Ombudsman criticises councils for how they chased historic business rate debts
Welfare provision ‘overly centralised’, London council chiefs say
North and Midlands ‘must take control’ of HS2, report says
Guidance to help cash-strapped councils deliver policies published
Stockton’s reinvention of the high street
A town in the North East with a proud industrial heritage is steaming forward into the 21st century with a bold and highly successful regeneration initiative.
Queen's Speech 19: Whitehall unveils major infrastructure and rail plans
14/10/2019 The Queen's Speech pledges infrastructure strategy, aviation bill and proposals for rail reform. |
Queen's Speech 19: Voter ID requirement at elections to be rolled out
14/10/2019 The Queen’s Speech has set out the Government’s plans to require voters to show photographic ID at polling stations. |
Queen's Speech 19: Brexit, health and devo at the heart of Government plans
14/10/2019 Brexit, the NHS and devolution are at the heart of the next round of Government legislation as outlined in the first Queen’s Speech today. |
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. |
Only 10% of recent homes built on the Green Belt are 'affordable'
14/10/2019 Only one in ten homes built on land released from the Green Belt over the past decade are considered ‘affordable’, a new report has found. |
Plans for voter ID bill branded 'dangerous and undemocratic'
13/10/2019 Plans to introduce voter ID across the whole country have been branded ‘dangerous, misguided and undemocratic’ by the Electoral Reform Society (ERS). |
Parish council shuts down after abusive calls and hate mail
11/10/2019 A parish council in Greater Manchester has been dissolved after councillors reported experiencing intolerable levels of abuse. |
Unexplained exits from schools at ‘very high rates’
11/10/2019 A new study has warned of ‘very high rates’ of unexplained pupil exits from schools among several local authorities and multi-academy trusts in England. |
Highways Awards recognise the Wright stuff
11/10/2019 The winners of this year’s Highways Awards have been revealed in front of nearly 500 industry professionals at the Lancaster London. |
Council makes in-house delivery of services ‘official default choice’
10/10/2019 Haringey Council has announced that the direct delivery of council services by council staff will be the ‘official default choice’. |
Developers offered loans to build new schools
10/10/2019 Housing developers will be given loans from the Government to build new schools before new properties are finished. |
Study uncovers six factors driving bus use
09/10/2019 New research has revealed the underlying factors that best predict levels of bus use in local areas. |
Home Office urged to review abortion clinic buffer zone decision
09/10/2019 Charities and medical bodies have today written to the Home Secretary to ask for an ‘urgent review’ of a decision taken last year not to install buffer zones around abortion clinics. |
UK marked by ‘extreme’ inequalities, study shows
08/10/2019 A new study from University College London has warned that the UK is characterised by ‘extreme’ inequalities both between and within cities and regions. |
Scotland’s first 20mph road network has ‘real impact’ on safety
08/10/2019 An evaluation of Edinburgh council’s roll-out of 20mph speed limits across the city has concluded that the programme’s objectives have been ‘broadly met’ and recommends further roll-out. |
Watchdog warns Public Service Boards must change to realise full potential
08/10/2019 Public Service Boards (PSBs) are not being used to their full potential or scrutinised properly, a new report has found today. |
Not so fast - HS2 could be cut at both ends
07/10/2019 Council leaders in West Yorkshire have warned of ‘grave consequences’ after it was reported that the leg of HS2 from the Midlands to Leeds could be axed. |
Councils urged to fine drivers who leave engines running while parked
07/10/2019 Seven out of ten drivers want to see councils doing more to tackle motorists who leave their engines running when parked, a car insurance company has found. |
Local Housing Allowance 'inadequate' for family homes, research warns
07/10/2019 More than nine out of ten family homes for private rent are too expensive for people on housing benefit, new analysis has revealed. |
Caerphilly chief executive fired for ‘unlawful’ pay rises
04/10/2019 The chief executive of Caerphilly County Borough Council has been sacked after a six year suspension over ‘unlawful’ pay rises. |
Councils hit by 800 cyber-attacks an hour
04/10/2019 Councils have been hit by at least 263 million cyber-attacks in the first half of this year - the equivalent of 800 every hour - new research has revealed. |
Glasgow faces legal battle over homeless services
03/10/2019 Shelter Scotland has launched a legal battle against Glasgow City Council over failures in its homelessness service. |
Six councils conned into spending thousands of pounds on illegal school
03/10/2019 Six local authorities were duped into paying thousands of pounds to educate vulnerable children in an unsafe illegal school. |
Brighton councillors criticise arms manufacturer for ‘deadly bombs’ used in Yemen
02/10/2019 Councillors in Brighton have called on the Government to stop a local business from manufacturing ‘deadly bombs and weapons’ after the company was named in a UN report. |
Metro Mayors make case for further devolution
