VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
West of England advances local regeneration projects
21/05/2025 Homes England and West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) have signed a new partnership to support the delivery of housing and regeneration projects. |
Welsh councils prepare to transform community spaces
12/05/2025 Nine councils in Wales are due to receive £31.5m to support ongoing development projects in local towns and communities. |
Mayor urged to take over vacant shops to revitalise high streets
23/04/2025 The Mayor of London has been urged to provide more ‘financial and practical’ support to help drive high street regeneration across the capital. |
Newcastle chief defends Saudi investment
22/04/2025 Newcastle City Council’s chief executive has reportedly defended the authority seeking investment from Saudi Arabia following criticism of engagement with the controversial regime. |
Universal theme park deal ‘landmark moment’
09/04/2025 The agreement of a deal with Universal to open a new theme park in Bedford – billed as one of the largest in Europe – has been welcomed as a ‘landmark moment’. |
British Library’s £1.1bn expansion finds a backer
20/03/2025 The British Library’s £1.1bn expansion plans have received a significant boost after securing the backing of Japanese developer Mitsui Fudosan. |
Heritage-led high streets regeneration brings in £245m
18/03/2025 Heritage-led regeneration can help revive struggling high streets and redefine how local authorities revitalise town centres, according to Historic England. |
£1.5bn announced for ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods
04/03/2025 Towns across the UK to benefit from a £1.5bn cash boost aimed at reviving high streets, improving local public services, and driving regeneration. |
Councils welcome ‘gamechanger’ regeneration funding
03/03/2025 Oldham Council and Rochdale Borough Council have been granted £20m each to support a range of regeneration schemes. |
Consultation launched on Oxford Street pedestrianisation
03/03/2025 Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a public consultation on what is billed as the ‘biggest transformation of Oxford Street in history’. |
Port Talbot receives £8m of regeneration funding
06/02/2025 Port Talbot is set to receive £8.2m of regeneration funding in a move expected to deliver 100 jobs. |
Regeneration: Reviving our town centres
21/01/2025 Rowenna Davis, associate partner at Global Future Foundation, sets out 12 principles for reviving our town centres. |
Council plans ‘striking’ Yorkshire roses landmark
13/01/2025 Three Yorkshire roses are set to form a ‘striking’ new landmark as part of a Barnsley Council redevelopment project. |
Liverpool City Council sets out plan to deliver 10,000 houses
23/12/2024 Liverpool City Council has set out plans to deliver more than 10,000 new homes in one of Britain’s most deprived areas. |
Council’s risk profile could ‘jeopardise’ financial stability
12/11/2024 A governance review has praised Eastleigh Borough Council for its investments but warned its risk profile could ‘jeopardise its financial stability’. |
Scottish Government to decide fate of last man on housing estate
01/11/2024 The Scottish Government will determine what happens to the last man living on a housing estate earmarked for demolition by the local council. |
Pier linked to Dambusters raid gets £10m lottery lifeline
29/10/2024 The restoration of a Grade II* listed pier in Somerset on ‘the brink of loss’ has been granted £10m of National Lottery funding. |
More than £2.5bn for communities ‘stuck in limbo’
28/10/2024 More than £2.5bn in funding agreed by the previous government for local growth is stuck in limbo, a think-tank has found. |
Tees Valley councils not liable for regeneration liabilities
08/10/2024 Tees Valley Combined Authority has concluded that the councils sitting on the body are not responsible for the Teesworks regeneration scheme liabilities. |
LGA calls for regeneration fund extension
04/10/2024 Council bosses have urged the Government to extend the ‘vital’ UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) in the upcoming Autumn Budget. |
Councils work to manage impact from collapse of major contractor
23/09/2024 Councils across England and Wales are working to manage the impact to a string of major infrastructure projects following the collapse of building firm ISG. |
Think tank calls for health and prosperity improvement zones
17/09/2024 Local authorities should be empowered to create health and prosperity improvement zones modelled on clean air zones, a cross-party commission says. |
Man United joins regeneration drive
10/09/2024 Manchester United has joined forces with Trafford Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to maximise regeneration opportunities. |
Controversial plans to build asylum site at RAF Scampton axed
06/09/2024 RAF Scampton will no longer be used to house asylum seekers, according to the local authority. |
Councillors back controversial £1bn regen scheme
