Lockdown causing rat populations to surge in inner city residential areas
Trade union calls for higher human rights standards in PPE
Pandemic is 'levelling down' the South, report warns
Universal Credit £20 uplift ‘blunt policy instrument’, says think tank
The Bay – a pivot to purpose
Tim Pope and Sam Plum explain why local government reorganisation can be used as a catalyst for a new generation of councils that reflect their local economies and can lead the recovery.
Council fined for death of girl following playground collapse
22/01/2021 A council in London has been fined £330,000 after a five-year-old girl died when playground equipment collapsed on top of her. |
Council approves memorial for victims of Manchester Arena bombing
22/01/2021 A ‘calm and peaceful’ memorial for the 22 people who were killed in the 2017 Manchester terror attack has been approved by the council. |
Councils across the UK join pioneering network to tackle homelessness
21/01/2021 Fifteen local authorities have now joined a new network to help tackle homelessness. |
Oxford first council to approve city-wide air pollution target
21/01/2021 Oxford City Council has become the first local authority in the UK to approve a city-wide air pollution reduction target. |
High Court rules London's Streetspace scheme was unlawful
21/01/2021 The High Court has overturned London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Streetspace for London Plan, which was introduced in May last year in response to the pandemic. |
May elections to go ahead as council chiefs call for indemnity
21/01/2021 Local elections will go ahead on 6 May despite the ongoing pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled. |
Former councillor jailed for electoral fraud
21/01/2021 A former councillor has been jailed and ordered to pay Redbridge Council more than £28,000 after committing electoral fraud. |
Councils plan to install 35 on-street EV chargers each by 2025
20/01/2021 Councils are planning on installing just 35 on-street electric vehicle chargers each by 2025 on average, an investigation has revealed. |
Inquiry launched into role of local authority pension funds in fighting climate change
20/01/2021 A parliamentary group has launched an inquiry into how institutional investors such as local authority pension funds can help drive a ‘just transition’ to a net zero economy. |
New regulator established to ensure building materials are ‘fit for purpose’
20/01/2021 The Government has announced the establishment of a national regulator which aims to ensure materials used to build homes will be made safer. |
Councils urged to update their Local Plans
20/01/2021 A small number of councils are failing to keep their Local Plans up-to-date, the housing minister has warned. |
Return of free school meals voucher scheme
19/01/2021 The Government has relaunched the free school meal vouchers following the scandal surrounding 'disgusting' food parcels. |
Government should use tax system to ‘level up’, think tank says
18/01/2021 Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda must use the tax system to spread opportunity and growth to less prosperous places, think tank says. |
COVID-19 living standards hit ‘ahead, rather than behind us’, think tank warns
18/01/2021 The coming year is set to mark the peak of the pandemic-induced living standards downturn for households, especially those on lower incomes, think tank warns. |
‘Right to Regenerate’ to free up public land, Jenrick says
18/01/2021 The public will be able to convert vacant plots of land and derelict buildings into new homes or community spaces under ‘Right to Regenerate’ proposals. |
Controversial statues to require planning permission before removal
18/01/2021 Individuals who want to remove any historic statue will now require listed building consent or planning permission, Robert Jenrick has announced. |
Councils told to provide free school meals during half term
15/01/2021 Councils have been tasked with providing free meals to school children during half term week next month, prompting an outcry from the sector. |
Eight in ten council say pothole crisis has worsened in five years
15/01/2021 More than eight out of ten local authorities say the pothole crisis has worsened over the last five years, according to the results of a new survey. |
Councils struggle as people flock to rights of way
15/01/2021 Local government directors are asking councils across England for more information about the pressures on public rights of way due to increased use during the pandemic. |
Review pledges to radically reform children's social care
15/01/2021 Council chiefs have welcomed the launch of an independent review into children’s social care. |
COVID-19 reveals scale of rough sleeping ‘far exceeds’ previous estimates
14/01/2021 The scale of the rough sleeping population in England ‘far exceeds’ the Government’s previous estimates and has been made clear during the pandemic. |
Councils warned not to adopt allocations criteria that disadvantage domestic abuse victims
14/01/2021 The ombudsman has reminded councils to consider the exceptional circumstances of people fleeing domestic abuse when assessing their housing needs. |
Councils urge action over 'disgusting' free school meals pictures
13/01/2021 The Government has promised to investigate after pictures appeared on social media of ‘disgusting’ free school meal parcels. |
Cheshire leaders put concerns to Government on jabs, lockdown and schools
