Beyond the Leisure Centre: How to make the case for active wellbeing investment
This special report from LocalGov and Alliance Leisure makes the case for repositioning council leisure provision as prevention infrastructure.
Ofsted sets out plans to crackdown on unregistered children's homes
03/07/2026 Ofsted has outlined a new approach to tackling the sharp growth in unregistered children's homes. |
Biodiversity rule changes could unlock London homes, think tank says
03/07/2026 Scrapping Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements for London brownfield sites could unlock hundreds of thousands of new homes in the capital, study claims. |
Pubs get green light for late-night England v Mexico match
03/07/2026 Communities Secretary Steve Reed is writing to council leaders to confirm pubs and bars will be allowed to stay open until 5am on Monday for the World Cup. |
Council chiefs urge next PM to close £7bn funding gap
03/07/2026 The LGA is calling on the next PM to lay out a new path for local services that is not reliant on council tax rises and short-term fixes. |
Council leaders demand review of ‘MegaShed’ planning law
02/07/2026 The leaders of all three political groups on South Gloucestershire Council have called for urgent reform of historical planning consents. |
Think tank calls for more devolution and digitisation to fix public services
02/07/2026 Decentralising responsibility to local areas while widening access through digital tools should be at the heart of public service reform, ThinkLabour argues. |
Housebuilding falls in half of England's council areas
02/07/2026 New analysis has found that half (51.8%) of local authorities in England are building fewer homes than they were five years ago. |
Low allowances a barrier to new councillors
02/07/2026 Councillors' allowances are blighted by regional disparities, are failing to keep pace with inflation and do not cover the demands of the role, study shows. |
Education Secretary writes to councils over ‘Phantom NEETs’
02/07/2026 Councils are being put on notice by the Education Secretary, who is writing to every council setting out expectations for tracking vulnerable teenagers. |
LGA warning over council intervention metrics
01/07/2026 Analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) has uncovered issues with the proposed methods used to trigger new intervention powers. |
Oxford CC slams Oxfordshire's Thames Valley devolution veto
01/07/2026 Oxford CC has voiced its disappointment after Oxfordshire CC vetoed a devolution deal which it argues could have brought billions in investment. |
Qatari-owned hotel probed over unmet homes pledge
01/07/2026 Westminster CC is investigating a five-star Knightsbridge hotel owned by members of the Qatari royal family, over an alleged breach of planning obligations. |
Devolution progress strong, but scrutiny must be strengthened, auditors say
01/07/2026 Good progress has been made on English devolution, a National Audit Office report has found, but it also calls for strengthened local scrutiny arrangements. |
New towns must avoid 'planning mistakes of the past', report warns
30/06/2026 New towns could help tackle London's housing crisis, but only if delivered with clear standards on housing, transport and community involvement, report says. |
Suffolk CC to push on with LGR legal challenge
30/06/2026 Suffolk CC is pursuing its legal challenge to local government reorganisation (LGR) following revelations Steve Reed defied civil service advice. |
Order for more Local Plan hearings ‘beggars belief’, City of London says
30/06/2026 The City of London Corporation has criticised a Government direction requiring further examination of its City Plan 2040, calling the move ‘anti-growth.' |
Two-thirds of anti-social behaviour goes unreported
30/06/2026 Nearly two-thirds of victims and witnesses of anti-social behaviour did not report it in the past three years, according to a new survey. |
Councils given green light to refund CIL errors
30/06/2026 Councils can now compensate homeowners who missed out on Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) exemptions due to clerical mistakes, housing minister confirms. |
Havering adult social care rated 'requires improvement'
29/06/2026 Havering Council's adult social care services have been rated 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission following an inspection. |
Leeds CC still faces equal pay claims 'worth hundreds of millions'
29/06/2026 Leeds CC is still facing equal pay claims worth hundreds of millions of pounds, with more than 4,000 women having taken action against the council, GMB says. |
