Supporting evidence-based policymaking
Andrew Carter explains how new guidance will help councils decide what services should be prioritised in the wake of swinging cuts.
Queen's Speech 19: Councils promised new powers to tackle pollution
14/10/2019 The Queen’s Speech promised an Environment Bill which will establish a ‘world-leading’ independent regulator, the Office for Environmental Protection, and hand some new powers to councils. |
Councils urged to apply for funding from £2m air quality pot
04/10/2019 The Government has today announced the latest round of funding to help local authorities improve air quality across England. |
Portsmouth’s energy firm sale falls through
29/08/2019 Portsmouth City Council has admitted defeat in its search for a buyer for its energy company. |
Council hits carbon reduction target early
28/08/2019 Herefordshire Council has hit its 2020 carbon reduction target early, an outcome the authority says shows their ‘commitment to tackling the climate emergency’. |
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. |
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. |
Over half of councils declare ‘climate emergency’
31/07/2019 More than half of UK councils have committed to reducing carbon emissions by declaring a 'climate emergency'. |
London boroughs eye £750 workplace parking charge
25/07/2019 Several London boroughs are considering introducing workplace parking levies (WPLs) of at least £750 a year to cut pollution and encourage active travel. |
Brokenshire tells house builders to ‘protect wildlife’
22/07/2019 The communities secretary James Brokenshire has published new guidance to help developers do more to protect wildlife. |
Cuadrilla plans second fracking well in Lancashire
12/07/2019 Fracking company Cuadrilla has announced it plans to drill a second well in Lancashire before its planning permission runs out in November. |
Online tool to calculate health impact of trees published
11/07/2019 A new online tool which can help councils calculate how much pollution would be removed by planting trees in local areas has been launched. |
Whitehall announces nearly £40m electric chargepoint investment
09/07/2019 The Government has announced it is investing £37m to transform electric chargepoint infrastructure. |
Fall in number of councils reducing carbon footprint
28/06/2019 The number of UK local authority areas reducing their carbon footprint is falling despite Parliament setting a new target for cutting emissions, according to a research and campaign group. |
Policies to clean up air pollution ‘effective’, research suggests
27/06/2019 Policies to clean up air pollution in the UK over the past 40 years have led to significant reductions in human exposure to air pollution, research suggests. |
UK commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’
27/06/2019 The UK has become the ‘first major economy’ to pass a law to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. |
New toolkit launched to help councils go green
20/06/2019 A new toolkit designed to help local authorities reduce their carbon footprint and ‘trigger the wider benefits of bold climate action’ has been launched. |
Illegal tipping sites uncovered in 'sting' operation
29/05/2019 Dozens of illegal tipping sites have been discovered in a 'sting' operation by environment and customs officers. |
Top panel formed to study local impact of Social Value Act
23/05/2019 Localis has launched a research project asking if the Government is providing social, economic and environmental benefits through public procurement. |
Coventry ordered to implement clean air zone
17/05/2019 Coventry City Council has accused the Government of using ‘heavy handed’ tactics after it was ordered to implement a clean air zone. |
Hackney publishes guide to banning traffic outside schools
17/05/2019 Hackney Council has launched a new toolkit designed to help local authorities ban traffic outside of schools at opening and closing times. |
To what extent is the environment shaping national politics?
