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.
Call for business rates to be scrapped
04/07/2018 Business rates should be scrapped and local authorities should be handed a swathe of new powers to revitalise struggling town centres, a major new review has urged. |
NHS crisis for its 70th
31/05/2018 In little over a month, the NHS will turn 70. Not long after that, the Government is expected to publish a green paper on health and social care. |
Report demands new accountability powers for local government
26/02/2018 Academics have demanded a raft of tools to enable local government to hold to account the ‘chaotic network’ of agencies involved in providing public services. |
Children's services: Improving under pressure
09/02/2018 Amid a crisis in children's services, Sam Clayden looks at the range of tools currently on trial for improving service delivery. |
Call for Javid to resign after 'misleading' House of Commons
06/02/2018 Shadow local government secretary Andrew Gwynne has demanded the resignation of his counterpart Sajid Javid after the minister admitted he knew the data behind the provisional finance settlement was wrong. |
Committees launch joint inquiry on long-term care funding
24/01/2018 A pair of Commons select committees has joined forces to launch an inquiry on the long-term funding and provision of adult social care. |
Children's services in Norfolk no longer need intervention
19/01/2018 Norfolk County Council’s beleaguered children’s services no longer require intervention after Ofsted found the council has now improved. |
Council leaders demand end to pay cap
07/12/2017 Nearly 100 council leaders have written to the chancellor demanding extra funding for workers and an end to the public sector pay cap. |
Budget 2017: New devo deals for WMCA and North of Tyne
22/11/2017 The chancellor has pledged to ‘back’ the Northern Powerhouse, the Midlands Engine and elected mayors as he announced a pack of new devolution deals. |
Budget 2017: London to retain all local business rate growth
22/11/2017 London local government will be able to keep all its business rates growth as part of a 100% retention pilot. |
'Landmark' health and social care devolution deal agreed for London
15/11/2017 National and local leaders have signed a ‘landmark’ devolution deal for health and social care in London. |
Rebuilding lives and trust after Grenfell?
26/10/2017 Four months after the Grenfell fire tragedy, many survivors remain without a permanent home and the council’s relationship with residents remains severed. Sam Clayden quizzes Kensington & Chelsea RLBC leader Elizabeth Campbell on the borough’s progress. |
Councils facing fines of up to £280,000 for delayed transfers sanctions
11/10/2017 A new survey has revealed that 16 councils were fined for delayed transfers of care in 2016/17, a move branded as ‘frankly bizarre’ by the country’s most senior care director. |
Local government told to boost reserves
13/09/2017 Should councils ignore government pressure to trim down their cash reserves? Sam Clayden investigates. |
Local authorities join the jobs rush
17/08/2017 Sam Clayden explores some of the exciting new job roles being formed in local government. |
Rising from the ashes
03/08/2017 Who is behind the new Grenfell Taskforce, and what has it been set up to achieve? Sam Clayden reports. |
Sector chiefs’ warning of hollowed out Whitehall
27/07/2017 Senior sector figures this week called for clarity amid escalating concerns Whitehall is too stretched to tackle critical financial sustainability issues. |
Government confirms talks over second West Midlands devolution deal
25/07/2017 Business secretary Greg Clark has suggested the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is on the brink of striking a second devolution deal with Whitehall. |
Government urged to sort out ‘messy and muddled’ policies
08/06/2017 The next government needs to provide a ‘strategic direction’ for councils currently operating in a ‘very messy and muddled policy environment,’ a think-tank boss has urged. |
New mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough sets out 100-day vision
12/05/2017 A string of new transport and infrastructure proposals have been unveiled by the new mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in his 100-day manifesto. |
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.
