Al fresco dining in Westminster set to continue post-lockdown
Build 250,000 homes for key workers, think tank says
Rural and coastal economies could see £51bn boost by 2030 report finds
£4m trial to use street furniture to boost 5G roll out
Sutton Council's IoT pilot project
David Grasty, head of digital strategy & portfolio for Kingston and Sutton Councils, outlines how in-home sensors have improved the safety of vulnerable residents living in social housing.
New housing model could help three-quarters of homeless people into jobs, report shows
09/09/2021 A new housing model could help three-quarters of homeless people in England find jobs and permanent homes, according to the results of a pilot project. |
Welsh government confirms £5m town centre funding
08/09/2021 The Welsh government has confirmed that £5m of loan funding will be made available to support the regeneration of town centres. |
Report calls for overhaul of social investment market
08/09/2021 A number of policy changes are needed to overhaul the UK’s ‘under-performing’ social investment sector, a think tank has warned today. |
Homes England launches £20bn dynamic purchasing system
07/09/2021 Councils and housing associations will find it easier to build houses thanks to reforms in the way Homes England procures housebuilders and disposes of land. |
10 councils receive funding for data sharing projects
03/09/2021 Vulnerable children and families will receive better support after a new fund was set up to improve how data is shared between local partners. |
Strategy sets out 'digital revolution' for highways
02/09/2021 Roads that can repair themselves and an automated cone laying machine are some of the initiatives outlined today to create a 'digital revolution' in highways. |
Shell aims to install 50,000 EV chargepoints
01/09/2021 Shell has announced that it aims to install 50,000 on-street electric vehicle (EV) chargers through their company ubitricity across the UK by the end of 2025. |
Chewing gum producers invest £10m to reduce gum litter
31/08/2021 Major chewing gum producers have signed up to a new multi-million-pound partnership to remove gum litter from the high streets. |
UK’s first regional bank granted licence
26/08/2021 The UK’s first regional bank has been granted its banking licence and will open the doors of its first branch in Manchester later this year. |
Council chiefs in Scotland welcome £5m play park investment
23/08/2021 Local authority leaders in Scotland have agreed a £5m investment package with Holyrood in order to modernise play parks across the country. |
Children's services in Sunderland leap from Inadequate to Outstanding
20/08/2021 Children's services in Sunderland, delivered by Together for Children, are the first in the country to make the leap from Inadequate to Outstanding. |
Record 20 places apply to be City of Culture 2025
20/08/2021 A record 20 places from across the UK have submitted an expression of interest to become the UK City of Culture 2025. |
Reading council leads on £3.3m project to transform station
18/08/2021 Works for major improvements to Reading West Station began this week with roadworks on the Oxford Road to make space for a brand new station building. |
County areas chase devo dream
17/08/2021 County areas are lining up to strike one of the first tranche of devolution deals. |
Shapps unveils winners of £2.5m hydrogen competition
17/08/2021 Hydrogen transport pilots in the Tees Valley will establish UK as a leader in the technology, transport secretary Grant Shapps said. |
Council awarded £4m for next phase of station’s transformation
16/08/2021 The next phase of Newcastle Central Station’s transformation is expected to begin in September following the appointment of construction company, Tolent. |
Up to £20,000 available to support councils with digital inclusion
16/08/2021 Councils could be awarded up to £20,000 each to fund their proposal to advance digital inclusion, digital connectivity, and cyber security. |
Council transfers ownership of Seven Sisters Country Park
13/08/2021 East Sussex County Council has transferred the ownership of the iconic Seven Sisters Country Park to the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA). |
Northumberland council scheme sees return of ‘lost rail services’
13/08/2021 Six new railway stations are to be built and 18 miles of track are to be upgraded as part of Northumberland council's effort to ‘restore lost rail services’. |
Record levels of lithium discovered in Cornwall
12/08/2021 The energy company Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) yesterday announced that it had discovered record levels of lithium in its geothermal waters. |
Extra £4m to boost community activities for young people
12/08/2021 Government will invest £2m into the #iwill Fund, which will be matched by The National Lottery Community Fund, to create new community activities for youth. |
Hackney Council closes street to polluting through-traffic
11/08/2021 A funding bid by Hackney Council to close Stoke Newington Church Street to polluting through-traffic during the daytime has been approved. |
Bristol council commits to £30,000 plus salaries for inner-city households
11/08/2021 Bristol council have announced a new target to support at least one person from each inner-city household to to secure a salary of over £30,000 by 2030. |
Broadband cables to be run through water pipes
10/08/2021 Government offering £4m to anyone wishing to run a trial that would see broadband cables fed through the water pipes to speed up the roll-out of fast internet. |
Consultation on Greater Manchester development plan launched
10/08/2021 Residents of Greater Manchester were yesterday urged to take part in an eight-week public consultation on a new joint development plan for homes and jobs. |
Mayor of London pledges to resist rough sleeping Immigration Rules
09/08/2021 Over 80 organisations have pledged to stand against rough sleeping Immigration Rules which make rough sleeping grounds for refusing a person’s leave to remain. |
Three Lincolnshire councils agree new partnership
06/08/2021 Boston Borough, East Lindsey and South Holland District Councils have agreed to share a management team and workforce under the largest partnership of its kind in the country. |
