Call to give councils greater role in creating jobs and training opportunities
Children's social care a 'Jenga held together with Sellotape' says damning review
Government announces £220m fund to support children in school holidays
LGiU report calls for a local government-led Building Back Better commission
Local authorities competing for clean air
Gavin Bailey argues the current Clean Air Zone mechanism is asking local authorities to fix a problem they simply cannot fix.
Litter overwhelming councils in tourist hotspots, warns union
15/06/2021 Councils are being overwhelmed by huge piles of litter at UK beauty spots, a trade union has warned today. |
Councils receive extra COVID support as lockdown easing delayed
15/06/2021 The Government has announced additional support to help Birmingham, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Liverpool City Region and Warrington tackle the Delta variant of COVID-19. |
Queen’s Birthday Honours celebrates local government
14/06/2021 The Queen’s Birthday Honours list has paid tribute to two key figures who stepped in following the financial collapse of Northamptonshire County Council. |
Councils called on to create new programmes to close skills gap
14/06/2021 Local authorities should create skills programmes to train workers in their areas as part of the effort to tackle the UK’s engineering skills shortages, a new report argues. |
Potential sites for prototype fusion energy plant are unveiled
14/06/2021 The fifteen sites that are in the running to host the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant have been announced. |
Councils welcome fall in rough sleeping numbers
11/06/2021 Council leaders have welcomed the drop in the number of rough sleepers, arguing it shows what can be achieved when central and local government work together. |
District urges Government to rethink Stansted Airport expansion plans
11/06/2021 The planning inspectorate’s decision to allow an appeal over the expansion of Stansted Airport has been branded an ‘insult to local democracy’ by the leader of Uttlesford District Council. |
Commissioners appointed at Liverpool City Council
10/06/2021 Surrey CC’s chief executive Joanna Killian will be part of the team of independent commissioners who will oversee improvements at Liverpool City Council, local government secretary Robert Jenrick has announced today. |
Councils fighting to keep on top of rights of way maintenance
10/06/2021 Councils fight to keep on top of the maintenance needs of rights of way alongside a backdrop of increased public expectations, place directors have said. |
MPs call for councils to be given more powers to tackle ‘land banking’
10/06/2021 Local authorities should be granted more powers to act where developers are too slow in completing sites they have planning permission for, MPs say. |
Patel reveals rota replacement scheme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children
10/06/2021 A new rota scheme will better distribute responsibility for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) among councils, home secretary Priti Patel has revealed. |
Change pothole cash rules to protect riders
09/06/2021 A local government insurer has called for council pothole funding to give greater focus to cycle paths and footways to protect cyclists and e-scooter riders. |
PM told to invest more in pandemic recovery measures for children
09/06/2021 Government urged to ‘reconsider’ pandemic recovery measures for children as researchers estimate it has committed to spend only one-tenth of what is needed. |
Thousands at risk of losing legal status as EUSS deadline looms
09/06/2021 A number of charities have written to the PM urging him to extend the EU Settlement Scheme deadline to prevent thousands of children from losing legal status. |
BCP Council agrees to check past payments to foster carers
08/06/2021 BCP Council has agreed to check whether it has paid friends and family foster carers properly over the past five years following an investigation. |
Controversial Somerset poll backs district plan
07/06/2021 A controversial poll on reorganisation in Somerset has come out in favour of a district-based proposal. |
Call for powers to use empty properties for homeless families
07/06/2021 The Local Government Association (LGA) wants more powers to make use of empty properties to provide accommodation for homeless people. |
Pandemic hits disadvantaged pupils hardest, study reveals
07/06/2021 Disadvantaged pupils have experienced ‘greater learning losses’ than their more affluent peers, new research has found. |
Councils given power to tackle exploitation on mobile home sites
07/06/2021 Councils have been given greater powers to tackle bad practice and the exploitation of residents on mobile homes sites. |
Calls to invest £1bn a year in wild spaces to boost public’s health
04/06/2021 A new report has called for an urgent £1bn per year funding package to restore nature at scale. |
Education recovery tsar resigns over lack of funding
03/06/2021 Sir Kevan Collins has resigned as the Government’s education recovery commissioner after warning the support announced ‘falls far short of what is needed’. |
Three councils back Bay unitary proposal
03/06/2021 The newly elected leaders of three neighbouring councils have backed proposals for a new Bay unitary authority. |
Developers challenge accusations of 'land banking'
02/06/2021 A new report challenges the Local Government Association’s (LGA) claim that the housing crisis is largely down to a reluctance by developers to build and argues that the real problem is a shortage of planning permissions. |
Charges for Birmingham's Clean Air Zone delayed for two weeks
