Digital public services that deliver
Nick Pike explores the challenges facing chief digital officer in driving forward Local Digital Declarations.
Council reserves increase by £2bn over past year
23/08/2019 Local authorities have been commended for ‘managing their finances well’ after new figures reveal that the sector’s reserve fund has increased by £2bn. |
Universal Credit driving tenants into rent arrears, study says
23/08/2019 Universal Credit is causing tenants to fall behind in their rent, new research from a group representing landlords has revealed. |
Councils accused of ‘restricting’ retail to residential conversions
23/08/2019 Local authorities are preventing developers from converting retail space into residential property because of scepticism over ‘Permitted Development Rights’, a private wealth law firm says. |
Give councils powers to help young people into work, council chiefs say
23/08/2019 Council chiefs have called for more powers to help young people into work as figures reveal a dramatic increase in the number of young people not in education, employment or training. |
Northants gives green light to 17 community-run libraries
23/08/2019 Northamptonshire County Council has approved the business cases of 17 community-run libraries as part of a plan to safeguard the future of the authority’s library service. |
Millions of children go hungry over summer holidays, Labour say
22/08/2019 Government funding on holiday hunger supported less than 4% of all children who are currently eligible for free school meals, the Labour Party have said. |
Campaigners warn of ‘democracy deserts’
22/08/2019 There were 17 councils where the party getting the most votes in May’s local elections did not get the most councillors, electoral reform campaigners say. |
Whitehall carbon emission target ‘undeliverable’, MPs warn
22/08/2019 MPs have warned the Government that there are no policies in place to deliver the net-zero carbons emissions target by 2050. |
Housing crisis forcing 1.3 million children to live in ‘overcrowded’ conditions
22/08/2019 A new study has revealed that more than one in 10 children in England are living in overcrowded homes because of a lack of suitable housing. |
Court upholds abortion clinic ‘buffer zone’
22/08/2019 The Court of Appeal has upheld Ealing Council’s protest-free ‘buffer zone’ which is located outside of an abortion clinic in the London borough. |
County council’s trading standards team seizes £23m of unsafe items
21/08/2019 A trading standards team in Suffolk has seized nearly one million unsafe consumer items at the Port of Felixstowe. |
Whitehall warned not to ‘scrap’ HS2 as review announced
21/08/2019 The Government has announced an independent review into ‘whether and how’ the HS2 programme should proceed. |
Children growing up in ‘B&Bs and shipping containers’, commissioner warns
21/08/2019 Thousands of children are growing up in unsuitable temporary accommodation, commissioner warns – a state of affairs council chiefs blame on a lack of funding. |
Council services ‘declining’ due to £5bn funding gap, MPs say
21/08/2019 MPs have accused the Government of being ‘derelict in its duty’ by failing to set out a funding settlement that would ease the pressure on frontline services. |
London boroughs warn of £540m care crisis
21/08/2019 A report has warned that unless Whitehall addresses the national social care crisis London’s adult social care system faces a funding gap of £540m by 2025. |
Cyclists demand access to rural footpaths
20/08/2019 British cyclists are calling for a reform of England’s rights of way legislation to allow bikes onto country footpaths – a call resisted by walkers. |
Government announces over £3m to support children with mental health issues
20/08/2019 Children and young people are to benefit from a £3.3m injection of cash into local community projects, the Government has announced. |
City of London publishes UK’s ‘first’ wind microclimate guidelines
20/08/2019 The City of London has published the UK’s first wind microclimate guidelines for new development proposals in the Square Mile in an effort to keep cyclists safe. |
Labour announce plans to ‘revive’ high street
19/08/2019 A Labour Government would give councils the power to reopen abandoned shops to ‘revive Britain’s struggling high streets’, it was announced over the weekend. |
Over 10 million patients in hospitals with ‘dangerous pollution levels’
19/08/2019 Nearly a quarter of hospitals in England are located in areas with poor air quality, new research reveals. |
The June issue of Local Government News contains the full details of all the winning schemes in the 2019 Street Design Awards. From Children's Play to Pedestrian Environment, find out who has been recognised for their innovation and use of best practice.
This issue also explores how local government pension funds can hedge currency risk, how councils can best address the shortfall in school places, and an update on the number of authorities banning the use of Roundup over safety fears.
