Cheshire East backs safety protocol to protect councillors against abuse
EXCLUSIVE: Director suspended by county amid reorganisation vacuum
Lambeth to slash senior management to help plug £84m funding gap
Council officers sacked after ‘illegal activity’ uncovered
UNISON: To whoever forms the next government…
Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON, tells LocalGov.co.uk what the sector’s biggest union hopes to see from the next government.
Employers and unions agree pay deal
24/07/2025 Local government employers and the Unison and GMB trade unions have agreed a pay deal for the sector. |
BCP Council announces new pay structure
24/07/2025 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has approved proposals for a new ‘fair and transparent’ staff pay structure. |
Peers pass fire and hire exemption
23/07/2025 Councils with financial problems that are placed under government intervention may be exempt from a ban on sacking and then rehiring employees. |
Reform candidate takes legal action after losing dead heat election
22/07/2025 Reform UK candidate Liz Williams has filed a petition to the High Court claiming her loss in May's dead heat election in Worcestershire County Council’s Littletons division was fraudulent. |
Union ballots Wrexham bin workers on strike action
21/07/2025 Refuse workers in Wrexham are being balloted on strike action, with their union Unite claiming changes in working patterns by the town’s council will see them lose half a day’s pay. |
Soton council reaches equal pay settlement
18/07/2025 Hundreds of low-paid staff at Southampton City Council, most of them women, are set to benefit from an equal pay settlement, according to public sector unions. |
South Cambs permanently adopts four-day week
18/07/2025 South Cambridgeshire District Council has voted to become the first council in the UK to permanently adopt a four-day week. |
Employers double down on pay offer
16/07/2025 Council employers have unanimously reaffirmed their April offer of a 3.2% pay increase as ‘full and final' despite unions urging them to better their proposal. |
Unitary achieves pay harmony six years after reorganisation
16/07/2025 A deal to harmonise legacy pay and terms for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council workers is finally expected to be signed. |
Council employee prosecuted for fraud
15/07/2025 An employee who was simultaneously employed by two local authorities and a third organisation has been found guilty of fraud after earning over £230,000. |
Unions back Scottish local government pay offer
11/07/2025 Local authority leaders in Scotland have welcomed the decision by Unite and GMB members to accept the latest two-year pay offer. |
Job loses loom as Birmingham bin dispute talks collapse
10/07/2025 Attempts to resolve the long-running waste service dispute between Birmingham City Council and Unite have collapsed with job loses the likely result. |
Councils under intervention could be exempted from fire and rehire ban
09/07/2025 Councils under intervention could be exempt from a legal ban on so-called fire and rehire practices after the latest amendment to the Employment Rights Bill. |
Unite calls for investigation into Brum commissioners
09/07/2025 Unite has called for an investigation into whether Birmingham’s Government-appointed commissioners have a financial interest in keeping the bin strikes going. |
Union members accept two-year pay offer
08/07/2025 Local government staff in Scotland have voted to accept a two-year pay offer. |
Unions call for ‘better and fairer’ pay offer
04/07/2025 Trade unions representing council staff across the country have called on local government employers to improve on the 3.2% pay offer. |
Four-day week trial success, says council
04/07/2025 A report into South Cambridgeshire District Council’s four-day week trial has found most of the monitored services either improved or were maintained. |
GMB members vote against 3.2% pay offer
01/07/2025 Members of the trade union GMB have voted to reject a 3.2% local government pay offer. |
Unite set to take Brum bin dispute to Liverpool
30/06/2025 Unite members are set to protest Birmingham City Council’s leader at this year’s LGA conference as part of the ongoing bin strikes, says the trade union. |
EXCLUSIVE: Government turns to councils for extra building inspector capacity
30/06/2025 The Government has turned to councils for extra building inspector capacity as high-rise housing projects continue to be dogged by regulatory hold-ups. |
Teenage Reform leader says he should be judged on his record
30/06/2025 Eighteen-year-old Reform UK council leader assures residents his ‘track record is pretty good.’ |
Council chiefs warn of ‘corrosive impact’ of fake news
30/06/2025 Councillors have warned of the ‘dangers to democracy’ posed by fake news, as more than half say they have had misinformation published about them. |
Legal warning over Reform's pension plans
26/06/2025 A legal expert has warned Reform UK councils will not be able to slash local authority pensions. |
New councillors appointed after mass resignation
