SEND teams hit disproportionately hard by NHS job cuts
15/07/2026 SEND teams have reportedly been hit disproportionately hard by NHS job cuts, despite being central to delivering reform, report warns. |
Call for more planning officers to unlock historic buildings for housing
13/07/2026 Councils chiefs have called for greater investment in planning and conservation officers to help councils bring historic buildings back into use for housing. |
Veteran in line to receive Freedom of the City award
13/07/2026 City of York Council is preparing to present its Freedom of the City award to a Normandy veteran. |
Homelessness set to rise 25% by 2030, report warns Burnham
13/07/2026 A new report has warned prime-minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham that homelessness is set to rise by a quarter, pushing councils ‘closer to bankruptcy’. |
Fifteen towns make shortlist for first-ever UK Town of Culture
10/07/2026 Fifteen towns have made the shortlist for the UK's first Town of Culture competition, chosen from nearly 400 applications submitted from across the country. |
DfE consults on raising SEND funding cap beyond £6,000
10/07/2026 The Government has launched a consultation that could see mainstream schools receive significantly more up-front funding to support pupils with SEND. |
New fund to match council investment in family hubs
10/07/2026 The Government has launched a new initiative that will see council funding for Best Start Family Hubs matched by investment from other investors. |
AI row erupts over Scarborough's 400th birthday deckchairs
10/07/2026 North Yorkshire Council is facing backlash from local artists after AI-generated images were used to create artwork for Scarborough's Giant Deckchair Trail. |
Council calls off climate emergency declaration
10/07/2026 A vote has seen Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council revoke its climate emergency declaration. |
Trafford Council publishes Wharfside regeneration masterplan
10/07/2026 Trafford Council has published its regeneration plan for Trafford Wharfside, a 150-hectare site centred around Manchester United’s proposed new stadium. |
Council warns of fake QR code stickers on parking machines
09/07/2026 West Berkshire Council has issued a warning after fake QR code stickers were found on some of its parking machines. |
LGA conference: Change journey 'will never end' in Northamptonshire
09/07/2026 North Northamptonshire Council has offered to help councils embarking on their own reorganisation journey. |
Call for stronger scrutiny of mayors
08/07/2026 Stronger accountability and scrutiny of mayors is needed should they be given greater fiscal powers under an Andy Burnham-led government, think-tank says. |
Polanski calls for end to outsourcing
08/07/2026 It’s time to bring an end to wasteful outsourcing and fix the broken planning system, Green Party leader Zack Polanski told the LGA Conference. |
LGPS urged to back ‘balanced growth’ beyond London
08/07/2026 Local government minister Alison McGovern MP said the LGPS must work closely with England's strategic authorities to deliver ‘balanced growth’. |
LGA Conference: MP warns Burnham not to delay local elections again
08/07/2026 Zoe Franklin MP issued a pointed warning to Andy Burnham at the LGA Conference, warning that Labour cannot use devolution to delay local elections again. |
Councils put aside £20m for local government reorganisation
07/07/2026 Seven local authorities have set aside a total of £20m to support local government reorganisation (LGR). |
Affordable rural housing at risk from planning reforms
07/07/2026 Government proposals to ease affordable housing requirements could result in half of all affordable rural housing being lost, according to the NHF. |
North Warwickshire BC celebrates victory in Bromford Tunnel appeal
03/07/2026 North Warwickshire Borough Council has been vindicated in the Bromford Tunnel dispute after the Court of Appeal found that the environmental effects of the extension should have been assessed. |
Biodiversity rule changes could unlock London homes, think tank says
03/07/2026 Scrapping Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements for London brownfield sites could unlock hundreds of thousands of new homes in the capital, study claims. |
Pubs get green light for late-night England v Mexico match
03/07/2026 Communities Secretary Steve Reed is writing to council leaders to confirm pubs and bars will be allowed to stay open until 5am on Monday for the World Cup. |
Council leaders demand review of ‘MegaShed’ planning law
02/07/2026 The leaders of all three political groups on South Gloucestershire Council have called for urgent reform of historical planning consents. |
Think tank calls for more devolution and digitisation to fix public services
02/07/2026 Decentralising responsibility to local areas while widening access through digital tools should be at the heart of public service reform, ThinkLabour argues. |
Housebuilding falls in half of England's council areas
02/07/2026 New analysis has found that half (51.8%) of local authorities in England are building fewer homes than they were five years ago. |
LGA warning over council intervention metrics
01/07/2026 Analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) has uncovered issues with the proposed methods used to trigger new intervention powers. |
Oxford CC slams Oxfordshire's Thames Valley devolution veto