Camden council launches world’s densest air quality sensor network
05/08/2021 The world’s densest air quality sensor network, which aims to fundamentally transform how air pollution is monitored and managed, will be installed in the London borough of Camden this summer. |
Government launches £7m flexible apprenticeship scheme
03/08/2021 Anyone looking to get experience and training to work in adult social care will now be able benefit from new flexible apprenticeships, the Government says. |
Council purchases mothballed theme park
03/08/2021 Lancaster City Council has stepped in to purchase Morecambe’s derelict theme park, Frontierland, in an effort to kick start its regeneration. |
Two million rural homes to benefits from £5bn broadband upgrade
02/08/2021 Over two million rural homes and businesses are set to see improvements to their internet connection thanks to a £5bn broadband upgrade. |
Government launches £1.6bn disability strategy
28/07/2021 The Government has launched a new strategy aimed at delivering accessible housing, easier commuting and better job prospects for people living with disabilities. |
Families facing 'tidal wave' of debt warns think tank
26/07/2021 A new partnership between bailiff companies and charities has been launched to help families facing a 'tidal wave' of debt due to the pandemic. |
Councils in north east band together to plant 500 hectares of trees
21/07/2021 Six local authorities in the north east have joined forces with environmental organisations to plant a new forest. |
MPs urge Government to scale up homelessness pilots
21/07/2021 The Government has been urged to continue funding three homelessness programmes that have a combined success rate of 88% by MPs. |
Commission calls for funding re-set for local government
20/07/2021 Local government needs a ‘funding floor’, set at an agreed percentage of national income, a report on the future of the sector has said. |
Councils ‘resistant’ to repurposing empty commercial space
20/07/2021 A think tank has accused local authorities of being ‘resistant’ to measures that could see empty retail spaces repurposed for housing. |
Report outlines ‘innovative strategies’ for reviving town centres
16/07/2021 A new report has identified the ‘innovative strategies’ northern towns can draw on in order to revive struggling town centres. |
Al fresco dining to boost high street recover
16/07/2021 The Government has announced plans to make al fresco dining easier to help pubs, restaurants and cafes on the high street recover after the pandemic. |
Call to ‘mainstream’ assistive technology in adult social care
14/07/2021 Assistive technology should be placed at the centre of adult social care to make it more targeted and preventative, a new report has argued today. |
Five heritage projects secure £50m funding
13/07/2021 Five projects across the UK have secured over £50m funding to champion environmental, community and cultural heritage. |
Report calls for 'sweeping reform' of electoral system
12/07/2021 A full review of electoral funding and legislative changes are needed to avoid electoral failure in the UK, a new report has argued. |
High street regeneration to be key part of PM's levelling up agenda
12/07/2021 The Prime Minister will set out his 'levelling up' plans later this week, including unveiling a new High Streets Strategy. |
Newham launches innovative Citizen's Assembly
09/07/2021 Newham LBC is launching the first permanent Citizen’s Assembly in an effort to hand more power to local people. |
Cardiff Council to manage procurement services for Monmouthshire
08/07/2021 Cardiff Council will manage Monmouthshire County Council's procurement operations and functions for the next three years. |
First shortlist unveiled for £120m zero emission buses funding
07/07/2021 The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced its first shortlist from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, providing £120m to support the roll-out of zero emission buses across England. |
Council's beach check app goes nationwide
05/07/2021 An app to check if beaches are too crowded has been launched across the UK following a successful development by BCP Council. |
Glasgow first city to sign Circular Cities Declaration
02/07/2021 Glasgow has become the first city in the UK to sign the Circular Cities Declaration. |
Three councils to test simplified planning apps
01/07/2021 Three councils have designed and are now testing two apps designed to speed up planning applications for housing extensions. |
Research shows just half of local authorities employ a chief digital officer
23/06/2021 Less than half (49%) of local authorities employ a chief digital officer to oversee their digital transformation, according to new data. |
A new whitepaper – produced by BT - looks set to dispel the myths surrounding ‘future networks’ and achieving a smarter digital future for organisations.
Download a new White Paper on dealing with the new EU General Data Protection Regulation
Putting sustainability at the heart of local authority decisions
Andy Wales outlines how BT can help public sector organisations achieve their green goals.
Health providers accelerate digital transformation plans in response to Covid-19
The UK health sector is fast accelerating its digital transformation plans in response to the surge in demand for remote services during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new study.
Reset and rebuild: delivering better connected services
At a recent webinar organised by The MJ and BT, three speakers gave a national, local and provider perspective on the Government's £5bn gigabit speed connectivity revolution. Michael Burton reports.
Helping Merton Council go above and beyond for its community
Bringing the right technology and expertise together to digitally transform Merton Council.
BT Partners with scale-ups on breakthrough green tech
Tech scale-ups collaborate with BT to develop new services aimed at helping public sector customers transition to Net Zero.
Towards Net Zero
Join us on 26 January to discover break-through technology supporting the UK’s green recovery
