Plans outlined for UK’s first plastic free homes
Council warned to reduce or replace property portfolio by auditors
Council announces £57m funding for estate next to Grenfell
LEDs help council reduce energy consumption by over 60%
Rethinking the town centre
Andrea Arnall explains how local authorities can maximise the potential of town centre regeneration and attract investment.
Move to ban 'poor doors' in new housing developments
22/07/2019 The segregation of social housing residents in mixed-tenure developments will be banned under new measures announced by the Government. |
Permitted developments in danger of becoming ‘the new slum housing’
16/07/2019 Half of local authorities in England think homes created using permitted development rights could threaten people’s health and wellbeing. |
Oxford council to remove ‘dangerous’ cladding from tower block
12/07/2019 Oxford City Council has announced it will remove cladding from a residential tower block after it failed a fire safety test. |
Majority of high-rise social housing without sprinklers decade after Lakanal House fire
03/07/2019 Around 95% of high-rise social housing blocks are still without sprinklers 10 years after the Lakanal House fire took the lives of six people. |
MPs call for modern construction methods to solve housing crisis
03/07/2019 The Government must encourage the use of modern construction methods to solve the housing crisis, MPs have warned. |
District councils building more homes thanks to scrapping of HRA borrowing cap
02/07/2019 More homes are being built because of the Government lifting a cap on how much councils can spend, according to a new report. |
£15 fund to make ‘creative’ use of historic buildings launched
02/07/2019 A multi-million pound fund has been launched to help transform high streets through the ‘creative’ use of underused historic buildings. |
Whitehall’s 300,000 house building target ‘way off track’
26/06/2019 The Government's target of delivering 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s is in danger because of a 'lack of decisive action', MPs have warned. |
Councils build ‘highest number’ of houses since 1990
25/06/2019 Over 13,000 new houses were delivered by local authorities last year, town planners have calculated – the highest number since 1990. |
Blackpool museum allocated £4m in lottery funding
24/06/2019 A museum celebrating Blackpool’s role in the development of British culture has been allocated £4m in lottery funding. |
Communities urged to bid for share of Clean Energy Fund
19/06/2019 A £10m fund set up by the Government will encourage community groups to save on energy bills, cut emissions and make money by selling electricity back to the national grid. |
Building on 'brownfield' sites at five-year low
03/06/2019 Construction on derelict land has fallen to a five-year low while development in countryside areas has increased, according to the latest figures. |
Councils spend £74m on empty properties in two years
03/06/2019 Local authorities have spent millions maintaining empty properties over the last couple of years, anti-tax campaigners have revealed. |
Council buys two buildings in £5m deal
24/05/2019 Mid Sussex District Council has agreed to purchase two commercial buildings to generate new rental income. |
Parks in danger of being sold, campaigners warn
23/05/2019 Campaigners are calling on local government and landowners to legally protect the parks and green spaces they own. |
Substandard wall insulation found in Northern Ireland's social housing
16/05/2019 Nearly two-thirds of cavity wall insulation in Northern Ireland’s social housing stock fails to comply with current standards, new research has revealed. |
Accessible toilets to be compulsory in new public buildings
13/05/2019 The Government has published proposals to make toilets that are accessible for disabled people compulsory in all new or refurbished public buildings. |
Deal signed to deliver 3,000 new homes in Nottinghamshire
09/05/2019 Rushcliffe Borough Council has welcomed a new deal that will see thousands of new homes delivered in Nottinghamshire. |
Council accreditation scheme ‘discriminatory’, landlords say
09/05/2019 A landlord accreditation scheme in Oxford is ‘discriminatory and unlawful’, a landlord association has claimed. |
New housing should meet 10 safety principles, planners say
03/05/2019 Planners have called for new legislation that would help tackle concerns over poor-quality housing. |
Homeless shelter closes due to safety concerns