01/07/2026 Oxford CC has voiced its disappointment after Oxfordshire CC vetoed a devolution deal which it argues could have brought billions in investment. |
Council stays ‘vigilant’ amid rise in Wimbledon e-bike use
01/07/2026 Merton Council has outlined measures in place to help manage the poor parking of e-bikes in Wimbledon. |
Qatari-owned hotel probed over unmet homes pledge
01/07/2026 Westminster CC is investigating a five-star Knightsbridge hotel owned by members of the Qatari royal family, over an alleged breach of planning obligations. |
Devolution progress strong, but scrutiny must be strengthened, auditors say
01/07/2026 Good progress has been made on English devolution, a National Audit Office report has found, but it also calls for strengthened local scrutiny arrangements. |
New towns must avoid 'planning mistakes of the past', report warns
30/06/2026 New towns could help tackle London's housing crisis, but only if delivered with clear standards on housing, transport and community involvement, report says. |
Suffolk CC to push on with LGR legal challenge
30/06/2026 Suffolk CC is pursuing its legal challenge to local government reorganisation (LGR) following revelations Steve Reed defied civil service advice. |
Order for more Local Plan hearings ‘beggars belief’, City of London says
30/06/2026 The City of London Corporation has criticised a Government direction requiring further examination of its City Plan 2040, calling the move ‘anti-growth.' |
Two-thirds of anti-social behaviour goes unreported
30/06/2026 Nearly two-thirds of victims and witnesses of anti-social behaviour did not report it in the past three years, according to a new survey. |
Burnham puts devolution at centre of leadership pitch
29/06/2026 Andy Burnham has pledged the ‘biggest rebalance of power our country has ever seen' as he prepares to enter Downing Street. |
Tories pick Trafford councillor for Greater Manchester mayoral by-election
29/06/2026 The Conservative Party has selected Trafford councillor Phil Eckersley as its candidate for the upcoming Greater Manchester mayoral by-election. |
Councils demand say in asylum seeker housing plans
26/06/2026 Council chiefs have called on the Home Office to obtain council consent well in advance of any decisions around asylum accommodation. |
Plymouth celebrates prestigious national museum award
26/06/2026 Plymouth City Council has won national recognition for the success of its award-winning museum, The Box. |
Suffolk leader accuses Reed of overruling civil service on reorganisation
26/06/2026 Suffolk CC is rethinking its legal challenge against local government reorganisation plans, after newly released correspondence sheds light on LGR decision. |
Woman dies and girl critical after train strikes car
25/06/2026 Lancashire's council leader has expressed his condolences after a woman died and a young girl was left in a critical condition when a train struck a car. |
High Court injunction cracks down on late-night car meets
25/06/2026 Kensington and Chelsea Council has secured a High Court injunction to stamp out late-night car meets after some areas became hotspots for dangerous driving. |
London councils take Mayor to court over affordable housing cuts
25/06/2026 Seven London councils are backing a judicial review of the Mayor's decision to cut the proportion of affordable housing developers are required to build. |
First investigation areas announced for grooming gang inquiry
25/06/2026 The first local investigation areas for the grooming gang inquiry have been revealed. |
Council leaders demand central admissions role in SEND inclusion bases
25/06/2026 Council chiefs have called for a central role in admissions to new school inclusion bases, as Government publishes landmark guidance on SEND support. |
Hampshire and Portsmouth to challenge local government reorganisation
25/06/2026 Two of the largest councils in Hampshire have become the latest to launch a legal challenges against local government reorganisation (LGR). |
Council leader to stand in Greater Manchester mayoral election
24/06/2026 Manchester City Council leader selected as Labour's Greater Manchester mayoral candidate. |
Quarter of council professionals question LGR readiness
24/06/2026 One in four council professionals involved in local government reorganisation lack confidence that their authority will be viable on Vesting Day, poll finds. |
LGR readiness checklist for museums published
24/06/2026 Arts Council England has released a new checklist to help local authority museums prepare for the current wave of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). |
Council wins High Court injunction over unauthorised flag placements
24/06/2026 Oxfordshire CC has secured a court injunction preventing individuals linked to the group Raise the Colours from placing unauthorised flags on the highway. |
Government rejects SEND power expansion for councils
23/06/2026 The Government has rejected calls by MPs to boost councils' powers over health partners to provide Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). |
More people leaving care into homelessness, research warns
23/06/2026 Growing numbers of people are leaving public institutions directly into homelessness, according to new research from national umbrella body Homeless Link. |
Expanded cities the winners in reorganisation plans
Think tank warns Burnham must move fast to avoid ‘two-tier England’
Concerns raised about councils’ strategic climate policies
Push for reduced speed limits in rural areas
