Local authority reclaims Blackpool Tower
05/06/2025 Blackpool Council has taken over management duties of Blackpool Tower, marking an ‘exciting new chapter for Blackpool’s tourism industry’. |
Spending Review ‘make or break’ for 1.5m housing target
05/06/2025 A select committee chair has written to the Chancellor warning of the impact of departmental budget cuts on Government plans to deliver 1.5 million houses. |
EXCLUSIVE: Ministry admits disabled grant delay
05/06/2025 Councils will not receive their 2025-26 Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding until late June, admits Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. |
LGA: Expansion of free school meals raises data questions
05/06/2025 Council leaders welcome the expansion of free school meals but warn they face data sharing and resource challenges. |
Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter wins global recognition
04/06/2025 Birmingham has been awarded World Craft City status due to the success of the region’s Jewellery Quarter. |
Judge rules that Jodie Marsh’s lemurs are ‘not a nuisance’
04/06/2025 A district judge has approved Jodie Marsh’s request to keep lemurs at her private animal sanctuary. |
Chancellor unveils £15bn regional transport investment
04/06/2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveiled plans to invest £15.6bn in buses, trams and trains outside of London. |
Government announces allocation of £7.6m reorganisation fund
04/06/2025 The Government has revealed how much of the £7.6m grant to support the cost of local government reorganisation each region will receive. |
Croydon to cut last lollipop patrols
03/06/2025 Croydon Council is set to remove the remaining lollipop school crossing patrols by the end of the year. |
Visitor levies could generate millions for local economies, say mayors
03/06/2025 English mayors have urged the Government to allow councils to introduce visitor levies to boost regional economies, tourism and infrastructure. |
Councils to be empowered to protect ‘socially necessary’ bus routes
03/06/2025 Councils are set to be empowered to put in place strict requirements for bus operators looking to change or cancel vital routes, the DfT has announced. |
School children driven indoors by protective bird of prey
02/06/2025 A north London primary school has sought health and safety advice after a bird of prey bases itself in the children’s play area. |
‘Ghost number plates’ could result in vehicle seizure, warns CTSI
02/06/2025 New research reveals a rise in counterfeit or ‘ghost number plates’, with one in 15 vehicles sporting plates that could be unrecognizable to UK camera systems. |
Reform UK launches DOGE teams to investigate council finances
02/06/2025 A new DOGE-style team of auditors, led by a UK ‘tech entrepreneur’, will be tasked with reviewing the finances of Reform UK-controlled councils, party chair Zia Yusuf has announced. |
Hillingdon considers asylum seeker funding legal action
30/05/2025 Hillingdon Council is considering legal action against the Government after the Home Office refused to provide extra funding to house asylum seekers. |
Councils faced with ‘astronomical’ children’s homes costs
29/05/2025 The number of children’s home placements costing over £500,000 annually has dramatically increased over the last five years, council chiefs warn. |
Scottish councils keen to explore further devolution
29/05/2025 Scottish councils are keen to explore ‘enhanced' devolution but have expressed reservations about following the English model of regional mayors. |
North Lincolnshire Council rejects ‘super council’
29/05/2025 North Lincolnshire Council has rejected proposals for local government reorganisation in Lincolnshire due to a ‘clear lack of support’ from residents. |
Eddie Howe awarded Freedom of Newcastle
29/05/2025 Newcastle City Council members have awarded the Freedom of Newcastle to Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe. |
London drivers face 20% congestion charge increase
28/05/2025 Transport for London (TfL) has proposed increasing London’s congestion charge by 20% from January 2026. |
Farage declares the two-child benefit cap must end
28/05/2025 Nigel Farage has announced his intentions to abandon the two-child benefit cap, resulting in over £3bn of new spending. |
John Lewis wins approval for plan to build 430 homes
28/05/2025 The John Lewis Partnership’s largest build-to-rent project has been given the go ahead in West London despite objections from the local council. |
Government proposes easing environmental protections to boost housing
28/05/2025 The Government has announced a raft of reforms aimed at easing planning regulations and environmental protections to support smaller housebuilders in England. |
Leader's doubts over Kent reorganisation
28/05/2025 Kent CC's Reform UK leader has thrown the region's reorganisation proposals into doubt following her opening speech to the council. |
Bath council faces legal threats over LTN
27/05/2025 The council’s plans to implement a permanent low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) in Bath provide grounds for litigation, residents have warned. |
Liverpool parade crash casts ‘dark shadow’, council leader says
