Council adopts land transfer policy to ‘kick-start a grassroots revolution’
Councils urged to share post-pandemic cultural activities
West Sussex set to welcome largest-ever EV charger roll-out
Council to save £600,000 a year with new solar farm
Inspiring local councils to take further action on net zero
William Eichler finds out how councils are tackling the climate emergency, what success stories there have been, and what the barriers are to making progress.
Portsmouth council set to bring waste services in house
22/06/2022 Portsmouth City Council’s domestic household waste and recycling collection service is set to be delivered in house following a cabinet decision yesterday. |
Welsh council and DVLA join together to recycle IT equipment
21/06/2022 Swansea has become the first council to receive donated laptops from the DVLA as part of a new partnership. |
Birmingham City Council bids to host athletics championship
21/06/2022 Birmingham City Council has officially submitted a joint bid with UK Athletics to host Europe’s most prestigious athletics competition. |
Unleash wave of mayoral devo, says think tank
20/06/2022 A report from the centre right Onward think tank has urged the Government to step back from ‘micromanaging’ England’s cities and counties and unleash a wave of mayoral devolution. |
Scottish council to deliver school meals by drone
17/06/2022 Pupils in remote parts of Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland could soon have their school meals delivered by drone. |
Council considers subterranean super-bins in UK first
17/06/2022 Liverpool City Council is to consider beginning consultations on the installation of underground bins in an effort to clear streets of black bags and litter. |
Councils make bid for new East Midlands combined authority
16/06/2022 Four councils have submitted a bid to Government to create a new East Midlands Mayoral Combined Authority. |
Plans for new unitary council in Cumbria confirmed
16/06/2022 The executive for the shadow authority for Cumberland Council have confirmed the implementation plan for the new local authority. |
Council leaders welcome end to Friday releases for prisoners
15/06/2022 The Government’s decision to end Friday releases from prison has been welcomed as ‘positive news’ by local authority leaders. |
Five high streets join pilot to boost local business
13/06/2022 Five high streets have been chosen to join a pilot scheme aimed at supporting local businesses and reviving town centres. |
Second round of £150m Community Ownership Fund opens for bids
13/06/2022 Community groups are being urged to bid for a share of £150m to rescue cultural buildings that would otherwise be lost. |
Failing social housing landlords to face unlimited fines
08/06/2022 Failing social housing landlords will face unlimited fines and 'Ofsted-style' inspections under new powers announced today. |
Children’s trust at Star Hobson council to ‘go live’ next year
07/06/2022 A report to Bradford Council’s executive has confirmed that a children’s trust will ‘go live’ next year as part of the response to the murder of Star Hobson. |
Council submits plans for £12m solar farm
07/06/2022 West Berkshire Council has submitted plans for a £12m solar farm that could generate enough electricity each year to heat over 7,000 homes. |
Councils urged to boost local digital skills
06/06/2022 Councils urged to do more to help small businesses with digital training as evidence suggests businesses are struggling with the social media revolution. |
Free legal advice for people facing eviction expanded with £10m
01/06/2022 More people facing eviction due to financial difficulties will be able to get access to free expert legal advice, the Government today announced. |
Scotland's Low Emission Zones await enforcement
31/05/2022 Low Emission Zones (LEZs) have been formally introduced in Scotland’s four main cities but will not be enforced for up to two years. |
Commission set up after Bobbi-Anne McLeod murder publishes report
30/05/2022 A commission set up by Plymouth City Council in the wake of the murder of Bobbi-Anne McLeod has published its first report. |
First recipients of youth fund to receive £12m
27/05/2022 The first recipients of the Government’s Youth Investment Fund are set to receive £12m in funding to help improve access to services and youth workers. |
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. |
Local college and The Open University to work together in £10m skills scheme
25/05/2022 The Open University is partnering with local further education providers as part of the effort to boost skills and job prospects across the country. |
Council launches consultation on £250m town centre plan
25/05/2022 Kirklees Council has launched a public consultation on the ‘cultural heart’ of its £250m, 10-year blueprint to transform Huddersfield town centre. |
Landlords call for ‘property passports’
24/05/2022 The association representing landlords has called for new property passports to help landlords prove their homes are compliant. |
Call to deploy legal advisers in council spaces
23/05/2022 Legal advisers should be deployed in council offices and other public locations to provide access to civil justice, a think tank has argued. |
Public sector buildings to benefit from over £550m of energy efficiency projects
23/05/2022 Hundreds of public buildings are to be upgraded with low carbon heating and energy efficiency measures as part of the effort to cut the use of fossil fuels. |
Council launches West Midland’s first community investment fund
20/05/2022 Telford & Wrekin Council has launched the West Midland’s first crowdfunding campaign to try and raise half a million pounds for green initiatives. |
Eight places given city status to mark Platinum Jubilee
20/05/2022 Eight locations have been awarded city status as part of the 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations. |
Children’s services in Manchester rated ‘Good’
