Councils hit out at clean air zone delays
Households given two months 'breathing space' for problem debt
Whitehall announces measures to support ‘vulnerable’ children in school
Javid commits to resettling 5,000 refugees next year
Reframing the apprenticeship levy deadline for spending
Lizzy Grayson discusses how the apprenticeship levy has changed post-deadline for spending .
Review launched into Blue Badge fraud
17/06/2019 A new task force to help councils tackle the fraudulent use of Blue Badges has been set up by the Government. |
Hammersmith Bridge could take three years to repair
14/06/2019 The latest estimate is that Hammersmith Bridge could be closed to motor traffic for as long as three years. |
MPs to investigate UK's regional imbalances
14/06/2019 A new inquiry into regional imbalances in the UK economy has been launched by the Treasury Committee. |
Council to appeal 'town hall Pravdas' ruling
14/06/2019 Waltham Forest LBC will appeal after a judge backed Government attempts to stop it publishing a council newspaper every two weeks. |
Grenfell Tower: Hundreds of high-rise buildings still have 'unsafe' cladding
14/06/2019 There are still 'huge challenges ahead' two years after the Grenfell Tower fire, according to the leader of the council where the disaster took place. |
Whitehall approves 22 new free schools
14/06/2019 Bids to create 22 new free schools have been approved, education secretary Damien Hinds has announced. |
Bus users outline plan to reverse rural decline
13/06/2019 A group representing bus users across the UK has published a 10-point plan to reverse the decline in rural services. |
Town clerk jailed for defrauding council
13/06/2019 An assistant town clerk has been jailed for four years for stealing more than £200,000 from Rugeley Town Council. |
Universal credit causing rent arrears, MSPs warn
12/06/2019 The Scottish Parliament has called for immediate action to tackle the problem of rent arrears it says have been caused by the Universal Credit system. |
Food regulation showing 'signs of strain' warns report
12/06/2019 Some local authorities are failing to meet their legal responsibilities on food control due to budget cuts, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned. |
Planning system 'fuelling' North-South divide, says think tank
11/06/2019 The current planning system is increasing the North-South divide, according to a think tank. |
Noisy drivers face fines under new plans
10/06/2019 Drivers with noisy vehicles are facing a crackdown with new technology to detect illegal sound levels. |
Recognition for council pair in Queen's Birthday Honours
10/06/2019 The leader and former chief executive of a district council have both received awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. |
Councils warn of new wave in council tax scams
10/06/2019 Criminals are posing as council staff to con people out of money, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Social housing tenants ‘failed’ by poor regulation
10/06/2019 Social housing tenants are being forced to report the same problem with their home multiple times, a housing charity has warned today. |
Labour beats Brexit Party in Peterborough by-election
07/06/2019 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed a 'great win' in the Peterborough by-election after scraping home in the face of a strong challenge by the Brexit Party. |
Ministry considers launch of a new building safety regulator
07/06/2019 A consultation exercise has been launched on reforms of building regulations for high-rise residential blocks after the Grenfell Tower tragedy two years ago which killed 72 people. |
Councils urged to record data on procurement of single-use plastic bottles
07/06/2019 A third of councils are failing to record how many single-use plastic bottles they have procured over the last five years, according to new research. |
One in five households face ‘grave’ housing affordability problems
06/06/2019 A new way of measuring the cost of housing shows one in five households in England are currently in 'unaffordable' accommodation, according to its authors. |
Calls to make cycling more inclusive for women, older and disabled people
06/06/2019 Women, older and disabled people are neglected in provision of resources to support cycling, according to a report. |
London parents 'locked out' of work due to rising childcare costs
06/06/2019 Nearly two in three local authorities in London do not have enough childcare to meet the demand from parents of school-age children, new research has revealed. |
Call for leader to quit after 'repeated failures'
05/06/2019 Shadow local government secretary Andrew Gwynne has called for Northamptonshire CC leader, Matt Golby, to quit after ‘repeated failures’ in the council’s children’s services. |
‘Postcode lottery’ for accessible homes
05/06/2019 Less than a quarter of homes built outside London by 2030 will be suitable for older and disabled people, housing experts have warned. |
Councils to publish deals done with developers
05/06/2019 Councils will be required to publish how much funding they are receiving from developers under new rules announced by the Government. |
Labour considers abolishing council tax for renters
04/06/2019 Labour Party is considering proposals to replace council tax with a ‘progressive property tax’, which would be payable by property owners rather than tenants. |
London roads backlog hits £1bn