15/05/2019 Erica Popplewell explores what the local election results can tell us about concerns for the countryside and environment. |
Khan hails 'landmark day' as London ULEZ begins
08/04/2019 London’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) – described by mayor Sadiq Khan as the world’s toughest vehicle emissions standard – began on Monday. |
Heat networks can deliver huge energy savings with regional leadership
01/04/2019 Abandoning one-boiler-per-property model could deliver carbon savings, but it won’t happen without strategies at the regional level, argues Sweco's Andy King. |
Councils must finalise air quality plans or face legal action, lawyers say
27/03/2019 Environmental campaigners have written to 38 local authorities warning them to finalise their air quality plans or face legal action. |
Birmingham faces 'major public health crisis’, council warns
14/03/2019 Birmingham City Council has been given the go-ahead to introduce a clean air zone to tackle what it has called a 'major public health crisis'. |
Planners ‘must do more’ to protect people from pollution
28/02/2019 The Government's health advisers say planning authorities must make sure new building projects protect people from air pollution. |
Scotland’s landfill ban will be £100m tax gift to England, waste experts say
27/02/2019 Waste management experts have ‘expressed deep concern’ that Scotland is not prepared for a landfill ban which will lead to higher haulage costs for councils. |
Council chiefs insist waste reforms must be ‘fully funded’
18/02/2019 Local authority leaders have welcomed plans to ‘overhaul’ the waste system, but cautioned Whitehall that any reforms need to be fully funded. |
Infrastructure funding must be tied to ‘clean air agenda’, think tank says
14/02/2019 Ministers must use the forthcoming spending review to tie funding for vital public infrastructure to the 'clean air agenda', according to think tank Localis. |
Around £2bn of clean energy projects ‘stuck’ due to lack of funds
30/01/2019 A ‘temperature check’ survey has identified an estimated £2bn worth of council clean energy projects that are struggling to progress due to underfunding. |
Nottingham sets sights on being UK’s first carbon neutral city
23/01/2019 Nottingham City Council has set itself an ambitious target of becoming the UK’s first carbon neutral city by 2028. |
Consultation plans for council tree felling proposed
03/01/2019 Councils would be required to consult residents before cutting down trees in urban areas under Government plans. |
Parish councils protest against airport expansion
20/12/2018 A group of parish councils have protested at plans to expand Bristol Airport on the grounds that it will increase traffic and damage the environment. |
Recycling services receive a £1bn boost
18/12/2018 Council chiefs have welcomed the Government’s new waste strategy, which aims to encourage businesses and manufacturers to use easily recyclable packaging. |
Developers may be forced to make 'biodiversity net gain'
03/12/2018 Developers will have to improve habitats for wildlife under new rules proposed by environment secretary Michael Gove. |
Council abandons controversial plan to drop kerbside plastic collection
28/11/2018 Swindon has abandoned controversial proposals to withdraw the kerbside collection of plastics and says it will carry out further ‘research’ into the issue. |
Khan launches five ‘clean air’ zones
16/11/2018 Sadiq Khan yesterday launched five new ‘clean air’ zones in a bid to clean up some of London’s worst polluted hotspots. |
West Midlands to invest £43m in ‘congestion busting projects’
07/11/2018 Local leaders in the West Midlands will this Friday consider plans to invest £43m in projects designed to tackle the region’s congestion problems. |
Whitehall launches ‘fracking’ consultation
01/11/2018 The Government has launched a consultation on community involvement in shale gas proposals in an effort to ‘open a meaningful dialogue’. |
How local authorities can ditch plastic
29/10/2018 Mike Winter outlines the lessons learned from London's refill revolution. |
Whitehall’s response to air pollution ‘lacks ambition’
29/10/2018 Health bodies have criticised the Government’s approach to pollution and called for legally enforced air standards to ensure cleaner air across the UK. |
Saving Britain’s bees
10/10/2018 Sophie Hamnett urges local authorities to adopt pollinator action plans, which could help save them money as well as protecting the country’s bees. |
Councils must ‘act now’ to tackle carbon emissions
09/10/2018 Councils must ensure all plans have carbon-reduction targets, charity says after report warns global warming will lead to ‘unprecedented changes' in society. |
Heathrow legal challenges to go to full hearing
05/10/2018 Courts of Justice today ruled that all six legal challenges brought against the decision in June to back a third runway at Heathrow can go to a full hearing. |
Gove announces £15m pilot scheme to reduce food waste
02/10/2018 The Government will set up a £15m pilot scheme to reduce food waste, the environment secretary has announced. |
Welsh council moves to monthly refuse collection service
25/09/2018 Welsh council has announced it will only collect refuse destined for landfill or incineration once a month in an effort to save money and encourage recycling. |
City leaders call on PM to take action on air pollution
28/08/2018 Leaders of the UK’s major cities have joined forces to urge Theresa May to take ‘tough and urgent’ action to deal with air pollution. |
Council proposes 10-point plan to tackle air pollution
