Government's ability to influence how local government pension funds are invested. |
Chancellor to give local leaders control over national taxes
18/03/2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has promised to give ‘local leaders' control of some national taxes in a ‘permanent transfer of power and resources' to regions. |
Casey urged to consider potential of LATCos for social care
11/03/2026 Baroness Louise Casey has been urged to look at local authority trading companies (LATCo) providing an ‘antidote' to billions being drained from social care. |
Local government reorganisation in Essex 'over'
25/02/2026 Uncertainty surrounds local government reorganisation (LGR) in Essex, with one leader branding the process ‘over' and little news on Thurrock's debt. |
Basildon joins Norfolk in going cold on LGR
19/02/2026 Another council has called time on local government reorganisation (LGR) over Labour's U-turn on election postponements. |
Reform to offer Havering chance to join Essex
18/02/2026 A Reform MP has claimed the party would offer Havering a referendum on leaving London to join Essex if it formed the next government. |
Norfolk withdraws cooperation on LGR over elections debacle
17/02/2026 Norfolk CC’s leadership has withdrawn its cooperation with ministers to deliver local government reorganisation (LGR) following Steve Reed’s u-turn on postponed elections. |
Former DCN chair blames LGR for council's debt write-off plan
12/02/2026 A former DCN chair has blamed local government reorganisation for his council's proposal to write off nearly £500,000 of debt to its own property company. |
Government boosts incentive for councils to build homes
28/01/2026 Councils are to be freed up to build and manage up to 1,000 homes without having to open a Housing Revenue Account (HRA). |
Reform council facing challenge of beginning from 'standing start'
21/01/2026 Durham CC’s adaptation to future challenges could be delayed due to the Reform UK leadership beginning from a ‘standing start’, a peer challenge concludes. |
Tensions rise over out of area placements
14/01/2026 Council relations have strained over housing placements, with some authorities accused of ‘cleansing themselves’ of challenges and ‘exporting’ ‘more complex’ cases outside their area. |
Housing targets could be reduced for new town areas
13/01/2026 The Government has indicated councils’ housing targets could be reduced if planned new towns are placed in the area. |
Birmingham faces MP criticism surrounding football fan ban
07/01/2026 MPs have accused Birmingham CC of providing a ‘biased picture’ surrounding the decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match against Aston Villa. |
Housing approvals drop in final quarter of 2025
06/01/2026 New data has revealed the number of housing projects granted approval dropped by 17% in the last three months of 2025. |
Union warns of more equal pay claims as payouts rise above £1bn
02/01/2026 The GMB has revealed it plans to launch 10,000 new equal pay claims across five more councils alongside 40,000 outstanding actions at 28 authorities. |
Hertfordshire cabinets defy full council on reorganisation
01/12/2025 A trio of Hertfordshire districts have submitted reorganisation proposals that defy the decisions of their full councils. |