03/05/2019 A homeless centre in Shrewsbury has been temporarily closed down after safety concerns about the building were brought to Shropshire Council’s attention. |
Whitehall to miss target to release enough land for 160,000 homes
02/05/2019 The Government is unlikely to reach its 2020 target to release sufficient public sector land to build 160,000 homes, auditors warn. |
Council invests £35m in shopping centre
29/04/2019 Medway Council has spent nearly £35m on a new shopping centre as part of a wider regeneration programme. |
Council to push ahead with £2m scheme to renovate ‘dilapidated’ flats
25/04/2019 Great Yarmouth council is to go ahead with a scheme to buy up dilapidated flats and bed sits and renovate them for sale or rent. |
Modular homes to be developed for homeless families in London
16/04/2019 Temporary modular homes are to be developed for homeless families in the capital following a £11m investment by mayor Sadiq Khan. |
Worthing’s Art Deco pier named best in the UK
11/04/2019 Worthing’s Grade II Listed Art Deco pier has been voted the best in the UK for 2019. |
Village halls urged to bid for share of £3m refurbishment fund
05/04/2019 The Government has launched a £3m fund to improve village halls. |
Housing experts call for more regulation on Airbnb-style lets
04/04/2019 The Chartered Institute of Housing has called for regulation of Airbnb-style short-term lets to prevent the loss of private rented homes. |
Taunton Deane to build 230 new homes
29/03/2019 Councillors in Taunton Deane yesterday approved plans to build up to 230 new homes. |
Council announces joint venture worth £1bn
22/03/2019 Brentwood Borough Council has announced a new contract with Morgan Sindall Investments to deliver new homes and commercial facilities. |
Whitehall lends partnership over £7m for Birmingham development
21/03/2019 The Government has agreed to a £7.45m loan in order to kick start the development of a brownfield site in Birmingham city centre. |
Basildon secures £30m housing funding boost
19/03/2019 More than 760 new homes are set to be built in Basildon following a £30m funding boost from the Government's housing agency. |
Stevenage BC signs ‘major’ development deal worth £350m
15/03/2019 Stevenage Borough Council and Mace have signed a ‘major new agreement’ to work in partnership on the long-term transformation of Stevenage town centre. |
Southern cities provide more jobs for low-skilled workers than in the North
07/03/2019 Employment opportunities are greater for low-skilled workers in southern English cities than those in the North or Midlands, a think tank has discovered. |
Essex council to invest £20m in commercial property
15/01/2019 Southend-on-Sea Council is set to invest £20m in commercial property in a bid to replace cuts in central government funding. |
Permitted development rules are exacerbating affordable housing crisis, councils warn
27/11/2018 Government rules to allow developers to convert offices into housing without planning permission has led to communities missing out on 10,000 affordable homes in the past three years, council leaders have warned |
Whitehall unveils £2bn property investment portfolio
18/10/2018 The Government has invited foreign investors to put their money into a range of new schemes. |
Liverpool transfers land charges data to ‘national register’
03/09/2018 Liverpool City Council has become the second local authority to migrate its local land charges data to a new national register. |
Council accused of 'putting public money at risk' over shopping centre investment
15/08/2018 A district council has been accused of putting public money at risk in a 35-year deal to lease a shopping centre from a commercial development company. |
Dangerous cladding found on 297 private tower blocks
29/06/2018 The Government has pledged to support council efforts to improve private building safety after figures show 297 private sector high-rise residential buildings have unsafe cladding. |
Council adopts corporate property management strategy
16/04/2018 A corporate property management strategy has been adopted by Ashford Borough Council to handle its asset portfolio. |
The June issue of Local Government News contains the full details of all the winning schemes in the 2019 Street Design Awards. From Children's Play to Pedestrian Environment, find out who has been recognised for their innovation and use of best practice.
This issue also explores how local government pension funds can hedge currency risk, how councils can best address the shortfall in school places, and an update on the number of authorities banning the use of Roundup over safety fears.