20/05/2022 Children’s services delivered by Manchester council have been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted for the first time since the body started inspecting council services. |
Improvements in Torbay Council’s children’s services ‘impressive’, Ofsted say
19/05/2022 Torbay Council’s children’s services have ‘significantly improved’ after years of underperforming, an Ofsted inspection has concluded. |
Councillors back move to hybrid model of council meetings
19/05/2022 Over two-thirds of councillors believe a permanent move to a hybrid model of both online and in-person council meetings would improve the diversity of local councils, according to a new survey. |
New reporting system for housing repairs launched for council tenants
19/05/2022 City of Lincoln Council has launched a new digital service to make it more convenient for tenants to report their housing repair needs. |
First Welsh council joins digital Local Land Charges register
19/05/2022 Swansea has become the first Welsh local authority to move its local land charges to a digital register. |
Council offers support to data analysis businesses
19/05/2022 Milton Keynes Council is offering businesses who are operating in the field of data analysis the opportunity to join a business acceleration programme. |
Ministers announce £200m for new active travel schemes
16/05/2022 Active Travel England will oversee the delivery by local authorities of 134 active travel schemes, backed by £161m, across 46 council areas outside London. |
Council reduces speed limit on over 700 roads
13/05/2022 Cornwall Council is reducing the speed limit on hundreds of residential roads from 30mph to 20mph. |
Government to penalise companies for ‘plague of potholes’
13/05/2022 The Government will introduce new measures to penalise companies responsible for leaving potholes on the roads after carrying out street works. |
Council considers buying 37 houses for homeless families
12/05/2022 Torbay Council is considering borrowing £10m to purchase 37 properties to help homeless families. |
Index to help drive levelling up published
11/05/2022 The planning and development consultancy Lichfields has created an index to help local authority areas capitalise on the levelling up agenda. |
Belfast tops index for economic vitality growth
11/05/2022 Belfast has achieved the highest growth in economic vitality out of 20 key cities in the UK, a new index has revealed. |
Bristol votes to abolish elected mayor
06/05/2022 Bristol voters have decided to abolish the city’s directly elected mayor following a referendum. |
Peregrine falcons nesting on St Albans Cathedral for first time
06/05/2022 A pair of peregrine falcons are nesting on St Albans Cathedral for the first time ever thanks to a conservation project with the local authorities. |
Council builds affordable homes for ‘first time in a generation’
05/05/2022 South Hams District Council is building its own affordable homes for local people ‘for the first time in a generation’. |
Liverpool reform programme ‘at risk’
04/05/2022 Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has agreed to let commissioners at Liverpool City Council delay their latest report amid their warnings that plans to turn the council around are in the balance. |
City council invites businesses to test-drive electric vans
29/04/2022 Nottingham City Council is inviting businesses to test-drive a new electric van before taking a fully-funded one-month trial. |
Oxford’s licensing scheme for private landlords approved
29/04/2022 All private rented homes in Oxford will need a licence from September as part of a new council scheme aimed at improving standards in the city’s rental sector. |
Over £21m York Guildhall restoration completed
28/04/2022 The multi-million-pound restoration of York Guildhall has been completed and is now ready to support local businesses and drive economic growth, council says. |
Investment in countryside could add over £40bn to economy
27/04/2022 Policies focused on improving the economic and social potential of the countryside could add £43bn to the UK economy, report finds. |
Liverpool City Region primed to become ‘innovation powerhouse’
27/04/2022 Mayor Steve Rotheram yesterday unveiled a multi-billion-pound plan to turn Liverpool City Region into an ‘innovation powerhouse’. |
Nottingham CC agrees to hand over tennis centre
22/04/2022 Nottingham City Council has announced that it is ready to hand over the Nottingham Tennis Centre to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) from the end of April. |
Council resurfaces road using recycled car tyres
21/04/2022 A new technique that uses recycled car tyres to resurface roads has been used in Lancashire for the first time, the county council has confirmed. |
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
CEC Innovation Day: The Future of Work
Join BT for a FREE Future of Work event on 29 June at their new Customer Experience Centre (CEC) in London.
Helping an essential business through the pandemic
Find out how BT has simplified and standardised the communications of the UK’s largest provider of meals on wheels.
A concrete solution for Vistry Group
When Vistry, the fifth largest housebuilder in the UK, approached BT because of issues in connectivity, BT had to find a solution – and make it quick.
Building Wales’ digital future
BT have recently published a brochure showcasing the organisations role in Building Wales’ Digital Future.
BT partners with local authorities to boost mobile coverage in UK towns and cities
BT is partnering with local authorities in town and cities across the UK, including London, Leeds and Birmingham, to boost mobile coverage by mounting small cell antennas on street furniture such as lampposts and CCTV columns.
A unique moment in time
At The MJ’s recent Future Forum, BT outlined the immense opportunities digital and online services are currently offering councils – and the chance for true innovation must be taken.
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.