02/10/2019 A group of directly-elected regional mayors have called on Whitehall to devolve more powers and responsibilities to local areas. |
Priti Patel unveils £20m funding to tackle county lines
02/10/2019 The Government has announced a package of new measures to tackle county lines drugs gangs. |
Local leaders pledge to tackle ageism
01/10/2019 Mayors and council leaders have pledged to tackle discrimination on grounds of age. |
Number of homeless deaths see biggest increase on record
01/10/2019 The number of homeless people dying has increased by 22% in the past year, new figures have revealed today. |
Ministers promise a national bus strategy
30/09/2019 A new Government bus strategy backed with an initial £220m will see local authorities pilot schemes to boost electric take-up and low fares, as well as more London-style franchising powers. |
Biffa fined for £350,000 over contaminated China shipment
30/09/2019 Waste management firm Biffa has been fined £350,000 for trying to send contaminated household waste to China. |
Older people face ‘significant barriers’ in applying for EU Settlement Scheme
27/09/2019 The Government has been warned it could face a ‘Windrush 2’ as vulnerable older people are failing to apply to the EU settlement scheme (EUSS) in time. |
Councils urged to only cut road verges twice a year
27/09/2019 Road verges should only be cut two times a year in order to protect wild flowers and wildlife, new guidelines have recommended. |
Millions of people incorrectly registered to vote, study finds
26/09/2019 A new study has revealed that up to 9.4 million people are not registered properly to vote, leading to calls to reform the system. |
Council investigates data breach
25/09/2019 Isle of Wight Council is investigating a data breach after it sent out council tax letters containing residents’ personal information. |
Council chiefs call for support in helping soldiers overcome ‘barriers’
25/09/2019 Local authority leaders have called on the Ministry of Defence to work with councils in helping members of the armed services transition to civilian life. |
Bus use falls to lowest level in a decade
25/09/2019 Councils have renewed calls to be given more say in how bus services are run after the latest figures showing the number of people using them at their lowest level for a decade. |
Councils call for new taskforce to tackle climate change
25/09/2019 Council leaders have proposed setting up a national taskforce with Whitehall departments to tackle climate change. |
London Assembly demands answers from PM about Jennifer Arcuri dealings
24/09/2019 Members of the London Assembly have written to the PM demanding that he answer questions about his dealings with the model-turned-businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri. |
Uber granted two month licence
24/09/2019 Transport for London (TfL) has issued Uber with a two-month private hire operator licence after previously trying to oust to ride hailing app from its network. |
It’s time to reboot localism, says think tank
23/09/2019 Local authorities should formally commit to including the neighbourhood in all decision making processes, says Centre for London. |
Holyrood launches review of additional support provision in schools
23/09/2019 The Scottish government is calling on parents of children with additional support needs to give their views about the educational help available to their kids. |
Council cleared of exporting plastic waste to Malaysia
23/09/2019 Milton Keynes Council has been cleared of exporting plastic waste to Malaysia. |
Minister confirms creation of Northamptonshire unitary authorities
23/09/2019 The Government has confirmed that the legislation allowing for the creation of two unitary authorities in Northamptonshire will be in Parliament this autumn. |
Housing crisis affecting 8.4m people in England
23/09/2019 The number of people in England who need social housing is nearly double the number of people on the government’s official waiting list, a new report has warned today. |
New financial model needed for national parks, review says
23/09/2019 A review of the way in which green spaces are managed could see more affordable housing built in rural areas and the introduction of a new financial model for national parks. |
Council chiefs warn ‘boom’ in barn conversions undermines local planning
23/09/2019 Local leaders have called for scrapping of the permitted development right after new figures suggest rural developments might be missing out on vital services. |
Over 4,000 young people ‘exploited’ by County Lines gangs
20/09/2019 Figures released by the Mayor of London’s office have revealed that there are more than 4,000 young people involved in County Lines operating out of London. |
Named person scheme dropped
20/09/2019 A mandatory named person scheme for every child in Scotland – underpinned by law – will not now happen, deputy first minister John Swinney has announced. |
Universal Credit drives food bank use, charity says
19/09/2019 A report from the main provider of food banks has warned that the roll out of Universal Credit has been a major factor behind the increase in food bank use. |
DfE drive to check council readiness for Brexit
19/09/2019 The Department for Education (DfE) is attempting to gain a better understanding of school sector and council readiness just weeks before the Government’s Brexit deadline. |
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.