27/05/2025 Liverpool City Council leader has paid tribute to the emergency services after a car hit pedestrians in the city centre during Premier League victory parade. |
Call for Warrington officers' resignations
25/05/2025 Conservatives in Warrington have called for senior officers to resign following the announcement of Government intervention at the council. |
New housebuilding rules to offset ‘years of inaction’
23/05/2025 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner tells housebuilders to ‘get on and build’ as the Government introduces delivery timeframes for developers. |
Councils call for support to roll out AI in pothole war
23/05/2025 The use of AI and a preventative approach to road maintenance can help local authorities detect potholes earlier and reduce the repairs backlog, LGA says. |
Rayner: Mayors must be accountable
23/05/2025 Mayors must be accountable as they take back control of decision making as part of local government reorganisation, the deputy prime minister says. |
Council wrong to evict Romani Gypsy families, judge says
23/05/2025 Medway Council was wrong to evict Romani Gypsy families who had set up home in a car park just off the M2, court rules. |
Council defers net zero target for nine years
23/05/2025 West Suffolk Council has delayed their net zero target by nine years, emphasising that ‘being honest’ is crucial to the success of their plans. |
Hackney warned of ‘positivity prism’ danger
22/05/2025 The Housing Ombudsman has criticised Hackney Council for missing multiple opportunities to improve its housing service and warned of a ‘positivity prism’. |
Charity calls for more inclusivity in schools
22/05/2025 A charity has called for more diversity to be included in the national curriculum to promote racial inclusion in schools and prevent children from being left behind. |
Short-term funding threatens household support scheme
21/05/2025 The effectiveness of the Household Support Fund has been undermined by ‘chaotic and declining’ funding, according to a think tank. |
Starmer announces U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts
21/05/2025 Keir Starmer has said he would review the winter fuel entitlement policy after critics warned it would impact pensioners struggling with the cost of living. |
MHCLG: Grenfell demolition to start in autumn
21/05/2025 Preparation work for the demolition of Grenfell Tower is expected to begin in August, the Government has confirmed. |
Legal threats to Reform ambitions
21/05/2025 Reform UK's ambitions to shake up local government could be stymied by legal hurdles, an expert warned this week. |
'Poor' awareness of election reforms
20/05/2025 There was ‘poor' awareness of extra measures to help disabled voters and those without ID in last year's General Election, according to an official report. |
Ball game disruption costs council £1,000
20/05/2025 Hampshire County Council has been told to pay a couple £1,000 in damages due to the inconvenience caused by the neighbouring school’s play area. |
Plans to deliver new towns could cost £48bn
20/05/2025 Government plans to build up to 12 new towns in England could cost £48bn, a new study estimates. |
Ministers accused of 'centralising zeal'
20/05/2025 Ministers have been accused of ‘taking away decision-making powers from local people' in a new amendment to its Planning and Infrastructure Bill. |
Wealthy boroughs place homeless families in deprived areas
19/05/2025 Wealthier London boroughs are increasingly placing homeless families in more deprived areas, charities warn. |
Reform vows ‘large-scale reversal’ of LTNs
19/05/2025 Reform UK has said it will axe low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the councils it controls. |
Judge rules in favour of campaigner in Battle for Brockwell
16/05/2025 A judge has ruled in favour of a campaigner who took legal action against Lambeth Council to stop it allowing the use of a local park for festivals. |
Council fined £3k for woman’s rent increases
16/05/2025 A council has been ordered to pay a woman more than £3,000 in compensation for charging her unaffordable rent while she was in temporary accommodation. |
EXCLUSIVE: Push for local PACs slows amid Whitehall scepticism
16/05/2025 Support for establishing local versions of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) across England is softening as the Government ponders whether to push the idea. |
Council told to apologise to homeless abuse survivor
15/05/2025 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has asked Halton Borough Council to apologise and pay monthly reparations to a homeless domestic abuse survivor they failed to help. |
Councils urged to ringfence housing for women prison leavers
15/05/2025 Local authorities should ringfence a proportion of their supported housing units for women released from prison, a new report says. |
Surrey reorganisation plan based on ‘flawed data’, opponents claim
14/05/2025 A plan for two new unitary authorities in Surrey is based on ‘inconsistent, incomplete and flawed data’, opposition councillors say. |
Council boycotts cost defence sector £30m
Call for strengthening oversight of developer contributions system
Head of Reform UK’s DOGE-style team quits
High Court orders Lambeth Council to scrap LTN
