Council defends retail park deal amid Abu Dhabi questions
05/10/2026 Manchester City Council is under the spotlight over property agreements involving Abu Dhabi United Group. |
County council considers legal action over reorganisation
05/10/2026 Lancashire County Council could pursue legal action to stop the Government’s plans to overhaul local government in the county. |
EXCLUSIVE: Reorganisation door open for 2028
02/10/2026 Some two-tier areas could still be encouraged to stick to the original reorganisation timetable despite the Government pausing the process, The MJ understands. |
New home building slows as planning approvals decline
01/10/2026 Planning approvals for new homes have hit a record low, research has found. |
Nearly £80m handed to communities for tree-planting
01/10/2026 A cash boost of £79m is to be provided to support the delivery of up to 500,000 trees across local communities. |
Ready, steady, go: Oxfordshire’s traffic filter trial begins
01/10/2026 Oxfordshire County Council’s traffic filter trial has commenced as of Monday this week. |
Homeless deaths rise to 1,720 in 2025, research finds
01/10/2026 At least 1,720 people, including 51 children, died while homeless in the UK in 2025, a 6.8% rise on the previous year, according to new research. |
Devolution plans threaten councils' existence, Localis warns
01/10/2026 Devolution without decentralisation of decision-making powers risks marginalising local government to the point of an existential threat, warns Localis. |
London boroughs identify sites for 50,000 council homes
01/10/2026 London boroughs have identified sites for more than 50,000 new council homes in the capital, if enough funding is available, according to new analysis. |
Humberside PCC urges PM to back Humber-wide combined authority
30/09/2026 Humberside's Police and Crime Commissioner and his deputy have urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to rethink devolution in the region and create a Humber-wide combined authority. |
Worcestershire reorganisation row erupts
30/09/2026 A row has erupted at Worcestershire CC over the future of reorganisation for the county. |
Two councils handed C3 housing grades by regulator
30/09/2026 Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and Thanet District Council have each received a C3 consumer grade from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). |
Ashfield DC welcomes new leader after predecessor convicted
29/09/2026 A new leader of Ashfield District Council has been appointed to replace the former head, who was recently convicted of fraud. |
COSLA: Staff must shape Scottish council reform
29/09/2026 Council staff must have a meaningful say in the future of local services, COSLA has said. |
Traction gained in efforts to ban school attendance prosecutions
28/09/2026 A petition to ban fines and prosecutions for school non-attendance has reached nearly 140,000 signatures. |
£210m fund to revive derelict high streets
28/09/2026 Derelict shops, cinemas and shopping centres are to be transformed into cafes, shared workspaces and community hubs under a £210m Government package. |
Councils get powers to reclaim empty homes faster
28/09/2026 Councils in England will be able to step in much sooner on long-term empty properties under reforms announced by the Government. |
Gloucester City Council temporarily without leader
28/09/2026 The leader of Gloucester City Council has been ousted following a vote of no confidence. |
Building fraud gang jailed for more than 60 years after £1m scam
25/09/2026 Members of a 22-strong criminal network behind a £1m building fraud have been jailed for a combined total of more than 63 years at Teesside Crown Court. |
Scrap Jobcentre Plus and devolve support to Mayors, think tank urges
25/09/2026 Employment support should be devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs) and Jobcentre Plus scrapped entirely, according to a new report. |
Public backs devolution but wants deprived areas prioritised
25/09/2026 Devolution must deliver tangible economic change for England's left-behind towns and neighbourhoods if it is to retain public support, report argues. |
Council tightens governance after temporary accommodation procurement gap found
24/09/2026 Havant Borough Council (HBC) is introducing enhanced staff training and governance after officers identified a gap in its temporary accommodation procurement processes. |
Salisbury approves citywide rollout of children’s medals
24/09/2026 Salisbury City Council is expected to spend up to £30,000 on the delivery of anniversary medals for the city’s 800th anniversary. |
Londoners underpaying £3.1bn in property tax, think tank reveals
24/09/2026 Londoners are underpaying billions of pounds a year in property tax because council tax remains based on 1991 property valuations, think tank says. |
Reform seeks to withdraw Bradford Council’s sanctuary status
23/09/2026 Opposition councillors have criticised Bradford Reform UK Group’s proposals to withdraw the council from its Local Authority of Sanctuary status. |
Bristol council leader defends flight after banning high-carbon ads
23/09/2026 The leader of Bristol CC has defended flying to New York for a climate summit days after the council banned advertising for high-carbon industries. |
