Government opens £1bn fund to repair bridges, flyovers and tunnels
15/04/2026 The Government has launched a new £1bn Structures Fund to help councils repair ageing bridges, flyovers and tunnels across England. |
Doubt expressed about London’s housebuilding goals
15/04/2026 The Mayor of London’s housebuilding targets have been questioned by market analysts. |
Inspectors hit Basildon BC with lowest social housing grade
15/04/2026 Basildon BC has been awarded the lowest possible social housing grade following an inspection that uncovered very serious failings. |
Clean-up begins at Kidlington illegal waste site
15/04/2026 A major operation to clear an illegal waste site in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, is now underway, the Environment Agency has announced. |
Greens propose council tax replacement
15/04/2026 The Scottish Greens have proposed replacing the current council tax with a residential property tax that would be more proportional to property values. |
Homeless handed rising proportion of social housing
14/04/2026 The proportion of social housing being allocated to homeless people has risen, according to data collated by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). |
Council receives first record-keeping watchdog warning
13/04/2026 A watchdog has intervened after Perth and Kinross Council was found to have abolished a director-level post ‘without a single record being kept’. |
Wyre ferry service’s end is in sight, council confirms
13/04/2026 Wyre Council has announced that its Fleetwood–Knott End Ferry Service is due to terminate in two days. |
EXCLUSIVE: Ministers face legal LGR threat from furious Sussex leaders
10/04/2026 Sussex leaders are to demand ministers fully explain why they have delayed a final reorganisation decision, or they will consider launching a judicial review. |
Calls grow to fast-track reorganisation in Kent
10/04/2026 Ministers have been urged to bring forward their decision on local government reorganisation in Kent ‘without delay'. |
New asylum housing inspection launched
10/04/2026 An inspection of how the Home Office engages with councils in the development of asylum accommodation has been launched. |
Greens target Labour in local election campaign launch
09/04/2026 The Green Party has launched its 2026 local elections campaign with a focus on tackling the housing crisis. |
Wales Green Party pledges ‘rent pressure zones’
09/04/2026 The Wales Green Party has pledged to allow local authorities to declare ‘rent pressure zones’ as part of its pitch ahead of the Senedd election in May. |
Government accused of 'failing to deliver' on council tax modernisation
09/04/2026 The Government has been accused of ‘failing to deliver’ on plans to modernise and improve the administration of council tax. |
Council to discuss New Forest flag proposals
09/04/2026 Proposals for a New Forest flag have been put forward by a district councillor to help preserve local identity. |
LCN chair: CCN existence 'illogical'
09/04/2026 The chair of the Local Councils Network (LCN) has suggested it seems ‘illogical' for the County Councils Network (CCN) to exist in light of reorganisation. |
Campaign launches to protect integrity of local elections
09/04/2026 Voters are being urged to safeguard their ballots as the Electoral Commission launches its annual anti-fraud campaign ahead of the May local elections. |
Think tank warns of Section 114 notices risk in Wales
08/04/2026 A think tank has warned that the current local government model in Wales is ‘no longer sustainable’ and urged immediate reforms to prevent service collapse. |
Conservatives pledge ban on council four-day work weeks
08/04/2026 The Conservatives have vowed to outlaw the practice of councils offering four-day working weeks on full pay should they win the next general election. |
Ricky Gervais secures council approval for new mansion
08/04/2026 Planning permission for Ricky Gervais’ new £5m home has been granted by the council following an agreement to contribute to the Carbon Offset Fund. |
Call for better blue badge supervision
07/04/2026 The AA has called for councils to pay more attention to the use of ‘illegitimate’ blue badges. |
Scotland’s housing emergency calls for strengthened council powers, COSLA says
07/04/2026 The management of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme should be devolved to councils to help combat the housing emergency in Scotland, COSLA has argued. |
'Hard to see' what underpins LGR other than politics, says Reform
07/04/2026 Reform has said it is ‘hard to see' what lies behind Labour's reorganisation plans other than ‘carving out places they think they can still win'. |
Council defends decision to twin with Palestinian city
07/04/2026 Brent Council has defended its decision to twin with the Palestinian city of Nablus, arguing the civic twinning was ‘strictly non-political.’ |
Council leaders call for acceleration of reorganisation decisions
07/04/2026 Council leaders have urged the Government to accelerate local government reorganisation, warning that delays are eating into time needed to deliver reform. |
Legal threat looms as counties oppose Whitehall LGR ruling
02/04/2026 Disgruntled county councils could slow down local government reorganisation with legal challenges to Whitehall's verdict. |
