City centres lose nearly a years’ worth of sales due to COVID-19
Cyclist Chris Boardman appointed active travel commissioner
New proposals to tackle waste crime
City council votes to overhaul electoral system
Creating net-zero public engagement
Local Climate Engagement is a project to support local authorities or partnerships to plan, commission and deliver high quality public engagement in how best to reduce carbon emissions. Sarah Allan explains.
Council chiefs call for digital champions to help gigabit broadband roll-out
19/01/2022 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to allow councils to create digital champions to help speed up the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband in hard to reach areas. |
Oxfordshire councils look to scrap partnership
18/01/2022 Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council have announced they are looking to end their formal partnership. |
Social housing staff training review confirmed
18/01/2022 The Government today confirmed a review of the training of social housing staff after receiving thousands of complaints in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy. |
Successful applicants of latest Housing Advisers Programme announced
18/01/2022 The 30 successful applicants chosen to receive help to overcome housing challenges in their local areas have been announced. |
Councils chosen to pilot planning schemes
12/01/2022 People living in deprived and urban areas will be encouraged to engage more with the planning system under new schemes being piloted by 11 councils. |
Developments expected to deliver 10% boost to biodiversity
11/01/2022 The Government has launched a consultation that aims to ensure wildlife can be better protected and enhanced in future developments. |
Management team split for Hampshire councils
06/01/2022 East Hampshire DC and Havant BC will establish their own management teams after a 12-year partnership, the councils have announced. |
Survey reveals key strategies for town centre ‘renaissance’
06/01/2022 An independent retail offer, a programme of cultural events and family-friendly activities are the key strategies for successful town centres, research finds. |
Manchester memorial for terror victims opens
05/01/2022 A memorial for those who lost their lives in the 2017 Manchester terror attack officially became accessible to the public today. |
List of 39 places applying for city status published
24/12/2021 The Government has published a list of the 39 places in the competition for city status. |
Bury council welcomes £1m bid to buy football ground
24/12/2021 Town hall leaders have welcomed the news that a bid to acquire Gigg Lane and bring back football to the stadium has won Government funding. |
Nottingham council approves Trent cycle bridge
24/12/2021 Nottingham councillors have approved a location for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the River Trent following a recent public consultation. |
Council gives green light to solar farm
22/12/2021 South Oxfordshire District Council has given the green light to plans for a new solar farm despite objections that it would disrupt public rights of way. |
Falkirk Council signs £1bn growth deal
21/12/2021 Falkirk Council has signed a growth deal that could see £1bn worth of future investment in the area and the creation of up to 2000 jobs. |
Hull council approves £96m city centre development
21/12/2021 Hull City Council’s cabinet has approved a £96m development aimed at transforming the city’s centre. |
National Infrastructure Commission to open new office in Leeds
20/12/2021 Leeds City Council has welcomed today’s announcement that the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) is opening a new office in Leeds. |
Council trials new micro asphalt to fix potholes
17/12/2021 Central Bedfordshire Council is trialling a new technique to make long-lasting repairs to its roads and footpaths. |
Council publishes £250m plan to revitalise Blackburn
17/12/2021 Blackburn with Darwen Council has published a £250m draft plan for developing Blackburn town centre over the next decade. |
London sees highest number of council homes built since 1970s
16/12/2021 London has seen the highest number of new council homes built since the 1970s, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced. |
Council to bring waste and recycling centres in-house
16/12/2021 Kirklees Council will bring Household Waste and Recycling Centres in-house as part of an effort to give the council more control over public-facing services. |
Local councils oppose burial proposals
15/12/2021 The Government's burial proposals could halve the cemetery space available and lead to the premature closure of many graveyards, local councils have warned. |
Mayor Khan announces £600,000 fund to ‘rewild’ London
15/12/2021 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has launched a new fund to help restore wildlife sites and create more natural habitats for plants and animals across the capital. |
Two districts approve merger plans
14/12/2021 Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon district councils have both agreed to merger plans which will see the establishment of a single South Warwickshire District Council. |
Government urged to allow remote council meetings
10/12/2021 Council leaders have urged the government to rethink the rules to allow remote council meetings. |
Report calls for a new net zero delivery authority
10/12/2021 The creation of a new net zero delivery authority would provide a more coordinated approach to meeting climate change targets, a new report has argued today. |
Counties call for strategic planning model
