Councils urged to pool buying powers to back British Steel
26/08/2026 The chief exec and leader of North Lincs Council have written to English councils asking them to use their ‘collective buying power' to back British steel. |
Number of children in rural temporary accommodation up 70%
26/08/2026 More than 23,000 children are now living in temporary accommodation across England's county areas, according to new analysis from the County Councils Network. |
Council urges communities to plan for weather emergencies
26/08/2026 East Suffolk Council leader is urging communities to prepare for future weather-related emergencies, following a year marked by wildfires in Dunwich. |
Lime withdraws e-bikes from Bromley after hazard complaints
25/08/2026 Lime has removed its e-bikes from Bromley following complaints that abandoned vehicles were creating hazards on pavements. |
High street shell companies laundering over £1bn, study finds
25/08/2026 Thousands of suspected shell companies were operating through hairdressers, barbers, and beauty salons on high streets between 2016 and 2026, study finds. |
Government announces £10bn to kickstart council housebuilding drive
25/08/2026 Council chiefs have welcomed the first wave of funding from the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme but warned they must be at the heart of delivery. |
Council justified in action against illegal hotel use, inquiry finds
24/08/2026 A council’s enforcement action over the unauthorised use of a former hotel has been backed by a planning inspector. |
Reform pledges to prioritise British workers for social housing
24/08/2026 Reform UK has announced plans to prioritise British-born workers, veterans and married couples with children for social housing if they enter government. |
Marylebone households face losing affordable homes after court ruling
21/08/2026 Sixteen social housing households in Marylebone risk losing their homes after a court ruling allowed the property's new landlord to charge market rents. |
Oldham Council refers itself to MHCLG after failed leadership vote
21/08/2026 Oldham Council is to write to the Secretary of State after councillors again failed to elect a leader, the authority confirms. |
Mayors to lead crackdown on gangs behind illegal waste dumping
20/08/2026 PM Andy Burnham has announced that mayors will lead local enforcement in a new national crackdown on organised crime groups running illegal waste sites. |
West Midlands leaders empowered to run local bus network
19/08/2026 A partnership between the Government and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will see bus services brought under local control. |
PM announces £442m rough sleeping drive
19/08/2026 PM Andy Burnham has announced a £442m package to tackle rough sleeping and to help councils provide rough sleepers with a route off the streets by Christmas. |
Questions over link between welfare and rent increases
18/08/2026 Unfreezing housing benefits would not drive increasing rents, according to newly-published analysis. |
New body launched to push for Leicester and Leicestershire mayor
18/08/2026 A new organisation, Devolution Leicestershire, has been launched to build the case for a regional mayor covering Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. |
Mother tells inquest son's fall from tower block was ‘preventable’
18/08/2026 The mother of a five-year-old boy who died after falling from a 15th-floor kitchen window in east London has told an inquest his death was ‘preventable.’ |
Councils warn planning reforms will hand more power to developers
18/08/2026 County council leaders have warned that new planning rules risk weakening local communities' voices and shifting the balance of power towards developers. |
Legal threat to Burnham asylum plan
17/08/2026 Reform UK and the Conservatives could launch legal challenges to prevent PM Andy Burnham from spreading asylum accommodation more evenly across the country. |
Lewisham launches taskforce to crack down on rogue landlords
17/08/2026 Lewisham Council has launched an intelligence-led taskforce to target non-compliant landlords and raise standards across the borough's private rented sector. |
Defence firms could reindustrialise the North East, think tank claims
17/08/2026 Use the defence sector to drive local regeneration and reindustrialise the North East of England, a free market think tank says. |
Caution urged due to wildfire risk across communities
17/08/2026 The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has called for a long-term wildfire strategy amid the increasing risk of wildfires that are threatening homes. |
Devolution race exposes divisions over mayor question
13/08/2026 The Government was this week facing hurdles as it races to complete the devolution map across England by the end of 2028. |
West of England mayor allocates £500k to help buildings stay cool
13/08/2026 West of England mayor Helen Godwin is offering grants worth up to £15k to help care homes and community groups improve their energy efficiency and help people stay cool amid heatwaves. |
Action needed to avert reorganisation’s threat to councils’ links with charities, report warns
13/08/2026 Action is needed by councils undergoing local government reorganisation (LGR) to ensure the changes do not hinder partnerships with their local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. |
Council warns drivers over hazardous bin lorry undertaking
11/08/2026 Blaby District Council has issued a prosecution warning to ‘menace drivers’ who have been dangerously undertaking the local authority’s bin crews. |
Councils set to gain powers to block new betting and vape shops