04/06/2019 The road maintenance backlog in London has hit more than £1bn for the first time, as boroughs concede they are presiding over a state of managed decline. |
Government publishes guide on how to treat refugees
04/06/2019 A framework giving advice on how to treat refugees and migrants has been produced by the Home Office. |
Scotland's 20mph roll-out suffers blow
03/06/2019 A national roll-out of 20mph speed limits in Scotland has suffered a blow after a key committee refused to recommend the bill. |
Birmingham council granted interim injunction to protect school from protests
03/06/2019 A court order banning protests over sex education outside a Birmingham school is set to be reviewed next week. |
Inquiry launched into long-term delivery of affordable housing
31/05/2019 An inquiry into the government's ability to deliver social and affordable rented housing has been launched by MPs today. |
Ombudsman welcomes move to streamline complaints
31/05/2019 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has welcomed a decision by the trade body representing bailiffs to give up dealing with complaints from members of the public. |
Nearly 2,000 abuse victims a year struggle to access ‘safe’ council housing
30/05/2019 Around 1,960 people fleeing domestic abuse each year are put at risk of homelessness because they are not eligible for ‘safe, secure housing’, study shows. |
Devolution necessary for ‘rebalancing’ economy, report says
30/05/2019 Power must be devolved to a ‘comprehensive framework’ of mayoral and combined authorities and rural counties in order to rebalance the economy, report says. |
Council refuses to accept ruling over treatment of homeless family
30/05/2019 Oadby and Wigston Borough Council has refused to accept an official ruling over its treatment of a homeless family facing domestic violence, according to LGO. |
Mayors want Northern franchise scrapped
30/05/2019 Two North West metro mayors have called on transport secretary Chris Grayling to terminate the Northern rail franchise ‘as soon as possible’. |
Better planning needed to make Northern Powerhouse ‘effective’
30/05/2019 Joined-up planning is needed to make the Northern Powerhouse effective, according to an expert report. |
Illegal tipping sites uncovered in 'sting' operation
29/05/2019 Dozens of illegal tipping sites have been discovered in a 'sting' operation by environment and customs officers. |
Gov to fall short on national cycling target
28/05/2019 The Government is set to fall way short of its target of doubling the number of cycling journeys by 2025. |
‘Permitted development’ undermines local planning, council chiefs say
28/05/2019 Local authority leaders have criticised the Government’s decision to allow homeowners and businesses to extend their properties without going through local planning departments. |
Council makes ‘radical move’ to buy town centre
24/05/2019 Knowsley Council has made an offer to buy Kirkby town centre in what it describes as a ‘radical move’. |
EU citizens ‘denied’ vote in European elections
24/05/2019 European Union citizens living in the UK have complained of having their right to vote for an MEP ‘denied’. |
'Slow progress' two years after inadequate judgement
24/05/2019 Gloucestershire CC is making ‘slow progress’ in improving its services for its children and young people two years after it was judged inadequate, Ofsted has found. |
Campaigners question validity of survey on transgender rights
23/05/2019 Women's campaigners have questioned a survey by the City of London on transgender rights after nearly half the respondents were excluded from the results. |
Council schools get better Ofsted ratings than academies, report finds
23/05/2019 Council-maintained schools are more likely to remain ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ than their academy counterparts, new research suggests. |
Council told to consult residents over free parking
23/05/2019 Stockport Council has been told to consult residents over their right to free parking permits after the ombudsman found it had been unfairly refusing them. |
We need a national bus strategy, MPs say
22/05/2019 Bus services are in 'steady decline' due to uncoordinated, fragmented Government policy and local funding, according to influential MPs. |
Apprenticeship system ‘failing’ to make progress, MPs warn
22/05/2019 Local government leaders have backed sharp criticism by MPs of the current apprenticeship system. |
Scotland’s poorest ‘more likely’ to be injured by road traffic
22/05/2019 Children in Scotland’s poorest areas are nearly three times more likely to be injured by road traffic than those in the richest, according to campaigners. |
£15m project launched to support vulnerable families
22/05/2019 A scheme has been launched to try and keep children with their families instead of being sent into care. |
Firefighters blast Government for ‘complacency’ after the Grenfell fire
21/05/2019 The Government has done nothing to ‘adequately prepare’ fire and rescue services for another Grenfell-type fire, a firefighter union has warned. |
The March issue of Local Government News explores alternative funding channels that are available to councils beyond the Public Works Loan Board, what hurdles merging councils face in coming together, and how local government is handling GDPR.
This issue also has a special highways and street lighting section exploring how councils can use lighting to embark on their smart city journey and using IoT technology to weather the storm.