08/12/2021 County councils are facing 'excessive' pressures on their infrastructure due to housing development, according to a new report. |
Powers warning ahead of new deals
07/12/2021 A new report today warns areas reluctant to accept directly-elected leaders in the next wave of devolution deals may be offered ‘fewer powers and flexibilities’. |
Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2021
06/12/2021 From the ongoing dispute over council pay, to how local government is adjusting in the wake of the pandemic, here are the most popular 100 stories on LocalGov from 2021. |
More power to metro mayors, northern leaders say
06/12/2021 Business and civic leaders in the North have called for metro mayors to be given more powers over transport infrastructure, education and skills to drive the ‘levelling-up’ agenda. |
Scottish councils awarded £13m to boost recycling
06/12/2021 The Scottish government today announced a multi-million-pound investment into local authorities to help boost the quantity and quality of recycling. |
Council sets up ‘arms-length’ business to deliver key services
03/12/2021 East Suffolk Council is to create a Local Authority Trading Company (LATCo) to help it deliver key council services. |
Councils set to trial digital technology to support social care
01/12/2021 Buckinghamshire Council and Suffolk County Council are going to take part in trials looking at how digital technology can be used to support adult social care. |
Campaigners call for new law to empower communities
01/12/2021 Campaigners have called for a new Community Power Act to give communities a legal right to self-determination. |
Government allocates £11m to develop brownfield sites
30/11/2021 The Government has allocated £11m to help local authorities develop brownfield land into good quality housing. |
Councils secure funding to secure private homes for homeless people
30/11/2021 Councils in Wales will receive £30m funding over the next five years to help use private housing to prevent homelessness. |
Standard boosting algorithm transparency launched
30/11/2021 The Government today launched one of the world’s first national standard for algorithmic transparency which will impact councils using computer algorithms. |
Gap between Government’s rhetoric and reality threatens levelling up
25/11/2021 A lack of funding and a disconnect between the Government’s rhetoric and reality threatens the ability of local areas to ‘level up’, a new study says. |
Northern Irish councils in devolution call
24/11/2021 The sector is pressing for increased powers to help the country to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Nine councils chosen for Digital Pathfinders Programme
23/11/2021 Nine councils have been awarded funding to improve digital inclusion, connectivity and cyber security. |
New building regulations to deliver 145,000 charge points a year
22/11/2021 New homes and buildings such as supermarkets and workplaces, will be required to install electric vehicle charge points from next year, the Government has announced. |
Government launches £7m volunteering fund
22/11/2021 The Government has launched a £7m fund to help people access more volunteering opportunities across a range of sectors including the arts and sport. |
Portsmouth crossing lights a ‘national first’
22/11/2021 A Portsmouth crossing is the first in the UK to benefit from an innovative new lighting system aimed at improving safety. |
Council votes to disinvest £40m from fossil fuels
19/11/2021 Luton Council’s full council meeting has passed a resolution calling for its pension fund to disinvest almost £40m from fossil fuel firms. |
New tools maps employment and training schemes
18/11/2021 A new online tool to help councils better understand employment and skills provision in their local areas has been launches. |
Cities should be central to ‘levelling up’ agenda, think tank says
18/11/2021 The Government should focus on investing in cities outside of London rather than spreading investment too thinly across small towns, think tank recommends. |
Calls for radical expansion of parish and town councils
12/11/2021 Parish and town councils should be established in every neighbourhood to help places level up and revive local democracy, a think tank has said today. |
Council launches new placemaking company
10/11/2021 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has launched a new placemaking company to drive forward stewardship-led regeneration. |
Greater Manchester plans carbon neutral transport network
09/11/2021 Greater Manchester has set out its ambition to become the first city-region with a carbon neutral transport network. |
Leaders lay out plans for 'just transition' to net-zero
08/11/2021 Council and combined authority leaders have detailed plans for a ‘just transition’ to net-zero as new research revealed nine million people could be hit economically. |
Council plans to deliver thousands of on-street EV chargers by 2030
08/11/2021 West Sussex Council has unveiled plans to deliver nearly 10,000 on-street electric vehicle chargers, thought to be the largest deployment by a local authority. |
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
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.
Why partnerships are key to enabling inclusive growth and closing the digital divide
Simon Haston explains how local authorities are turning to technology for new ways to deliver for communities.
BT steps up small business support by gifting up to £7.5m of street advertising space
BT is donating up to £7.5m of outdoor advertising space to small businesses, as part of its roll-out of new Street Hub 2.0 units.
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.
