Building on 'brownfield' sites at five-year low
Council buys two buildings in £5m deal
Parks in danger of being sold, campaigners warn
Substandard wall insulation found in Northern Ireland's social housing
Consumer standards obligations on housing stock-owning councils
Fiona MacGregor, the chief executive of the Regulator of Social Housing, considers the consumer standards obligations on councils that own housing stock.
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 March issue of Local Government News explores alternative funding channels that are available to councils beyond the Public Works Loan Board, what hurdles merging councils face in coming together, and how local government is handling GDPR.
This issue also has a special highways and street lighting section exploring how councils can use lighting to embark on their smart city journey and using IoT technology to weather the storm.
