Sunak brings forward revaluation of business rates
London Councils welcomes ‘new era of digital transformation’
National strategy to tackle inequalities in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
Auditors urges planning services to improve capacity and resilience
Cloud migration: Key considerations for local authorities
Cloud migration is a key priority for many organisations. Paul Mercina outlines what councils have to think about when they make the move to the cloud.
Projects to develop new highways tech are launched
31/05/2019 A £22.9m programme has been launched with eight local authorities to develop new ways of building roads. |
Three-quarters of councils move to insource services
31/05/2019 Local authorities are rejecting the outsourcing of services in favour of delivering services in-house, a not-for-profit local government body has found. |
Companies House reforms to make detection of criminal behaviour ‘easier’
30/05/2019 The Government has launched a consultation on proposals it says will bring about the ‘biggest changes’ to Companies House in nearly two centuries. |
Age of the parking machine ‘could be coming to an end’, says minister
30/05/2019 The UK is 'on verge of revolution to make parking easier', according to a government announcement. |
Yorkshire purchasing authority signs deal with Amazon
29/05/2019 The YPO has signed a deal with Amazon Business to supply goods and services to public sector bodies including local authorities. |
Ed Sheeran calls for public funding of 'aspiring artists'
29/05/2019 Chart-topping singer songwriter Ed Sheeran has joined industry leaders to warn that home-grown artistic talent could disappear without public funding. |
City of London plans UK’s first 15mph speed limit
28/05/2019 The Square Mile in London is set to become the UK’s first area with a 15mph speed limit. |
Buckinghamshire unitary authority deal concluded
24/05/2019 The Government has passed the final piece of legislation required for the formation of a new unitary authority in Buckinghamshire. |
Unitary council to adopt committee system of governance
24/05/2019 Cheshire East Council is set to scrap its current system of decision making and adopt a committee system from 2020. |
Top panel formed to study local impact of Social Value Act
23/05/2019 Localis has launched a research project asking if the Government is providing social, economic and environmental benefits through public procurement. |
Fire safety in high-rise buildings to be reformed in Wales
21/05/2019 The Welsh Government has announced it will reform the system regulating fire safety in high-rise buildings. |
£3m fund launched to support integration
20/05/2019 The Government today announced 16 projects which will receive £3m of funding to support ‘innovative’ approaches to integration. |
Whitehall announces £200m ‘rural broadband' programme
20/05/2019 The Government yesterday announced that it has started to rollout gigabit-capable full fibre broadband to rural areas across the country. |
Hackney publishes guide to banning traffic outside schools
17/05/2019 Hackney Council has launched a new toolkit designed to help local authorities ban traffic outside of schools at opening and closing times. |
Councils sell more than 200 sites to community led housing groups
16/05/2019 A third of councils in England are supporting community led housing development in a bid to tackle the housing shortage, new research has revealed. |
Think tank calls for creation of a British Investment Bank
15/05/2019 An investment bank should be set up to 'kick start a productivity revolution' after Brexit, according to a local government think tank. |
Councils ‘unprepared’ for 5G roll out
14/05/2019 Mobile network operators have urged local authorities to do more to support the roll out of 5G as report finds fewer than a third of local plans make reference to mobile connectivity. |
New school inspections framework to discourage ‘teaching to the test’
14/05/2019 Teachers have welcomed Ofsted's new inspection framework which pledges to focus on curriculum, behaviour and development rather than on test results. |
Whitehall announces £105m boost for Northern Ireland
14/05/2019 The Government has announced a £105m package to help boost the ‘economic potential’ of the Derry-Londonderry region. |
‘Shockingly small’ number of councils embrace automation, study reveals
10/05/2019 Research dealing with the adoption of new technology in the local government sector has revealed that fewer than 5% of councils have automation or AI projects underway. |
Council to launch UK's first city-wide digital currency
10/05/2019 Belfast City Council has announced plans to launch the UK's first incentive-based digital currency. |
Scrap older cars and replace them with ‘mobility credits’, Welsh ministers told
09/05/2019 Welsh ministers will today hear how pollution could be tackled by scrapping older cars and replacing them with credits to use on buses, trains and daily car and bike hire. |
Brokenshire moves to boost local government accountability
09/05/2019 Brokenshire moves to impose fresh conditions on ‘top slice’ cash |
Councils urged to 'embrace scrutiny'
08/05/2019 Councils have been urged to ‘embrace scrutiny’ of their spending decisions in new guidance issued by the Government. |
Councils should help pupils at risk of expulsion, report says
07/05/2019 Local authorities should establish forums where schools and other local services could convene to plan support for vulnerable pupils at risk of expulsion, according to a landmark review. |
Councils should ‘invest to save’ by supporting local regeneration schemes
02/05/2019 Local authorities should support community-based neighbourhood regeneration approaches to help bring empty homes back into use. |