26/06/2025 Four councillors have been appointed to a town council after all of its members quit. |
Reform council leader resigns leaving teenager in charge
26/06/2025 A Reform UK councillor has stepped down from his role as Warwickshire County Council leader due to health challenges, leaving 18-year-old deputy in charge. |
Tameside rejects shortlisted candidates to replace Stewart
24/06/2025 Crisis-hit Tameside MBC has decided not to proceed with any of the applicants it had shortlisted to become its next chief executive. |
Local Authority of the Year revealed
23/06/2025 The MJ's Local Authority of the Year has been announced at a gala ceremony this afternoon. |
Union gains influx of members from Reform-run councils
20/06/2025 Membership rates for Unison trade union have increased by 205% across Reform-run councils. |
Birmingham CC approves equalities motion
19/06/2025 Birmingham City Council has committed to improving inclusive data collection practices. |
Council chiefs feature in King's Birthday Honours List
16/06/2025 Leading figures from the local government sector were among those awarded the most prestigious titles in King Charles’ Birthday Honours. |
Rochdale grooming gang convicted of raping girls
16/06/2025 Seven members of a Rochdale grooming gang have been found guilty of charges including rape and indecency with a child. |
Housing target threatened by planning officer shortage, says UNISON
16/06/2025 The Government’s efforts to boost affordable housing could be derailed if the shortage of planning officers in England is not addressed, UNISON warns. |
Brum bin strikes could last 6 months longer
06/06/2025 Almost 400 Birmingham bin workers voted for continued strike action in a recent ballot. |
LGA backs flexible work policies for local authorities
06/06/2025 The Government’s remote attendance announcement is a ‘positive step’ that gives councils greater power, says the LGA. |
EXCLUSIVE: Coventry equal pay bill could be more than £30m
05/06/2025 Coventry City Council could face an equal pay bill of more than £30m, The MJ understands. |
Housebuilders call for ‘meaningful action’ on planning staff crisis
05/06/2025 The association representing housebuilders in England and Wales has called on the Government to tackle the staffing shortage in local planning authorities. |
Misconduct investigation cost Durham CC thousands
04/06/2025 Durham County Council reveals its investigations into claims of councillor misconduct at Romaldkirk Parish Council cost upwards of £60,000. |
Thurrock Council seeks ‘justice’ following alleged fraud
04/06/2025 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched an investigation into Rockfire Investment Finance Plc following fraud allegations made by Thurrock Council. |
Unitary names next chief executive
02/06/2025 Aidan Dunn has been recommended as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council's new chief executive. |
Warrington chief to retire
28/05/2025 Warrington BC's chief executive Professor Steven Broomhead has announced his retirement. |
‘Skills revolution’ boosted with 120,000 training places
27/05/2025 The Government has made available 120,000 new training opportunities to help young people develop skills in key areas such as social care. |
Birmingham council secures court order to stop bin lorry protests
25/05/2025 Birmingham City Council has been granted a court order to stop protests outside of its bin lorry depots as the latest move in the long-running pay dispute. |
Council could slash one in 10 jobs
23/05/2025 More than one in ten jobs could be lost at Croydon LBC as it looks to tackle its £1.4bn debt. |
'More to do' on diversity in DCS roles
23/05/2025 Diversity among children’s services chiefs has improved over the last year, but ‘there is still more to do’ to make the role ‘visibly inclusive’, the Association of Directors of Children Services (ADCS) has said. |
Longest-serving chief exec announces retirement
23/05/2025 The chief executive of Leicestershire County Council is set to retire after what is believed to be a record-breaking three decades in the role. |
Enterprise zone set to grow local workforce
23/05/2025 A proposed enterprise zone in Wolverhampton and south Staffordshire could create nearly 15,000 jobs and boost the regional economy by £600m. |
Reform UK renames Durham council departments
22/05/2025 Reform UK has renamed several key positions and departments in Durham County Council to remove references to climate change, equality and inclusion. |
Councillors vote in favour of work-life balance
21/05/2025 Redcar and Cleveland councillors have backed a motion calling for some committee meetings to be moved to the evenings on weekdays. |
Council leader refuses to back cancellation of rap group Kneecap
21/05/2025 The SNP administration of Glasgow City Council would not support a ban on the Irish rap group Kneecap performing in the city, council leader Susan Aitken said. |
Breaking: Unite accuses commissioners of sabotaging Brum bin strike talks
21/05/2025 Government commissioners have been undermining efforts to resolve the Birmingham bin strike, the trade union Unite claims. |