30/08/2024 Tower Hamlets Council members have granted planning permission to media mogul Richard Desmond's controversial £1bn development scheme on the Isle of Dogs. |
Regeneration projects threatened by £20m funding delay
14/08/2024 Newark and Sherwood DC has warned that a delay in making available £20m of levelling up funding is preventing regeneration projects from being delivered. |
South Midlands councils join forces to boost growth
01/08/2024 Local authorities in the south Midlands have joined forces to create a new group to boost economic growth. |
York council green lights government hub
23/07/2024 City of York Council has signed off on plans to construct a six-storey government hub near the city centre. |
Liverpool City Council to receive £55m regeneration boost
15/07/2024 Liverpool City Council is set to receive a £55m boost from Homes England to accelerate the regeneration of the city’s historic northern docklands. |
Plans for £2.3bn ‘Venice of Britain’ scrapped
15/07/2024 Planning applications for a £2.3bn town on the site of a former power station on the Hampshire coast have been withdrawn. |
Councillors back £88,000 parking revamp
12/07/2024 Unreliable parking ticket machines in Rugby will be replaced as part of the council’s mission to regenerate the town centre. |
‘World-class’ hotel opens at £470m regen site
03/07/2024 Sheffield City Council has hailed its regeneration project for helping to attract ‘world-class brands’ after Radisson Blu opened a new hotel within the site. |
Ashfield DC agrees land purchase in £14m regeneration scheme
02/07/2024 Ashfield District Council has agreed to purchase land in Kirkby-in-Ashfield as part of the £14m North Kirkby Gateway scheme. |
Council buys two sites for £19.5m regen scheme
17/06/2024 Dorset Council has bought two parcels of brownfield land as part of its plans to regenerate Weymouth’s waterfront economy. |
Birmingham councillors sign off on £1.9bn redevelopment
14/06/2024 Birmingham City Council's planning committee has given the go ahead to developer Lendlease for the £1.9bn redevelopment of the Smithfield site. |
Newcastle council borrows £8m for shopping centre revamp
11/06/2024 Newcastle City Council has borrowed £8m to invest in a major shopping centre redevelopment. |
Birmingham planners back £1.9bn Smithfield redevelopment
07/06/2024 Plans to redevelop Birmingham’s former Smithfield wholesale markets have taken another step forward as city council planners recommend approval. |
Agreement reached over asylum site
29/05/2024 West Lindsey District Council is set to launch a £300m regeneration scheme at RAF Scampton after the Home Office agreed to accommodate fewer asylum seekers at the site. |
Torbay Council secures £20m regeneration boost
22/05/2024 Torbay has been named as the latest place to benefit from a multi-million-pound tailored levelling up regeneration programme. |
Think-tank calls for regeneration funding overhaul
07/05/2024 Councils should be able to hold a regeneration account to more efficiently allocate capital for regeneration projects, a think-tank has argued. |
Councils frustrated by Whitehall siloes, says chief
07/05/2024 Whitehall’s siloed approach to city centre renewal has led to ‘frustration’ from councils, slowed down projects and increased costs, council chief warns. |
Think-tank: Growth in tall buildings failing to tackle housing need
30/04/2024 ‘Unplanned proliferation’ of tall buildings has not delivered the housing Britain needs, Policy Exchange has warned. |
Brum councillors reject ‘bonkers’ skyscraper scheme
26/04/2024 Birmingham City Council members have rejected a planning proposal for a 42-storey skyscraper to be built atop a Grade-II listed former hospital. |
Council considers £110m offer for former EV battery factory site
16/04/2024 Northumberland CC is set to consider a multi-million-pound deal that could see a site earmarked for a collapsed electric vehicle battery factory sold. |
Blackpool neighbourhood to be demolished to build £65m campus
11/04/2024 Blackpool Council's planning committee has approved the demolition of a town centre neighbourhood to clear space for a new £65m university campus. |
Agreement for major York regeneration scheme signed
09/04/2024 An agreement to undertake one of the UK's largest city centre regeneration schemes in York has been signed. |
Hopes for regen scheme revived after Home Office scales back asylum plan
20/03/2024 A £300m council-led regeneration scheme threatened when Whitehall commandeered the site for asylum accommodation could now go ahead. |
High Court overrules Gove on M&S demolition
04/03/2024 The Government’s decision to block Marks & Spencer’s plans to demolish and redevelop its flagship central London store was unlawful, the High Court has ruled. |
Teesworks inquiry finds no evidence of ‘corruption’
30/01/2024 An inquiry into accusations of corruption relating to the Teesworks scheme has found no evidence of ‘illegality’ but ‘transparency’ concerns remain. |
Call for ‘different approach’ to brownfield
