Welsh council to withdraw from school improvement body
'Postocde lottery' for landlord licences is revealed
Council launches recall petition to remove Fiona Onasanya
‘County Lines’ major driver behind rise in slavery reporting
Basic income pilots
Gail Irvine finds out how local government in Scotland is leading the way on basic income.
Council-employed gang convicted of £1m benefit fraud
20/03/2019 Seven benefit assessors have been convicted of housing benefit fraud which saw more than £1m stolen from three local authorities in London. |
Councils call for Troubled Families funding after success of scheme
20/03/2019 Council leaders have called for continued funding for the Troubled Families programme after an evaluation found the scheme has helped hundreds of thousands of families. |
Norman sets out plans for urban mobility
19/03/2019 Ministers have announced a ‘review’ that will pave the way for transforming the way people and goods move around our cities, alongside £90m to ‘test ideas’ to improve journeys. |
MPs to investigate link between Universal Credit and ‘survival sex’
19/03/2019 Reports that increasing numbers of people are being forced to exchange sex to meet basic needs due to welfare reforms are to be investigated by MPs. |
Modern slavery referrals by councils 'spiral'
18/03/2019 A sharp increase in the number of suspected cases of modern slavery is having a ‘huge impact’ on council services, town hall chiefs have warned. |
Birmingham council and union ‘welcome’ end to refuse dispute
18/03/2019 Refuse collectors who took part in strikes in Birmingham are to be given £3,500 each in a settlement which both sides say has ended the long-running dispute. |
Tenants vulnerable to 'revenge evictions', campaigners warn
18/03/2019 A campaign group has called for a reform of eviction laws to provide tenants with protection against unscrupulous landlords. |
Progress on qualification and skill levels must be made ahead of Brexit
18/03/2019 The Government and employers must do more to increase qualification and skill levels in the British workforce in the face of Britain’s possible exit from the European Union, think tank says. |
Children missing out on ‘vital emergency support’ due to cuts
18/03/2019 New research from a children’s charity has revealed that young people are paying the price of Government cuts in crisis support, with many parents struggling to afford food and clothing. |
One in five local bodies failing to safeguard value, MPs warn
15/03/2019 One in five councils do not have proper arrangements in place to secure value for money for taxpayers, a new report has warned today. |
Poll reveals ‘rising tide’ of pupil poverty
15/03/2019 A shocking new survey of headteachers has revealed that schools have become an ‘unofficial fourth emergency service’ for poor and vulnerable children. |
Councils collaborate to address homelessness crisis
14/03/2019 Over a dozen London boroughs have joined the collaborative programme Capital Letters, which aims to support homeless households across the capital. |
Stobart announced as Tee Valley airport operator
14/03/2019 Tees Valley Combined Authority has announced that Stobart Group will be the operator of the local airport now that it has been brought under public control. |
It’s ‘business as usual’ at Mersey bridge, council defiantly insists
14/03/2019 Halton BC has said it is ‘business as usual’ at the Mersey Gateway despite a tribunal decision that the bridge’s crossing charge is 'not a tolling scheme’. |
Nearly all councils to build new homes after scrapping of borrowing cap
14/03/2019 Local government leaders have called on Whitehall to help them resume their ‘historic role’ as major house builders after decades of depleting council stock. |
Grenfell residents had human rights breached, watchdog warns
13/03/2019 The residents of Grenfell Tower had their human rights breached by the council and public services before the fire started, a watchdog has warned. |
Council hits back at abandoned diggers left at roadworks
13/03/2019 Manchester City Council has hit out at the ‘unacceptable behaviour’ of workers who dumped diggers in the middle of traffic works over a dispute over alleged non-payment. |
NAO floats auditing overhaul
13/03/2019 The way auditors examine council accounts could be overhauled, the National Audit Office (NAO) has suggested. |
Abuse and funding cuts force council leader to resign
12/03/2019 The pressure of funding cuts and increased abuse have led to the leader of North East Lincolnshire Council stepping down from his role. |
Councils calls for tougher regulations around sprinklers in high-rise buildings
12/03/2019 Local government leaders are calling for tougher rules governing the installation of sprinklers in high-rise buildings following last year's Grenfell tragedy. |
Calls to redirect £30bn Crossrail 2 investment into tackling poverty in outer London
12/03/2019 The £30bn investment for the proposed Crossrail 2 project linking north and south London should be switched to tackling poverty in the suburbs instead, campaigners have demanded. |
Children left vulnerable to abuse due to focus on Brexit, report warns
12/03/2019 Councils are failing to protect children from abuse in England due to ‘systematic’ safeguarding failures, a new report has warned. |
Legal challenges to Heathrow Expansion begin
11/03/2019 Five legal challenges to the Government’s plans for a new runway at Heathrow will reach the High Court this week. |
Think tank recommends ‘helping hand’ payments for UC claimants
11/03/2019 Universal Credit claimants should receive an upfront ‘helping hand’ payment and financial compensation for late payments, think tank says. |
Council to fine anti-social drivers