‘Better Connected’ strategy to expand tap-and-go travel unveiled
02/04/2026 A new national transport strategy aims to give councils greater powers to deliver seamless, contactless ‘tap-and-go’ travel across buses, trains and trams. |
Badenoch launches £112.5m pothole plan
02/04/2026 The Conservatives have proposed a £112.5m plan to fix the country’s pothole-ridden road network, which includes providing road-repair machines to councils. |
MPs call for safeguarding to ease pressure on Prevent
01/04/2026 MPs have called for the wider safeguarding system to ease pressure on the Prevent programme. |
Further devolution plans unveiled
01/04/2026 Council leaders in the Midlands and West of England have begun responding to a call from ministers to reveal their devolution plans. |
Concerns over Whitehall delay to grooming plea
31/03/2026 Home Affairs Committee chair Dame Karen Bradley has raised concerns over Whitehall delays in demanding councils preserve records related to grooming gangs. |
New Simpler Recycling rules come into effect
31/03/2026 A major overhaul of England’s waste system comes into force today, as the Government’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ scheme mandates consistent collection rules. |
Chief executive defends by-election integrity
30/03/2026 Manchester City Council chief executive Tom Stannard has defended the ‘integrity' of last month's by-election after police found no evidence of illegality. |
Half of approved homes remain unbuilt, council chiefs say
30/03/2026 Data from the Local Councils Network (LCN) reveals a significant 'build-out' gap, with only 52% of homes granted planning permission since 2012-13 completed. |
Renters rights backed by £400m mayoral funding
27/03/2026 A £400,000 investment has been confirmed by the Mayor of London to support tenants in the capital before the Renters' Rights Act comes into effect. |
London social housing system ‘opaque’, committee warns
27/03/2026 London’s social housing system has been criticised as ‘opaque, confusing and unfair’, in a new report by the London Assembly Housing Committee. |
£27bn plan launched to rebuild ageing roads
27/03/2026 The Government has unveiled a major £27bn investment to modernise England’s ageing road network over the next five years. |
Increasing homelessness blamed for council company failure
26/03/2026 London Councils has blamed ‘increased homelessness rates' for the failure of a company formed to procure properties to tackle the issue. |
Essex threatens legal action over reorganisation
26/03/2026 Essex CC is looking to mount a legal challenge to the Government's decision to reorganise the county into five unitary authorities. |
Government confirms 80 new Youth Hubs
26/03/2026 Government has announced 80 new Youth Hub locations, as part of a drive to tackle the nearly one million young people currently neither earning nor learning. |
Councils struggling to make EV charging accessible, research finds
26/03/2026 Half of UK local authorities are finding it difficult to make public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure accessible to disabled drivers, study finds. |
Final reorganisation decisions for four priority areas announced
25/03/2026 The shape of local government reorganisation in four devolution priority areas has been unveiled by the Government today. |
Guildford council first to upgrade to top consumer housing rating
25/03/2026 Guildford Borough Council has become the first local authority in England to upgrade from a C3 to a C1 under new social housing standards. |
Brum leader loses vote of confidence
25/03/2026 The leader of Birmingham City Council has lost a vote of confidence during the last full council meeting before local elections in May. |
Council tax goes up by £10bn in five years
25/03/2026 England's council tax bill has gone up by more than £10bn in five years, new government data has revealed. |
New guidance announced to help councils boost street safety for women and girls
25/03/2026 One in three young women are deterred from walking locally due to safety concerns, research has found. |
Charity calls for end to council tax imprisonment threats
24/03/2026 Councils in England threatened 1,500 residents with prison over council tax arrears in five years, a debt charity has found. |
Monmouthshire CC becomes first Welsh county council to receive Council of Sanctuary status
24/03/2026 Monmouthshire has been declared the first Welsh county council to be awarded Council of Sanctuary status following an expert assessment. |
Top schools accused of shutting out pupils with SEND
24/03/2026 Top state schools admit far fewer disadvantaged special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pupils than local averages, according to the Sutton Trust. |
Noise complaints fall sharply since Covid peak, data shows
23/03/2026 Noise complaints and enforcement action by local authorities in England and Wales have declined significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new data from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). |
Call to devolve employment support
Trend of commercial property disinvestment identified among councils
New guidance aims to support smooth reception starts for children
Reform defends £700m council savings claim
