10 ways councils are making budgets go further
Discover 10 ways councils are stretching budgets further, from digital transformation and energy efficiency to community partnerships and data-driven decision-making.
Town hall rich list branded 'inane and distasteful'
15/04/2020 Attempts to criticise local government salaries have been branded as ‘both inane and distasteful' by chief executives’ body Solace. |
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Families win landmark court ruling over ‘discriminatory’ bedroom tax
10/11/2016 Two families have successfully argued that cuts to their housing benefit due to the government’s controversial bedroom tax is unfair. |
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‘Bedroom tax’ causing children 'emotional distress and affecting education'
08/12/2015 The effects of benefit cuts—in particular, the ‘bedroom tax’—are causing children emotional distress and affecting concentration at school, according to a new study. |
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Welfare reforms could hinder innovation warns report
18/05/2015 Cuts to welfare funding will put pressure on local authorities to support vulnerable people and deliver efficiency plans, new research is warning. |
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Labour to scrap ‘bedroom tax’ on day one, says Miliband
01/05/2015 Scrapping the 'bedroom tax' would be the first act of a new Labour government, Ed Miliband has pledged. |
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Bedroom tax policy ruled ‘unlawful’ in landmark case
01/04/2015 A disabled couple have successfully challenged a council’s bedroom tax policy, in a legal case that could have ‘significant consequences’ for the rest of the county. |
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Labour planning to retain Coalition’s council tax rise cap
31/03/2015 Council tax caps could remain in place if Labour takes power in the General Election, the party’s local government secretary has revealed. |
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‘Inhumane’ bedroom tax leaving people hungry warns academics
17/03/2015 A new study is warning that people affected by the bedroom tax are struggling to buy food or heat their homes. |
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Clegg faces call to scrap bedroom tax
12/03/2015 Bedroom tax for existing social housing tenants should be scrapped, according to calls from grassroots Liberal Democrats. |
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Migrant populations rises in every council area, research finds
06/03/2015 England’s migrant population has increased by more than half a million people in the past three years, new research is showing. |
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Cuts to council tax support will get ‘broader and deeper’
17/02/2015 A new report warns 270,000 low income families affected by the ‘Bedroom Tax’ have also been hit by cuts in council tax support (CTS). |
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‘Bedroom tax’ families face £3,800 bill if policy continues, figures reveal
02/02/2015 Families hit by the ‘bedroom tax’ would have to foot a further £3,800 bill if the policy is continued over the next Parliament, figures suggest. |
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Councils in Wales urged to bolster support for tenants as welfare reforms hit home
08/01/2015 Welfare reforms have hit tenants in Wales the hardest and social landlords are struggling to cope with the fallout, a public spending watchdog has warned. |
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Scottish councils given extra £241m in funding settlement
12/12/2014 Scottish councils have been handed an additional £241m this year to support young children and lessen the impact of the 'bedroom tax'. |
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Report: bedroom tax widens north-south divide
20/10/2014 The bedroom tax has hit council tenants in the north of England far harder than those in London, research has revealed. |
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Report calls for creation of a Local Government Digital Service
24/09/2014 The creation of a Local Government Digital Service (LGDS) and the expansion of free WiFi across public spaces are among the key proposals in a new report. |
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Suicide victim was worried about ‘bedroom tax’, coroner finds
13/08/2014 A woman who committed suicide last year was suffering from ‘considerable anxiety and stress’ thanks to the ‘bedroom tax’, a coroner has ruled. |
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Council bans man from city centre for two years
17/07/2014 A man with a history of violence and aggression has been banned from the whole of Plymouth city centre for two years. |
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‘Bedroom tax’ report exposes ‘damage wreaked’ on tenants
16/07/2014 Almost 60% of tenants hit by the Government’s ‘bedroom tax’ are struggling to pay additional rent, according to an official report. |
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Councils failing to allocate welfare support funds
24/06/2014 Local authorities failed to pay out more than £20m to people affected by welfare reforms, according to figures released by the Government. |
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Survey shows tenants struggling to cope with bedroom tax
05/06/2014 More than half (55%) of council tenants affected by the bedroom tax are now in rent arrears, according to new research. |
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Federation calls for bedroom tax abolition
28/05/2014 The ‘disastrous’ bedroom tax is pushing households into debt and fear of eviction, the National Housing Federation has warned. |
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Shapps faces embarrassment over bedroom tax
21/05/2014 Tory party chairman Grant Shapps faced embarrassment when his own Conservative council used the term ?bedroom tax? in a leaflet. |
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Scottish Government urged to write off bedroom tax arrears
20/05/2014 MPs have urged the Scottish government to provide funding to enable every local authority to refund those hit by the bedroom tax. |
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Welfare reform causing 'distress' to vulnerable people, MPs warn
02/04/2014 Coalition welfare reforms are causing 'severe financial hardship and distress' to vulnerable people who are unable to adapt, MPs have warned. |