24/01/2024 A more ‘systematic, interventionist and collaborative’ method could ‘significantly’ increase the regeneration of brownfield sites in Wales, according to a new report. |
Council sells former HQ site for £6m
17/01/2024 Adur District Council has sold the site of its former civic centre for £6m to affordable housing provider The Hyde Group. |
North Yorkshire Council greenlights £21m garrison redevelopment
15/01/2024 North Yorkshire Council has signed off on a £21m redevelopment project for Catterick Garrison's town centre to offer support for Armed Forces personnel. |
Fund to go to town centre 'champions'
19/12/2023 New guidance for the government’s £1.1bn ‘long term plan for towns’ has confirmed the boards in charge of spending the cash should be led by a local independent chair who will act as a ‘champion’ for the town. |
£80m to regenerate brownfield sites now available
12/12/2023 Up to £80m is now available for local authorities across England to deliver thousands of new homes on brownfield sites. |
High Court approves M&S judicial review
21/11/2023 The High Court has approved an application for a judicial review from M&S after Michael Gove blocked plans to redevelop the retailers Oxford Street store. |
Councils brace as Supreme Court outlaws Rwanda asylum plan
15/11/2023 The Supreme Court has ruled the UK’s controversial proposal to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful – a decision likely to impact local government. |
£7m project to turn bank into flats
16/10/2023 A former Lloyds Bank in Hull will be refurbished into 46 residential properties with support from levelling up funding. |
New festival to light up Scarborough
05/10/2023 The Scarborough Lights festival will be launched next month as part of a three-year plan to boost arts, attract tourists and improve job opportunities on the North Yorkshire coast. |
Council buys £14m shopping centre
04/10/2023 Fareham Borough Council has spent £14m acquiring the town’s high street shopping centre and adjoining properties. |
Council expected to axe regeneration firm
15/09/2023 A council-owned development firm is expected to close just two years after it was launched. |
Developers to convert Cheltenham car park into housing site
02/08/2023 Cheltenham Borough Council will consider plans to transform a car park into a 150-home development. |
Woking pauses development of 1,000 homes
27/07/2023 Woking Borough Council has paused a regeneration project involving 1,142 new homes after it issued a Section 114 notice in June. |
Wigan approves £135m multi-media centre.
13/07/2023 Wigan Council's planning committee has approved a £135m multi-media centre to boost the town centre. |
Ipswich unveils plans to improve town
11/07/2023 Ipswich Borough Council has unveiled its new draft corporate strategy, which aims to create a ‘prosperous and sustainable future’ for the borough. |
Plans for £210m regeneration in Huddersfield move to delivery phase
30/06/2023 The latest stage of funding to develop Huddersfield town centre has been approved by Kirklees Council’s cabinet. |
New railway station in Bradford, minister confirms
22/06/2023 Plans for a new railway station in Bradford are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks, a Government minister has confirmed. |
Yorkshire market town to be expanded
20/06/2023 East Riding Council in Yorkshire is considering plans to expand a market town by building 1,900 homes, a new school and a pub. |
Questions over council land purchase proposals
30/05/2023 Labour's proposed legislation would allow councils to buy land at agricultural values using compulsory purchase orders. |
Campaigners resist plans to cut down trees for ‘eco homes’
11/04/2023 Residents of historic Bournville village in Birmingham have called on their local councillor to intervene over a plan to cut down trees and build ‘eco homes’. |
Plymouth council contractors forced to stop tree felling
16/03/2023 Contractors working for Plymouth City Council cut down 110 trees at night before an injunction forced them to stop work. |
Budget’s lack of social care support ‘disappointing’
16/03/2023 Council leaders welcomed the new funding in yesterday's budget but were disappointed by absence of investment in social care, health and children’s services. |
Budget 2023: Hunt to boost mayors' financial autonomy
15/03/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced the Government will ‘boost mayors’ financial autonomy’ in his Budget. |
Suffolk CC to invest nearly £11m in new bridges
14/03/2023 Suffolk County Council is investing almost £11m into delivering two new bridges and a raft of regeneration projects. |
Derby council approves £500,000 regeneration loan
27/02/2023 Derby CC has approved a £500,000 loan to London and Continental Railways (LCR), which is seeking to purchase the original headquarters of Midland Railway. |
Sheffield regeneration delayed due to £10m jump in costs
13/02/2023 Regeneration plans for Sheffield city centre have been cut back because of rising costs. |
Council chiefs blast ‘costly’ approach to levelling up