Investment-based crowdfunding has ‘untapped potential’ for councils, study says
01/05/2019 Crowdfunding has ‘huge, untapped potential’ for public sector infrastructure finance, a new study has concluded. |
Ofsted to retain grading system in new inspection framework
30/04/2019 Ofsted has decided to retain its current 4-point grading system when it launches its new inspection framework in September. |
Voter ID plans slammed as 'undemocratic'
30/04/2019 Mandatory voter ID requirements will seriously damage democracy, the Electoral Reform Society has warned again ahead of the local elections this week. |
Commission launches strategy to reduce ‘gambling harms’
26/04/2019 The commission dedicated to tackling the harmful impacts of gambling has launched a new three-year strategy designed to reduce ‘gambling harms’. |
Holyrood announces ambition to cut food waste by one third
25/04/2019 The Scottish government has unveiled plans to help reduce food waste by one third by 2025. |
More men needed in early years education, minister says
24/04/2019 The Government has launched a new project designed to encourage more men to work in early years education. |
Think tank calls for ‘new relationship’ between employers and communities
24/04/2019 A new relationship is needed between major employers and their local communities, according to a new report. |
Councils' role in asylum system to be bolstered
23/04/2019 Plans are being drawn up that will give councils more of a say in where asylum seekers are accommodated. |
Council of the Year shortlist revealed
18/04/2019 Five councils are in the running to be named as Local Authority of the Year 2019, it has been revealed as The MJ publishes its awards finalists. |
Sheffield City Council promotes trade with Beijing
17/04/2019 Nine businesses from Sheffield have traveled to China as part of the local authority’s efforts to strengthen trade with Beijing. |
London council signs a £44.6m partnership to build new homes
17/04/2019 Croydon Council has signed up to a multi-million pound partnership with Legal & General in order to deliver over 160 new homes. |
Oxfordshire councils to extend joint working arrangements
16/04/2019 Two councils are considering extending their working partnership in a move they hope will trigger a ‘broader conversation’ on local government organisation. |
Over 50,000 pupils stuck in ‘zombie schools’
15/04/2019 Tens of thousands of pupils are stuck ‘in limbo’ as their academies wait to be transferred between trusts. |
Labour considers automatic voter registration
12/04/2019 The Labour Party is considering adopting automatic voter registration as new policy ahead of the upcoming local elections. |
Whitehall pledges to end aggressive council tax debt collection
11/04/2019 The way local authorities recover unpaid council tax is to be reviewed by the Government in a bid to protect vulnerable residents from aggressive debt collection. |
Council to make highway maintenance ‘fit for the future’
10/04/2019 North Yorkshire County Council is considering using a ‘Teckal’ company in order to improve its highway maintenance services. |
Virtual reality used to help people with learning disabilities vote
09/04/2019 The Northern Ireland branch of Mencap is using virtual reality to support people with learning disabilities to vote in the upcoming local elections. |
Over £1m awarded to ‘innovative data projects’
09/04/2019 The winners of a competition designed to find the most innovative data projects out there will receive a share of a £1.5m fund, the Government has announced. |
Somerset council signs six ‘community library partnerships’
08/04/2019 Somerset County Council signed six ‘community library partnerships’ last week in a move that will help maintain library services in the face of cuts. |
ALMOs unable to replace 31% of Right to Buy sales in 2018
05/04/2019 Local authority housing companies were unable to replace 31% of properties sold under Right to Buy, a new survey has revealed. |
Council invests £1m in effort to give Bristol a spring clean
04/04/2019 Bristol City Council is investing in high tech bins in an effort to tackle the city’s litter problem. |
Whitehall slammed for ‘failing’ to help councils prepare for Brexit
03/04/2019 Council chiefs call for powers to be devolved from Brussels to councils post-Brexit after MPs warn of a lack of preparation for a possible exit from the EU. |
Welsh government reforms council tax to make it ‘fairer’
01/04/2019 The Welsh government has introduced legislation which removes the power to imprison people for not paying their council tax. |
Think tank warns against banning outsourcing
28/03/2019 A think tank has called for a review of the regulations governing outsourcing, but stressed it opposed the idea of banning the controversial practice. |
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
Is the public sector network ready for the digital age?
BT SD-WAN Public Sector Webinar - Is the public sector network ready for the digital age?
Four steps to creating the ideal cloud-ready network
How to plan and manage your network to unlock the rewards of the cloud.
Cloud – the next generation
The Cloud Industry Forum's latest research explores how prepared enterprises are for the disruption from cloud.
From jurassic to digital – the evolution of services
As the new Dorset unitaries get underway, the sea-change in structure is matched by the new wave of digital technology. Against this backdrop, a group of top council chiefs met at a BT/The MJ round table to look to the future.
Don’t let security cloud your views on digital transformation
Discover what you need to know to dispel the myths around how to move to the cloud securely.
Transforming to a digital network
CEOs are adopting a digital first approach to match customer needs, but how are they measuring success?