08/08/2018 Oxford City Council has called on the Government to adopt a 10-point plan to tackle high air pollution levels which contribute to 40,000 deaths every year. |
Council’s solar farm generates £1.3m in second year
07/08/2018 Forest Heath council’s solar farm has generated more than £1.3m of income, enabling the authority to plough over £370,000 back into council services. |
North Londoners urged to ‘wise up to waste’
01/08/2018 The 'Blue Planet' programme has had a massive effect on people's attitudes to plastic waste, new research has found. |
Birmingham councillor calls for action on dumped fridges
19/07/2018 A Birmingham councillor has called on the Government to do more to tackle the issue of dumped fridges. |
Council use of incinerators ‘doubles’ since 2010
16/07/2018 The amount of waste managed by local authorities and sent to incinerators has doubled in less than a decade, a new report reveals. |
Fracking decisions should be made at a local level, MPs warn
05/07/2018 Government plans to move decisions on fracking applications away from local planning authorities would be 'hugely harmful' to local democracy, MPs warn. |
Glasgow set for Scotland’s first low emission zone
15/06/2018 Glasgow is set to become the first city in Scotland to reduce air pollution by imposing a low emission zone. |
New Tree Champion to ‘drive forward’ planting at local level
13/06/2018 Local authorities are to be required to consult with residents before felling trees in their areas under a new duty, the environment secretary has said. |
Councils need guidance to deliver electric vehicle infrastructure
25/05/2018 Electric vehicles have potential, but ensuring the infrastructure is available to support them is critical. Andy King, director of energy at Sweco, explains. |
Whitehall launches tool to measure air pollution
22/05/2018 The Government’s public health body has launched a new tool to help councils calculate the potential costs of air pollution. |
Council chiefs call for ‘sufficient’ funding to implement clean air strategy
22/05/2018 Local authority leaders have warned new air quality plans can only be successful if they are supported by ‘local flexibility and sufficient funding’. |
Cardiff considering £26.5m scheme to reduce carbon emissions
20/04/2018 Cardiff Council are considering a £26.5m scheme which could heat public and commercial buildings across the city using non-recyclable waste. |
Recycling scheme to tackle plastic bottle waste
28/03/2018 Environment secretary Michael Gove today announced a new deposit return scheme to increase recycling rates and reduce waste. |
Think tank outlines priorities for Sheffield's metro mayor
09/03/2018 The new mayor of Sheffield City Region should quickly introduce a ‘clean air charge’ when they take office, address skills gaps and bolster commercial centres, according to a think tank. |
Official guidance barely ‘scrapes surface’ of air quality crisis
08/02/2018 Official air quality guidance directs councils to focus on buses rather than the more serious sources of air pollution, campaigners warn. |
Councils welcome Government proposals to fine fly-tippers
15/01/2018 Local authorities have welcomed the Government’s pledge to provide them with the powers to do more to tackle illegal waste and fly-tipping. |
Only five councils bid for electric car charge points funding
12/01/2018 Only five councils have applied for funding to buy and install electric car charging points, the Government has revealed. |
Charity publishes new guidelines for ‘nature-friendly’ developments
12/01/2018 A charity dedicated to the protection of wildlife has published a set of guidelines to help local authorities build nature-friendly housing developments. |
New forest to help deliver ‘Green Brexit’, Gove claims
08/01/2018 The Environment Secretary has claimed the Government’s £6m plan to create a ‘Northern Forest’ would help deliver a ‘Green Brexit’. |
MPs call for ‘latte levy’ to improve recycling facilities
05/01/2018 A 25p levy should be applied to all disposable coffee cups and a target set to recycle all cups by 2023, MPs have said today. |
The problem with the T-Charge
18/12/2017 Will introducing a T-Charge in London help reduce emissions and improve air quality? Sukalpa Biswa argues there are more effective approaches. |
Air pollution harming unborn babies, medical study shows
06/12/2017 Air pollution from road traffic in London is harming unborn babies, a shocking medical study has revealed. |
Edinburgh offers £80,000 for electric vehicle charging system ideas
04/12/2017 The City of Edinburgh Council is offering £80,000 in a competition to find the best idea for how to develop new charging systems for electric vehicles. |
Budget 2017: Hammond goes ‘electric first’ with car tech revolution
22/11/2017 Philip Hammond put the ‘technical revolution’ surrounding transport at the heart of his Budget today, but emphasised he would prioritise electric cars. |
Councils awarded £11m for green buses
29/08/2017 Local authorities and bus companies have been awarded more than £10m to help them purchase low emission buses. |
Local authority pension funds ‘ratcheting up’ climate change engagement
06/06/2017 Local authority pension funds are going to ‘ratchet up’ their efforts to encourage companies to be more aware of climate change and how it will impact the value of their stocks. |
Bristol named ‘green capital’ of the UK
02/06/2017 Bristol has been named the greenest city in the UK as part of research into the country’s most environmentally friendly cities. |
Experts say more hedges in cities could cut pollution
18/05/2017 Low hedges should be planted along roads in built-up areas of cities to help tackle pollution, a new study has urged. |
