Queen's Speech 19: Whitehall to ‘implement’ new building safety standards
Ashford BC’s local plan ‘legally sound’, court rules
Public property hubs to be delivered in Birmingham and Peterborough
Norwich council estate wins top architecture prize
Rise in digital construction
Lee Ramsey explains how digital construction can help local authorities create better buildings and stronger communities.
Oxford to lose out on millions due to planning rule changes
03/10/2019 Oxford City Council has warned that the city could lose out on hundreds of new council houses due to changes in the national framework which guides planning policy. |
Trafford Council signs £50m property deal
03/10/2019 Trafford Council and Bruntwood Works have exchanged contracts on a £50m joint venture. |
All council buildings in Southampton to use 100% green electricity
01/10/2019 All commercial buildings owned by Southampton City Council will now be powered by renewable energy, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 7,000 tonnes a year. |
Councils attack plans to extend permitted development rules
01/10/2019 The Government has announced plans to extend permitted development rules to allow developers to convert commercial buildings into homes without planning permission. |
Council buys waterfront land for £1
27/09/2019 Liverpool City Council has bought more than 55,000 sq metres of prime waterfront land for £1. |
Scotland sees a 15% increase in its housing supply
24/09/2019 Scotland has seen an increase in its housing supply for the sixth year in a row, new figures reveal. |
Council chiefs call for devolution process to be ‘reignited’
20/09/2019 The Government must 'reignite the devolution process' to give all parts of England more powers and funding, council leaders have demanded. |
Two-thirds of English schools rated ‘poor’ for fire protection
18/09/2019 Over 60% of English schools are rated ‘poor’ for fire protection systems, with only one in 20 rated ‘excellent’, new research has revealed. |
Processes for allocating social housing excluding ‘vulnerable’, think tank warns
18/09/2019 The rules and processes designed to decide who gets access to social housing could be failing people in greatest need, housing experts warn. |
£150m housing scheme to go ahead on former Toys R Us site
12/09/2019 Housing and new offices are set to go ahead on a former Toys R Us site in Southampton. |
Council to help deliver over 80 ‘cutting-edge’ properties
10/09/2019 A district council in Cambridgeshire has welcomed the Government’s decision to build what they describe as ‘cutting-edge, designer council homes’ in Northstowe. |
Council backs £54,000 hearing loop scheme
09/09/2019 Southampton City Council has teamed up with local organisations in an effort to make Southampton the first city in the UK to have a hearing loop system in every public building. |
Approval for new public services hub in Ellesmere Port
05/09/2019 Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning committee have approved plans for a new 'public services hub' and bus zone in Ellesmere Port. |
County announces two major property investments
05/09/2019 Cambridgeshire County Council has announced the details of two major property investments in deals worth over £60m. |
Hackney to take developer to court
02/09/2019 A London borough is preparing to take legal action against a developer over fire safety fears in a block of flats. |
£450m flagship regeneration project scrapped
28/08/2019 Southampton City Council has terminated an agreement for a multi-million pound regeneration project. |
Repair and maintenance of public housing hits 20-year low
28/08/2019 The amount of money spent on repairing public housing fell to an all-time low in 2018, new research has revealed. |
Sutton completes first council housing in 30 years
15/08/2019 The London Borough of Sutton has completed its first programme of new council house building in three decades with the delivery of nearly 100 homes. |
Plans outlined for UK’s first plastic free homes
14/08/2019 A housing association has pledged to build 12 new homes that are virtually free of plastic. |
Council warned to reduce or replace property portfolio by auditors
06/08/2019 Audit Scotland has told a council that it has 'limited time' to curb spending before its reserves run out. |
Council announces £57m funding for estate next to Grenfell
25/07/2019 Kensington and Chelsea Council are to invest £57m transforming an estate next to Grenfell Tower. |
LEDs help council reduce energy consumption by over 60%
24/07/2019 Leicestershire County Council has reduced its energy consumption by 63% in three years thanks to the installation of LEDs. |
Whitehall ‘failing’ to meet target for land sales
24/07/2019 MPs have accused the Government of failing to meet its target for selling land to make way for new homes. |
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. |
This issue of Local Government News explores how councils can tackle modern slavery and trafficking in their supply chains, finds out more about Cambridge's first cohousing scheme and the launch of a new project to build a shared service pattern library for local government.
This issue also contains a special focus on children's services and how councils are protecting children following local safeguarding children boards being abolished.
