Library staff numbers halved since 2010, says UNISON
Coventry sets aside £27m to cover potential equal pay claims
'Widespread lack of understanding' to blame for key worker oversight
LGA to look into scale of £100k salary sign off burden
Digital Transformation, AI and Local Government: The Case for Workforce Upskilling
The new LocalGov and Multiverse report explores how workforce upskilling is driving smarter, more efficient, and inclusive local government transformation.
EXCLUSIVE: Pay spine review kicks off
26/02/2026 Work has started on a review of the national pay scale used to determine salaries for most council employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. |
Parish councillor honoured for ‘transformative’ local impact
26/02/2026 A parish councillor for North Cerney Parish Council has received a Councillor of the Year award. |
Shetland civic head banned from company directorship over unpaid taxes
25/02/2026 The civic head of Shetland Islands Council has been disqualified from acting as a company director after her pub business failed to pay over £170,000 in taxes. |
Deputy leader apologises for sharing violent post about MP
25/02/2026 The deputy leader of Lancashire County Council has apologised after sharing a Facebook post which said a Labour MP ‘should be shot’. |
Camden celebrates strides in workforce inclusivity scheme
24/02/2026 Camden Council has reached its goal of producing one hundred accessible employment opportunities in one hundred days. |
Reform UK plans to scrap defined benefit council pensions
24/02/2026 Reform UK would scrap defined benefit pension schemes for new council employees, according to Richard Tice MP. |
Over 1,000 councillors sign ‘Pledge for Palestine’
23/02/2026 More than 1,000 local councillors across Britain have signed a ‘Pledge for Palestine’ ahead of key local elections in May, campaigners say. |
South Ayrshire Council could consider job cuts in new workforce plan
20/02/2026 South Ayrshire Council has revealed that workforce changes will be unavoidable as part of the measures required to close its budget gap. |
Council-run education catering services face mounting pressures, research finds
19/02/2026 Over 60% of councils that cater for schools have cited final pressures as the key driver for undertaking a catering service review, a survey has found. |
Salford loses ‘giant of local government’
19/02/2026 David Lancaster, a Salford councillor believed to have been the longest-serving councillor in England, has passed away. |
Planning enforcement delays undermining trust, Ombudsman says
17/02/2026 Prolonged delays in local authority planning enforcement are leaving unlawful developments in place and undermining public trust, watchdog says. |
Local authority craft workers consider strike action
17/02/2026 Over a thousand local authority craft workers are set to be balloted for strike action after receiving what the Unite calls an ‘unsatisfactory pay offer’. |
Public libraries face volunteering workforce pressures
17/02/2026 A new report has warned that England’s public libraries face mounting workforce and infrastructure pressures as volunteering continues to expand. |
Peer suspended due to past contact with convicted councillor
11/02/2026 A peer has been suspended from Labour's parliamentary party due to his connections to a disgraced councillor. |
LGA slammed for failing to take its own advice
11/02/2026 Local Government Association has been accused of failing to take its own advice on employee relations in the aftermath of disastrous restructure consultation. |
Brum bin workers vote to extend strikes beyond local elections
11/02/2026 Striking bin workers in Birmingham have voted to extend their industrial action mandate past the city’s May local elections and into September 2026. |
Royal reception celebrates Northern Ireland local government staff
04/02/2026 Local government representatives from across Northern Ireland were honoured at a special reception hosted by Their Majesties The King and Queen. |
Councillors urge minimum pension age hike amid cost fears
04/02/2026 Councillors are pushing for the minimum pension age to be increased by two years for more officers amid fears about costs from reorganisation. |
Kent DOLGE head resigns over 'lapse of judgement'
04/02/2026 The head of Kent CC's Department of Local Government Efficiency (DOLGE) has stood down over a ‘lapse of judgement'. |
£2.8bn wages hike looms amid unions pay demands
29/01/2026 Local government’s wage bill would have to surge by £2.8bn to meet the demands laid down in unions’ pay claim for 2026-27, it has been estimated. |
WhatsApp probe finds councillors in breach of code of conduct
27/01/2026 An independent investigation into the ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp incident has found six individuals to have breached Tameside Council’s code of conduct. |
Councils fear exclusion from pay negotiations
27/01/2026 Council chiefs are calling for a formal role in negotiations on the Government’s proposed Fair Pay Agreement for care workers. |
LGA accused of pushing restructure to beat 'fire and rehire' changes
22/01/2026 The Labour-led Local Government Association's has been accused of trying to push through its restructure before fire and rehire practice are outlawed. |
Mayor hits back after fake AI video
20/01/2026 The Mayor of Gloucester criticises ‘online stunts’ after a fake, AI-generated video was published amid a row over the city’s finances. |