02/06/2021 Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) finally went live on Monday, but with a two-week ‘soft launch period’ where no charges will be levied. |
Nearly two million tenants fear losing their home
01/06/2021 More than one in five private renters are worried they will lose their home now that the ban on evictions has been lifted, a homelessness charity has warned. |
UK City of Culture competition open to towns
01/06/2021 The Government has announced that for the first time groups of towns will be able to join together and apply for the title of UK City of Culture to be awarded to their local area. |
Councils set out six-point plan to prevent families at ‘cliff-edge’ of homelessness
01/06/2021 Council leaders have published a six-point plan to help protect vulnerable households from homelessness now that the ban on bailiff evictions has ended. |
Children call on local leaders to tackle air pollution
01/06/2021 Nearly half of British children believe local leaders should be helping to tackle air pollution, according to the results of a new survey. |
Counties see fastest growth in number of people claiming out of work benefits
28/05/2021 County councils have warned that a 'narrow and simplistic focus' in the levelling-up agenda risks England’s economic recovery from the pandemic. |
Green space 'not equally accessible to all' index reveals
27/05/2021 The most deprived communities tend to have the less access to green spaces, an annual report has found. |
Free voter cards to be issued by councils under new bill
27/05/2021 Councils will be required to provide free voter cards for people without the correct identification under the Government’s voter ID plans. |
Bristol City Council apologises for ‘distress’ caused by mishandling of complaints
26/05/2021 Bristol City Council has apologised after being criticised for failing to provide evidence it had completed Ombudsman recommendations in two separate complaints. |
Labour calls for free school meals over holidays
26/05/2021 Over half a million children became eligible for free school meals during the first year of the pandemic, analysis by Labour has estimated. |
Calls to end 'unstable and discriminatory' housing system
26/05/2021 A third of adults are living in homes that are unaffordable, unfit or unstable, a homelessness charity has warned today. |
Unfair evictions cost councils £161m per year
26/05/2021 Ending unfair evictions could save councils £161m a year and reduce homelessness by 9%, according to new analysis. |
Local leaders calls for 'further and faster' action on climate change
25/05/2021 Local leaders have called for more funding and powers to help achieve climate change targets. |
Pandemic has increased attendance inequalities in schools, study finds
25/05/2021 Disadvantaged pupils are the least likely to return to school after lockdown, a new study has revealed. |
Councils given £50,000 to develop design codes
24/05/2021 Planners have welcomed the Government’s announcement that 14 local authorities will be given £50,000 each to develop new design codes but called for more funds for local planning teams. |
Nearly 60 councils commit to ambitious net zero targets
21/05/2021 Nearly 60 council leaders have now pledged to meet net zero five years earlier than the Government. |
New guidance on council-owned companies to be published
21/05/2021 Councils will soon be issued guidance on governance arrangements for local authority trading companies (LATCs) by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). |
Five councils launch projects to engage with private renters
21/05/2021 Five local authorities have launched projects to help better understand the challenges faced by private renters. |
County to review its SEN services following ombudsman investigation
20/05/2021 Hampshire County Council has agreed to reviews its SEN services following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
London's 'triple whammy' risks homelessness crisis
20/05/2021 London Councils has warned there is a ‘triple whammy’ of impending risks that threaten to push homelessness to record levels this summer. |
A further 57 high streets chosen for £830m funding boost
19/05/2021 The Prime Minister has announced 57 high streets in England will share over £830m to help them reopen and recover from the pandemic. |
Study reveals over 25,000 modal filters in UK enabling access to cyclists
18/05/2021 New research has revealed there are at least 25,000 modal filters in the UK restricting motor vehicles and enabling access to cyclists and pedestrians. |
Report finds 200,000 people ineligible for UC due to partner’s earnings
18/05/2021 Hundreds of thousands of people are ineligible for benefits despite facing financial insecurity due to the coronavirus pandemic, study reveals. |
Council secures high court ruling to protect safety of residents
18/05/2021 Thurrock Council has been granted an interim injunction by the High Court to prevent residents from living in an unsafe property. |
Council criticised for handling of COVID-19 business support
18/05/2021 A north Yorkshire district council has defended itself after criticisms that there was a lack of transparency in the way it administered the discretionary grant scheme designed to help businesses impacted by COVID-19. |
Scrap permitted development rights, council chiefs say
17/05/2021 Office blocks left empty following the pandemic risk being turned into substandard housing because of permitted development rights (PDRs), council chiefs say. |
Councils deal with 20,000 fly-tipping incidents a week
17/05/2021 Council chiefs call for tougher sentences for people caught illegally dumping rubbish as figures show councils deal with 20,000 fly-tipping incidents a week. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