13/01/2021 Council leaders in Cheshire and their partners have written to the Government laying out their concerns about the vaccination rollout, the current lockdown arrangements and schools. |
Council chiefs call for restoration of local welfare funding
13/01/2021 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to restore local welfare funding as a study warns of the impact the pandemic is having on people who were already struggling with poverty. |
Nearly 130,000 children in temporary accommodation during lockdown
13/01/2021 Around 450 primary schools’ worth of homeless children are spending lockdown in temporary accommodation amid a chronic shortage of affordable housing, council chiefs have warned. |
Lockdown piles extra financial pressures on low income families
12/01/2021 The extra cost of food, energy, and entertaining and home-schooling children has meant that low-income families with children are twice as likely to have increased their spending during the pandemic, according to a new study. |
Report finds data problems in Brownfield Land Registers
12/01/2021 More than 348,000 homes could be built on unregistered brownfield land, an investigation has revealed. |
Council warns against lockdown protest
11/01/2021 The City of Edinburgh Council is urging people to stay away from a lockdown protest planned for today. |
Coventry's leaders condemn violence in America
08/01/2021 Coventry City Council and its opposition party have distanced themselves from a tweet by an independent councillor, voicing support for Donald Trump. |
Ban on evictions extended in Scotland
08/01/2021 The temporary ban on evictions orders has been extended until the end of March in Scotland. |
Criminals publish stolen council data online
07/01/2021 Data stolen from Hackney Council in a cyber attack last October has been published online by the criminals responsible. |
What’s in a (street) name? Councils get help with changing times
07/01/2021 GeoPlace has published guidance for local authority officers in England and Wales who are responsible for naming and renaming streets and buildings. |
Government urged to bring back Everyone In programme
07/01/2021 The Government has been urged to ensure all rough sleepers are housed during the third national lockdown. |
One million households face UC debt deductions
07/01/2021 More than one million households who were forced to claim universal credit (UC) when coronavirus struck are having debt deductions taken from their benefit payments, according to a child poverty charity. |
County may be forced to limit school places during lockdown
07/01/2021 Norfolk County Council has warned it may be forced to prioritise who is given a school place during the new lockdown because of high demand. |
Call for ‘urgent clarity’ on elections
06/01/2021 Speculation over whether local elections will take place in May as scheduled has been labelled ‘unhelpful’ by councils. |
Council pension group raises concerns over Resolution Copper Project
06/01/2021 Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) has raised concerns following progress on the Resolution Copper Project in Arizona. |
Union calls for nurseries to be closed during lockdown
06/01/2021 Pre-schools including nurseries must be closed except to educate the children of key workers and those who are vulnerable, union says. |
Calls for 'credible plan' to keep people active during lockdown
06/01/2021 The Government has been urged to create a 'credible plan' to help people stay active during the winter. |
Leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council suspended for seven months
05/01/2021 The leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council has been suspended for seven months after he breached its code of conduct. |
New Year Honours awarded to local government workers
04/01/2021 Figures across local government have been recognised for their response to the pandemic in the 2021 New Year Honours list. |
Councils resist pressure to reopen schools
04/01/2021 Scores of councils have raised concerns over the return of primary school pupils to classrooms amid soaring COVID-19 infection rates. |
Council backs calls for new national lockdown
04/01/2021 Liverpool City Council has called on the Government to introduce a new national lockdown to stop the rapid spread of the new strain of coronavirus. |
Lack of data is hampering local responses to new virus variant, says Lord Porter
24/12/2020 District councils are unable to deliver a local response to the new variant of COVID-19 due to a lack of ‘accurate, good quality data’, according to Lord Porter of Spalding. |
Kent facing days of disruption
23/12/2020 Kent CC is preparing for a Christmas of dealing with the fallout from the closure of the French border. |
Invest in local digital champions, council chiefs say
22/12/2020 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to fund local digital champions to support the broadband roll-out. |
Council housing waiting lists could double due to COVID-19
22/12/2020 Local authority housing waiting lists could nearly double as a result of COVID-19, council chiefs have warned. |
Labour announces ‘constitutional commission’ on devolution
21/12/2020 Leader Sir Keir Starmer said it will look at transferring more powers from Westminster to local leaders. |
Jenrick announces £310m to tackle homelessness
21/12/2020 Council leaders welcome Government’s funding pledge to tackle homelessness but warn long-term investment is needed rather than ‘one-off emergency response’. |
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.