LGA: Fair Pay Agreement ‘unworkable’ without council involvement
16/01/2026 The proposed adult social care Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) model is unworkable without adequate funding and meaningful local government involvement, LGA warns. |
EXCLUSIVE: LGA plan hits mid ranks
15/01/2026 The latest plans to slash the pay for Local Government Association (LGA) staff are unlikely to hit those on the very highest salaries, leaked figures reveal. |
Unite accuses Birmingham CC leaders of misleading scrutiny committee
14/01/2026 Unite has accused Birmingham CC’s lead commissioner and managing director of misleading councillors during a meeting of a key scrutiny committee. |
Union strike to hit Leeds
08/01/2026 Union Unite members who work with people with additional needs are walking out over claims council cuts have put staff and service users at risk. |
Staff left reeling after LGA restructure plans
08/01/2026 Local Government Association (LGA) staff face pay cuts of up to £30,000 under modernisation plans. |
Bromley traffic wardens take further strike action
07/01/2026 Outsourced traffic wardens belonging to the GMB trade union have begun further strike action in Bromley. |
National recruitment campaign for local government launched
05/01/2026 A new national recruitment drive aiming to boost council workforces has been launched amid growing staffing pressures across local government. |
Union warns of more equal pay claims as payouts rise above £1bn
02/01/2026 The GMB has revealed it plans to launch 10,000 new equal pay claims across five more councils alongside 40,000 outstanding actions at 28 authorities. |
Local government leaders recognised in 2026 New Year honours list
02/01/2026 The 2026 New Year honours list has highlighted a group of senior local government figures for their dedication to public service across the UK. |
Former councillor accused of raping ex-wife
23/12/2025 A former Tory councillor from Swindon has appeared in court charged with drugging and raping his ex-wife. |
EXCLUSIVE: Opposition leader refuses to sign 'NDA' over £10m payment
22/12/2025 An opposition leader has claimed he refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in order to be told the facts behind a £10m payment to waste firm Biffa. |
Birmingham signs ‘historic’ equal pay deal with unions
10/12/2025 Thousands of Birmingham City Council women workers will today find out how much they will receive from an equal payout offer agreed between unions and the local authority. |
Moray Council supports schools with staff attendance project
05/12/2025 Moray Council is to deliver a ‘major project’ to boost staff attendance following an increase in absence rates. |
Brum bin collections cancelled as agency staff strike
02/12/2025 Birmingham City Council was forced to suspend bin collections this week amid an escalation of industrial action to hit the service. |
Council staff demand pay rise amid rising pressures
01/12/2025 Unions representing council workers have today submitted their joint pay claim for 2026–27, calling for a wage rise of at least £3,000. |
Staff shortages ‘blighting’ children’s education, union warns
28/11/2025 Staffing shortages in UK schools are putting children’s education – and safety – at risk, warns the union UNISON. |
Healey’s council tax underpayment ‘admin error’
24/11/2025 Defence Secretary John Healey has acknowledged he underpaid £1,500 in council tax due to an ‘administrative error’ by Westminster Council. |
EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs' pay slump
20/11/2025 Advertised salaries for local government chief executives have failed to keep up with inflation, an analysis has revealed. |
Reform UK councillor suspended over WhatsApp messages
20/11/2025 Reform UK councillor Tom Pickup has been suspended for being part of a WhatsApp group where participants allegedly called for a ‘mass Islam genocide’. |
Agency workers join escalating Birmingham bin strike
18/11/2025 Agency workers have now joined Birmingham City Council’s directly employed refuse collectors in the long-running bin strike. |
Reed: Reorganisation will contribute to 'fair' pay
14/11/2025 Local government reorganisation will help pay council workers a ‘fair wage', communities secretary Steve Reed has suggested. |
Labour refuses to use devo Bill to protect councillors' addresses
13/11/2025 The Government has rejected a plea to use the devolution Bill to remove the requirement for councillors to publish their home addresses. |
Fresh finance officer warning
12/11/2025 The recruitment crisis for section 151 officers is destined to get worse, a local government adviser with 25 years of public sector experience has warned. |
Isle of Wight Council ‘dysfunctional’, report finds
12/11/2025 A new report has warned that Isle of Wight Council faces serious governance failings and risks Government intervention unless urgent reforms are made. |
‘Captain Chaos’: Row erupts over Kent fire authority
11/11/2025 A firefighters’ union has raised serious concerns about the governance of Kent and Medway Fire Authority, calling the body ‘in disarray’ after suspensions. |
Tougher sanctions to tackle town hall misconduct proposed
11/11/2025 Local authorities could be granted new powers to suspend councillors for serious misconduct, according to proposals to improve standards in local government. |