11/08/2026 Councils are to be given strengthened powers to prevent new betting and vape shops from opening, the Prime Minister has announced. |
Local farmers and wildlife come under pressure as drought spreads
11/08/2026 A warning has been issued about the impacts of dry weather on local farmers and wildlife as nearly three quarters of England enters drought status. |
Half of LGA meetings shrouded in secrecy
11/08/2026 The Local Government Association (LGA) has insisted it is looking to ‘maximise transparency’ despite not making agendas publicly available for almost half of its meetings. |
Out of area placements continue to rise
10/08/2026 London boroughs top the list of councils exporting homeless households out of their areas as the practice grows, latest figures have shown. |
Six London councils warn new equality code risks excluding Trans+ people
10/08/2026 Six London councils have urged the Government to ensure Trans+ people are not excluded from public life following the commencement of new rules on single-sex spaces. |
Ofqual launches council-level exam results data
07/08/2026 Ofqual has updated its interactive analytics platform to show exam results broken down by local authority, ahead of this year's A Level and GCSE results days. |
Waste body warns fridge recycling system nearing breaking point
07/08/2026 NAWDO is calling on the Government to help local authorities cope with mounting pressure on the UK's fridge and freezer recycling infrastructure. |
EXCLUSIVE: Council denies senior officer suspensions amid chief executive exit row
06/08/2026 Two senior Derby City Council officers are ‘currently out of the office’ after a row over two fact finding exercises into the former chief executive, The MJ understands. |
Under-5s hit hardest by food poverty, EPI finds
06/08/2026 Nearly a quarter (24%) of households with children under the age of five experience food poverty, according to new analysis. |
Council receives objection to ‘deficient assessment’ of oil site expansion
05/08/2026 A campaign group has submitted an objection to Surrey County Council, in an attempt to prevent an oil site development being approved. |
Council takes ‘robust action’ following waste dumping arrests
05/08/2026 Four arrests have been made following a large-scale illegal waste dumping operation in Wigan, prompting the council to support enforcement action. |
New devo powers risk widening regional divide, report warns
04/08/2026 New fiscal powers allowing strategic authorities to retain income tax and business rates could deepen regional inequalities, a new report has warned. |
Parish councils urged to submit evidence to high streets inquiry
03/08/2026 The Society of Local Council Clerks is encouraging town and parish councils to engage with a new Parliamentary inquiry into the future of high streets. |
Rogue trader jailed for stealing £187k from 22 victims
03/08/2026 A rogue trader has been jailed for five years after stealing £187,000 from 22 victims across Stoke-on-Trent. |
Council demands tougher fly-tipping sentences after offender avoids jail
03/08/2026 Gravesham is calling for stronger sentencing powers in fly-tipping cases after a man behind one of the borough's worst offences received a suspended sentence. |
Oldham Council acting ‘unlawfully’, legal boss says
03/08/2026 Oldham Council is acting unlawfully by failing to elect a leader or cabinet, the council’s top legal boss says. |
EXCLUSIVE: Councils suffering from asylum data blackout
31/07/2026 A Government review of asylum accommodation data-sharing arrangements remains ongoing five months after Whitehall officials said they were ‘trying’ to restore council access to information, The MJ has learnt. |
Regional leaders consider £90m boost for new bus network
31/07/2026 A £90m funding boost for a fleet of new buses could be on the table for West Yorkshire. |
Norfolk deputy leader urges Rayner to halt £96m reorganisation
30/07/2026 Norfolk CC's deputy leader has written to newly appointed Secretary of State for local government Angela Rayner, urging her to halt reorganisation in Norfolk. |
North Northants launches consultation on town and parish council changes
30/07/2026 North Northants Council has launched the second stage of its community governance review, inviting residents to have their say on proposed changes. |
Reform UK councillor charged over offensive social media post
30/07/2026 Sunderland City Council's Reform UK councillor Glenn Gibbins has been charged with posting a grossly offensive comment on social media, police have confirmed. |
Fire chiefs urge public to follow local wildfire guidance
29/07/2026 Fire and rescue services are urging the public to follow local authority guidance on fire risks and restrictions as wildfire danger remains elevated. |
Cambridge City Council leads in litter enforcement
28/07/2026 Cambridgeshire councils have accumulated almost £100,000 in littering fines over the last three years. |
Local government handed role developing skills pipelines
28/07/2026 Councils and mayors will be given a role in developing skills pipelines for local industries under plans announced by the Government. |
Strong governance key to better social homes, regulator says
28/07/2026 Landlords with robust governance are best placed to deliver more and better social homes, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has said. |
Brum City Council seeks High Court injunction against unauthorised flags
Lincolnshire issues legal LGR letter to Government
ETS expansion to waste incineration delayed beyond 2028
Police to review family voting allegations in Birmingham