Whitehall’s clean air proposals ‘passing buck’ to councils
05/05/2017 The Government is ‘passing the buck’ to local authorities with ‘weak’ proposals to tackle air pollution, environmental lawyers say. |
Campaigners urge metro mayors to ‘green’ city regions
04/05/2017 Environmental campaigners have called on the incoming metro mayors to take urgent action to improve the environment in their city regions. |
Local authorities urged to protect bees
06/04/2017 Councils have been urged to help save bees by cutting grass less often - and claim 'huge' public support for the policy. |
London mayor blasts Heathrow expansion plans
31/03/2017 Sadiq Khan has accused the Government of not providing answers to ‘fundamental questions’ about the impact the third Heathrow runway will have on London. |
Government announces nearly £300m investment into green vehicles
30/11/2016 The Government has announced a £290m investment plan to support green vehicles as part of it's target for cars and vans to be zero emission by 2050. |
Report shows green buses are saving 55,000 tonnes of emissions per year
10/11/2016 Greener buses are saving 55,000 tonnes of emissions and delivering £8m in health and environmental benefits every year, according to a new report. |
Controversial plans for Heathrow expansion approved
25/10/2016 The Government has announced its support for a new runway at Heathrow despite environmental concerns. |
Milton Keynes reports 300% increase in low-emission vehicles
17/10/2016 Implementation of low-carbon transport technology in schemes throughout Milton Keynes has resulted in a tripling of the use of electric vehicles (EV) across the city, a council report has claimed. |
Councils urged to bid for £35m funding for environmentally-friendly vehicles
14/10/2016 The Government is encouraging councils to bid for funding from a multi-million pound package designed to boost the uptake of ultra-low emission taxis and cars. |
Local communities should have ‘final say’ on fracking, councils warn
06/10/2016 The decision on whether or not to allow fracking to go ahead should be in the hands of the local communities ‘most affected’, council chiefs say. |
Norwich council to abolish single-use plastic products
30/09/2016 Norwich City Council has committed itself to becoming a single-use-plastic-free authority by the end of 2017. |
Council pledges to improve wildlife habitats under road scheme
29/09/2016 Staffordshire County Council is promising to create ‘better wildlife habitats’ as part of works to build a relief road. |
Whitehall should invest in low carbon ‘green engine’ of the Northern Powerhouse
12/09/2016 The Government should support the ‘green engine’ of the Northern Powerhouse by investing more in the low carbon economy, a new report argues. |
Six billion fewer plastic bags used thanks to charge
01/08/2016 Shoppers are set to take home six billion fewer plastic bags this year as a result of the five pence charge, the Government says. |
Scottish councils take the recycling pledge
26/07/2016 Half of all the councils in Scotland have signed up to a Scottish Government-backed charter to make household recycling easier. |
Councils awarded £30m for environmentally-friendly buses
25/07/2016 Local authorities and bus operators have been awarded millions to buy low emmission buses. |
Non-recyclable coffee cups cost millions to dispose of, LGA says
22/07/2016 High street coffee chains must go ‘further and faster’ in developing recyclable cups, councils say. |
Cities of the future
21/06/2016 Sara Smith argues that cities must look to people not cars for inspiration. |
Cuts put public at risk from contaminated soil
02/06/2016 Whitehall is putting the public’s health at risk by cutting council grants to clean up contaminated brownfield land, the Environmental Audit Committee has warned. |
Powers to tackle pollution should be devolved to councils, committee says
27/04/2016 Councils should be given powers to create Clean Air Zones to help stop 50,000 people a year dying early from pollution-related illnesses, says committee. |
Sheffield aims to become a European green city
01/03/2016 Sheffield has taken crucial steps towards becoming a European green city with the publication of new report. |
Council sets up first ever ‘Solar Bond’
24/02/2016 Swindon has launched the UK’s first ever ‘Council Solar Bond’ in order to pay for a community solar farm. |
Fracking causes noise pollution and road damage, scientists say
24/02/2016 Fracking could lead to an increase in heavy-duty vehicles on the road, which could, in turn, give rise to substantial increases in noise levels, road damage, and air pollution in local areas, new research has uncovered. |
Authorities exceeding recycling expectations, but more must be done, says union
14/01/2016 73 councils in England already meet or exceed the EU recycling rate target of 50% of household waste by 2020, but more investment is needed if this progress is to continue, according to GMB. |
Gloucestershire council claims to be ‘first in Europe’ to become carbon neutral
22/12/2015 A council in Gloucestershire is claiming to be the first in Europe - and just the second worldwide - to become carbon neutral. |
This issue of Local Government News explores how councils can tackle modern slavery and trafficking in their supply chains, finds out more about Cambridge's first cohousing scheme and the launch of a new project to build a shared service pattern library for local government.
This issue also contains a special focus on children's services and how councils are protecting children following local safeguarding children boards being abolished.