08/03/2019 Bradford Council have decided to crack down on drivers who play loud music, rev their engines, or engage in other acts deemed to be anti-social. |
Harrogate to launch housing company
07/03/2019 Harrogate BC’s housing company will be up and running next month. |
Council bans anti-abortion protests near clinic
07/03/2019 Richmond has prohibited anti-abortion protests outside a pregnancy advisory clinic after a consultation revealed the majority of residents supported a ban. |
Council leader calls for rethink of Yorkshire devolution deal
07/03/2019 The leader of Wakefield Council has called on local authorities in Yorkshire to start considering alternative devolution proposals. |
Austerity is gutting services ‘vital’ to women’s lives, report reveals
07/03/2019 Austerity has hit women the hardest with funding for women’s refuges, social care and youth and children’s services slashed, a new report has found. |
Court orders new age travellers to leave ski park
06/03/2019 New age travellers living near an abandoned ski park in Sheffield have been ordered to leave to make way for a multi-million pound extreme sports site. |
Council chiefs welcome pothole consultation
06/03/2019 Local government leaders have welcomed a Government consultation on utility firms’ roadworks guarantee, but warned it does not address the repairs backlog. |
Child abuse costs taxpayers over £1bn
06/03/2019 Action must be taken to protect children from domestic abuse which is costing the nation millions of pounds, a welfare charity has demanded. |
Black Londoners ‘under-represented in local government’
05/03/2019 Black people are still under-represented in London's local councils, a new study has revealed. |
Glasgow council to reform asylum process
05/03/2019 A Scottish council could become the first local authority to pilot proposed changes to the asylum process that aim to make life easier for both councils and those seeking asylum. |
Report warns of 'inextricable link' between homes and warehousing
05/03/2019 Local planners should take into account their role in the national logistics network when they are expanding their housing stock, a new report says. |
Manchester residents will not have to pay to remove Grenfell-style cladding
04/03/2019 Apartment owners in Manchester will not be required to pay for replacing the dangerous cladding on their buildings, it has been confirmed. |
Councils paying out £8,800 per cyclist in pothole compensation
04/03/2019 Councils are paying out an average of £8,800 per cyclist in pothole compensation claims, a new investigation has revealed. |
Government urged to publish a rural strategy
01/03/2019 Government has been urged to address its ‘inadequate’ rural policy ahead of Brexit. |
Early intervention key to helping those at risk of falling into debt, says report
01/03/2019 Councils in Wales are being urged by a think tank to do more to support those at risk of falling into debt given the large council tax increases on the horizon. |
Councils ‘failing’ children exploited by gangs, report reveals
28/02/2019 The same mistakes that led to child sexual exploitation failings are being repeated with gangs, the children’s commissioner has warned. |
Council spending on tackling ‘criminal landlords’ down a quarter
28/02/2019 The amount councils spend on tackling landlords who break the law has been cut by a quarter in recent years, according to the latest analysis. |
Scotland’s landfill ban will be £100m tax gift to England, waste experts say
27/02/2019 Waste management experts have ‘expressed deep concern’ that Scotland is not prepared for a landfill ban which will lead to higher haulage costs for councils. |
Council chiefs call for ‘power and control’ over funding after Brexit
27/02/2019 Leaving the EU risks exacerbating regional inequalities, but it also provides an opportunity to rethink the Government’s approach to regional funding. |
Osborne blasts May’s ‘lack of vision’ over Northern Powerhouse
26/02/2019 George Osborne has criticised the Government’s ‘lack of vision’ when it comes to developing the North and has called for ‘action’ from the Prime Minister. |
Poor, urban areas see majority of homeless deaths
26/02/2019 Welfare cuts and a lack of social housing are driving the homelessness crisis which has resulted in hundreds of deaths, particularly in poor, urban areas. |
Black Country ban on 'car cruising' upheld in court
25/02/2019 Wolverhampton council has welcomed a decision by the High Court to uphold the local authority’s injunction banning car cruising in the Black Country. |
Britain faces ‘accessible housing crisis’, charity warns
25/02/2019 An elderly persons charity has warned that Britain is on the verge of an ‘accessible housing crisis’ due to planning policy failures. |
Councils call for licensing powers to tackle ‘lawless’ shisha bars
25/02/2019 Councils have called for new powers to tackle ‘lawless’ shisha bars that flout smoking and fire regulations. |
Bristol council misses second deadline for clean air plan
22/02/2019 Bristol City Council has missed its second deadline for publishing its clean air plan due to concerns it would have an ‘adverse impact’ on low income groups. |
Council to take legal action over Storm Doris death
22/02/2019 A West Midlands council has confirmed that it will pursue legal action against the building management company of the Mander Centre for the death of Tahnie Martin. |
The December issue of Local Government News looks at the consequences a council may face if it is unable to provide statutory services, the launch of Liverpool’s housing company and how councils can best manage roles in local authority companies.
It also has a special section on green building and energy efficiency including what funding is available to enable councils to deliver heat networks and how councils can pay for ‘smart buildings’.