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Some 6% of social tenants hit by ‘bedroom tax’ move house
28/03/2014 Only 6% of housing benefit recipients affected by the ‘bedroom tax’ have moved residence since reforms were introduced last year, figures suggest. |
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‘Legacy of recession’ increasing housing debt, says charity
24/03/2014 The number of people seeking help from Citizens Advice over social housing rent arrears increased by 10% last year. |
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Cancel out ‘bedroom tax’ for previous years, MPs tell Scotland
21/03/2014 Scottish Government action to negate the ‘cruel’ effects of the ‘bedroom tax’ has been branded ‘inadequate’ by a committee of MPs. |
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Court upholds lawful ruling on 'bedroom tax'
21/02/2014 Five disabled housing tenants have failed in their bid to have the 'bedroom tax' deemed unlawful in the Court of Appeal. |
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Cameron’s benefits cuts to blame for foodbank ‘crisis’, bishops say
20/02/2014 Christian leaders have blamed the UK’s foodbank ‘crisis’ on government welfare reforms and benefits cutbacks. |
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Some 7k Scottish homes given emergency ‘bedroom tax’ support in December
19/02/2014 Nearly 7,000 Scottish households affected by the ‘bedroom tax’ reached out for emergency support last December, figures reveal. |
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Report: Calm before the welfare reform storm
18/02/2014 There is ‘calm before the storm’ as the impact of the Welfare Reform Act threatens to grow, a report has found. |
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Survey shows one in seven at risk of eviction due to bedroom tax
12/02/2014 Two-thirds of households affected by the bedroom tax are in rent arrears, with one in seven at risk of eviction, according to new research from the National Housing Federation. |
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Welsh Government makes further push for ‘bedroom tax’ exemptions
07/02/2014 Wales has renewed calls for ‘bedroom tax’ exemptions, while announcing a further £1.3m of funding to support those affected. |
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Ministers attack UN report calling for suspension of ‘bedroom tax’
04/02/2014 A UN report calling for the postponement and reassessment of the ‘bedroom tax’ has been criticised by government departments for being ‘inaccurate’. |
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Abolish ‘inhumane’ bedroom tax, MSPs say
31/01/2014 A Scottish Parliamentary committee has called for abolition of the ‘bedroom tax’, describing the levy as ‘iniquitous and inhumane’. |
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LocalGov writer wins '30 To Watch' award for bedroom tax coverage
24/01/2014 Deputy editor of Local Government News and LocalGov, Thomas Bridge, has been named in the MHP '30 To Watch' list 2014. |
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Scottish councils give over 45,500 households emergency housing money
21/01/2014 Local authorities in Scotland provided emergency cash to over 45,500 households struggling with the impact of the bedroom tax, according to new figures. |
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Thousands hit by bedroom tax error
10/01/2014 Thousands of social housing tenants could have been incorrectly affected by the ‘bedroom tax’ thanks to a policy error. |
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Carers hit by bedroom tax
02/01/2014 Around 60,000 households affected by the bedroom tax are carers, the minister for disabled people has revealed. |
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Variation in bedroom tax payments revealed
19/12/2013 People hit by the bedroom tax in different parts of England have wildly varying chances of receiving Government help, a new survey has found. |
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Charities call for bedroom tax exemption
28/11/2013 The Government should take ‘immediate action’ to exempt disabled people, their families and carers from the bedroom tax, a national coalition of more than 50 charities has said. |
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Labour loses vote to scrap bedroom tax
13/11/2013 A Labour motion to abolish the 'bedroom tax' has been defeated by only 26 votes in the House of Commons. |
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Bedroom tax hitting disabled say Westminster Labour Group
15/10/2013 Over 60% of those affected by the bedroom tax in Westminster are disabled, according to figures released by Labour councillors. |
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UN wades into bedroom tax row
12/09/2013 A United Nations official has refused to back down over criticism of the so-called bedroom tax after calls from Tory chairman Grant Shapps for her to apologise. |
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Bristol considers lifting ban on evicting tenants due to bedroom tax arrears
06/09/2013 The ban on evicting tenants due to ‘bedroom tax’ arrears in Bristol should be lifted as it is unsustainable, a new report has recommended. |
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Bathroom ploy used to get around bedroom tax rules
21/08/2013 A Merseyside social landlord is set to convert bedrooms into bathrooms to protect its residents from the impact Discretionary Housing Payment reforms – otherwise known as the ‘bedroom tax’. |
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Losing sleep over the bedroom tax ruling
06/08/2013 Local authority interest in this week’s High Court judgment in the ‘bedroom tax’ case will be high among politicians, lawyers and academics. |
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Bedroom tax boosting number of council call staff
22/07/2013 Councils are boosting the number of call centre advisors being hired, due to increased enquiries about the bedroom tax, according to the latest recruitment trends in local government. |
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Bedroom tax devastating North West, study suggests
05/07/2013 The bedroom tax is devastating one of the poorest areas of the UK and failing to free up social housing, a report finds. |
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'Bedroom tax' councils could lose HB subsidies, Lord Freud warns
20/06/2013 Housing Benefit subsidies could be axed for councils trying to get around ‘bedroom tax’ by re-designating properties without rent cuts. |