19/01/2023 Councils have demanded a new way of funding the sector following the announcement of the Levelling Up Fund second round winners. |
Scottish regeneration projects to receive £27m
19/01/2023 Regeneration projects in disadvantaged and rural communities across Scotland are set to receive a share of almost £27m of funding, Holyrood announces. |
Second round of £180m brownfield fund announced
18/01/2023 Local authorities across England are now able to bid for a share of a £60m fund dedicated to reviving brownfield sites, the Government announced today. |
Work begins on Staffordshire development creating 1,700 jobs
06/01/2023 Work has begun on a multimillion-pound Enterprise Zone development being backed by Staffordshire County Council. |
Gove to sign devolution deals for Norfolk and Suffolk
08/12/2022 Devolution deals are to be signed in Suffolk and Norfolk giving them over £1bn to invest in their communities, the Government has announced. |
Liverpool signs deal for £70m Littlewoods project
04/12/2022 The developers behind the £70m Littlewoods project have signed a deal with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Liverpool City Council to kick start the project. |
Funding request to rescue inflation-hit City Deal
30/11/2022 Derry City & Strabane DC is to request more funding to back its £250m City Deal as inflation threatens to force planned projects to be scaled back. |
It’s time to re-think the retail-dominated model of our high streets
25/11/2022 With levelling up back on the agenda, Nick Plumb argues there is a need for a new approach to our high streets that moves beyond the retail-dominated model. |
The place principle
02/11/2022 Chris Malcolm discusses how a holistic, people-centric vision can achieve better results across publicly funded projects. |
Report calls for levelling up regeneration schemes to be backed by significant public funding
11/10/2022 Significant public funding is needed to deliver the government’s plans to deliver King’s Cross-style regeneration projects across the UK, a report has argued today. |
Net zero: A whole life view
06/09/2022 Chris Clarke examines how the public sector needs to change its way of thinking if it is to achieve net zero. |
Regeneration partnerships: Perspective and vision
26/07/2022 Alexandros Marcoulides makes a number of recommendations to help councils ensure partnerships with the private sector succeed. |
Boldly going where Birmingham has never gone before
21/07/2022 Cllr Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, explains the integral role of the local authority in delivering the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. |
Councils could soon secure Landfill Tax refunds
21/07/2022 Councils across England could soon receive grants to refund the costs of Landfill Tax when it prevents derelict sites from being developed. |
Historic docklands to receive £233m of infrastructure funding
05/07/2022 The Government today pledged £233m of infrastructure funding to drive the regeneration of one of the largest brownfield sites in London’s historic docklands. |
Homes England announces new strategic partnerships
29/06/2022 Homes England and GMCA have entered into a new partnership to drive the delivery of affordable housing and town centre regeneration. |
Council adopts land transfer policy to ‘kick-start a grassroots revolution’
24/06/2022 Liverpool council is set to launch a radical new scheme that will make council land available to voluntary groups in order to encourage local regeneration. |
Bristol City Council launches consultation on plans to build 1,500 houses
26/05/2022 Bristol residents are being asked to give their views on a development that promises to deliver 1,500 homes and employment space for over 500 jobs. |
The need for Green Belt reform
20/05/2022 With only four references to the Green Belt in the Levelling Up White Paper, Karen Charles asks if a change to the Green Belt is inevitable? |
Levelling Up Bill to ‘empower local people’ published
12/05/2022 The Government has published the levelling up Bill which promises to transform struggling towns and support local leaders have more control of regeneration. |
Queen's Speech: Levelling up bill unveiled for planning reform
10/05/2022 The Queen’s Speech has confirmed a levelling up Bill will include legislation on planning and regeneration reform. |
Why so many heritage and grant-led projects are stalling
21/04/2022 Andy Rumfitt discusses how local authorities can prepare for and handle stalled projects. |
Four places shortlisted to be UK City of Culture 2025
21/03/2022 Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough are the four locations shortlisted to be UK City of Culture 2025. |
Post-pandemic placemaking: building better towns through public sector investment
21/03/2022 Mike Salter explains how local authorities can maximise the impact of investment. |
Plans to level up Blackpool are unveiled
18/03/2022 Blackpool will receive a beefed-up inspection regime to tackle rogue landlords and a King’s Cross style regeneration programme under the Government's levelling up plans. |