Five Leicestershire councils challenge Government’s LGR plans
23/09/2026 Five Leicestershire councils have issued a pre-action letter to the Government, the first formal step towards a possible legal challenge over reorganisation. |
London boroughs welcome devo plans but warn of £5.2bn funding gap
23/09/2026 London Councils has warned of a widening £5.2bn funding gap facing the capital's boroughs by 2030, even as it welcomes Government devolution plans. |
St Helens landlord hit with £35k fine over unlicensed HMO
23/09/2026 A landlord in St Helens has been fined £35,000 after failing to license a property let out to multiple tenants, following enforcement action by St Helens BC. |
Burnham 'growth in every postcode' ambition dismissed
23/09/2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been warned against awarding groundbreaking tax powers to every region. |
Barnham considers following suit with symbolic independence vote
22/09/2026 Barnham Parish Council is in talks about holding a symbolic independence referendum due to proposals to house asylum seekers at a site close by. |
Council leader quits after drunken conference incident
22/09/2026 Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council has resigned following claims he became intoxicated at a conference and made a threatening remark about Plaid Cymru. |
Scots council map to be torn up
22/09/2026 The Scottish Government has announced proposals for a major shake-up of councils. |
Over £20m confirmed in affordable home funding
21/09/2026 A cash injection of nearly £22m has been delivered to help councils accelerate housebuilding plans for affordable homes. |
West Bridgford residents to be consulted on possible town council
21/09/2026 Residents in West Bridgford are set to be asked whether the area should get its own town council. |
High-carbon advertising banned on council-owned sites in Bristol
21/09/2026 Bristol councillors have backed a move to end high-carbon advertising on local authority-owned sites. |
Councils warn reorg review must bring ‘material change of direction’
17/09/2026 The County Councils Network (CCN) has warned that the Government’s review of local government reorganisation must lead to a genuine shift in approach. |
Councils spend £8m a day on temporary accommodation
17/09/2026 Councils in England spent £2.93bn on temporary accommodation for homeless households between April 2025 and March 2026, new Government figures show. |
ADEPT urges Government to pause Deposit Return Scheme rollout
17/09/2026 ADEPT is calling on the Government to pause the rollout of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers and carry out a full review of its cost. |
Charity calls for cheaper compulsory purchase powers for councils
17/09/2026 The Wildlife Trusts is calling on the Government to make it more affordable for local authorities to use compulsory purchase powers to buy land for parks. |
Welsh councils agree shared vision for the future of local government
17/09/2026 Council leaders and chief executives across Wales have agreed a new vision for the future of local government, setting out how councils can work differently. |
Director issues warning following legal action
16/09/2026 A council director targeted by a member of the public with legal action has voiced fears others could be singled out in the same manner. |
Village residents to hold symbolic vote on leaving the UK
15/09/2026 A village in Oxfordshire is set to hold a symbolic referendum on its membership of the UK in protest at plans to house asylum seekers at a former barracks. |
Scottish councils press for more powers
14/09/2026 Councils in Scotland are pressing to gain powers over public health, transport and further education as part of a Government shake-up. |
Overgrown gardens are blocking road signs, RAC warn
14/09/2026 Almost one in five UK drivers (19%) have accidentally broken the speed limit because overgrown foliage was blocking a road sign, according to an RAC survey. |
New £1bn train fleet to create hundreds of jobs in Derby
11/09/2026 An investment of £1bn has been confirmed to support the delivery of 29 new battery-electric trains that will serve northern communities and boost local workforces. |
Temporary accommodation inquiry launched by NAO
11/09/2026 The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched an inquiry into the resilience of temporary accommodation amid soaring demand. |
Councillors call for emergency climate change briefing
10/09/2026 A televised emergency briefing on the national climate crisis is required, East Suffolk Council has argued. |
Mayors handed power to introduce overnight visitor levy
10/09/2026 Mayors and local leaders across England will be given the power to introduce an overnight visitor levy as part of the Government's fiscal devolution drive. |
EXCLUSIVE: Burnham wish for new settlement with sector
10/09/2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told council leaders he wants to ‘create a new settlement between central and local’. |
Stafford council leader calls for tougher powers over derelict buildings
Council launches legal action to protect district in LGR row
Council launches High Court challenge over solar park
Survey reveals audit still struggling
