Suffolk council postpones name change
Hull aims to be ‘one of smartest cities in the world’ with new partnership
Trial launched into providing a stable home for ex-offenders
New law to make it quicker to install faster internet connections in flats
Prepare for the 5G revolution
Local authorities are aware 5G is imminent and could have a dramatic effect on their frontline services according to a survey by The MJ and BT as Michael Burton reports.
Manchester CC joins campaign to plant 50 million trees
09/10/2019 Manchester City Council has thrown its weight behind a campaign to encourage the Government to support the planting of a large forest in the North of England. |
Greater Manchester first to consult on bus franchising
09/10/2019 Greater Manchester is set to become the first city-region in the UK to hold a public consultation on the introduction of a bus franchising scheme. |
Rent caps needed to curb housing crisis, report says
04/10/2019 A think tank has called for local leaders to have the power to cap rents in high-cost areas. |
Councils join pilot to find data-driven solutions to homelessness
03/10/2019 Three local authorities in Scotland, Wales and England have agreed to join a pilot which aims to help them improve their use of evidence and data in order to tackle homelessness. |
New group to lobby for further devolution to Northern Ireland councils
01/10/2019 A new group to lobby for greater resources and devolution for councils in Northern Ireland has been set up. |
Javid promises devolution White Paper
30/09/2019 A new White Paper to more powers to local areas was announced in the Chancellor’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester today. |
Labour pledges to scrap Universal Credit
30/09/2019 Labour has promised to replace ‘inhumane’ Universal Credit with a new social security system. |
Direct messaging service to save taxpayers £175m
26/09/2019 The Government says its messaging service is set to save taxpayers an average of £35m a year over the next five years. |
Over 3,500 homeless veterans missing out on council support
24/09/2019 Thousands of homeless veterans could be losing out on support and housing available to them, figures reveal as campaign to help homeless veterans is launched. |
Sheffield to hold referendum on ‘overhauling’ governance
24/09/2019 Sheffield City Council has confirmed that a referendum on its governance arrangements will go ahead after a petition called for a radical overhaul of the way the council does business. |
Labour pledges to scrap ‘unfit for purpose’ Ofsted
23/09/2019 Labour has vowed to scrap Ofsted and replace it with regular ‘health checks’ led by local government. |
Babergh council considers changing name to ‘eliminate confusion’
20/09/2019 Councillors at Babergh District Council are planning on changing the local authority’s name because outsiders struggle to pronounce ‘Babergh’. |
Whitehall announces 12 renewable energy projects
20/09/2019 The Government has announced 12 new renewable energy projects which are set to deliver clean energy to seven million homes. |
Health chiefs recommend new air pollution curbs
19/09/2019 Environment and public health chiefs have made a raft of recommendations to tackle air pollution in London, including new local measures to reduce car use. |
Oxfordshire councils launch ‘bold’ plans for tackling congestion
19/09/2019 Local authorities in Oxfordshire have announced new plans for reducing congestion on all major routes into Oxford. |
Whitehall launches £95m high street fund
16/09/2019 The high streets that will benefit from a £95m Government fund have been identified. |
Full-fibre and 5G could boost council revenue by £10,000
13/09/2019 Investing in full-fibre and 5G could increase a local authority’s revenue intake by £10,000, new research suggests. |
Whitehall commits to new wave of devolution deals across the Midlands
13/09/2019 The publication of a new Midlands Engine Strategy has been brought forward, signalling a commitment from Government for new devolution deals across the Midlands. |
PM urged to invest over £45m in the Midlands rail network
12/09/2019 The Prime Minister has been urged to get behind a multi-billion pound plan to ‘supercharge’ the Midland’s economy by reforming its rail network. |
Retailers urged to ‘assess-challenge-check’ customers buying knives
11/09/2019 Shops are being urged to take more care in who they sell knives to as part of an effort to crack down on knife crime. |
Think tank calls for radical reform of children’s services
10/09/2019 A radical new approach to children’s services is needed to avert the growing crisis, a think tank has warned today. |
APSE to launch Local Government Commission
10/09/2019 A new commission to develop a practical vision for local government in 2030 will be launched by APSE later this month. |
HS2 proposals could bring £1.4bn of benefits, Midlands transport body says
09/09/2019 New plans submitted to the review of the controversial HS2 scheme propose directly connecting the city centres of Birmingham and Nottingham and Leicester and Leeds with high speed trains. |
Tower Hamlets appoints Sustrans for first wave of new school streets
06/09/2019 East London borough Tower Hamlets has launched a scheme to create 50 streets where traffic is diverted away from school gates. |
Derbyshire considers new joint ventures with Suffolk
05/09/2019 Derbyshire County Council is considering plans to set up two joint ventures with Suffolk County Council. |
Council to pilot electric bin lorries powered by waste
04/09/2019 Electric bin lorries that are powered by the waste they have collected will be trialled by Sheffield City Council. |
UK's first bat-friendly street lights are switched on
03/09/2019 New LED lighting that emits a red glow to provide a bat friendly crossing has been completed in Worcestershire. |
Councils demand power to tackle rogue lorry drivers
02/09/2019 Councils are calling for the power to fine rogue lorry drivers who flout weight restriction limits. |
New rules to increase housing deal transparency
02/09/2019 Councils will be legally required to publish deals with housing developers after new rules were introduced. |
Blue Badges offered to people with non-visible disabilities
30/08/2019 The Government has today implemented the expanded Blue Badge scheme which will now include people who have non-visible disabilities. |
Greater Manchester to invest over £14m in ‘digital transformation'
29/08/2019 Greater Manchester is set to see £14.3m invested into digital transformation which aims to allow the safe and secure sharing of health-related information. |
Resignations at Sheffield Council in support of referendum
28/08/2019 Two Sheffield City Council cabinet members, including the deputy leader, and four cabinet assistants have resigned in support of radically overhauling the way the council does business. |
Council finds 500-year-old stolen clock
28/08/2019 West Suffolk Council has located an antique clock after it was stolen during a break in nearly six decades ago. |
Council hits carbon reduction target early
28/08/2019 Herefordshire Council has hit its 2020 carbon reduction target early, an outcome the authority says shows their ‘commitment to tackling the climate emergency’. |
Whitehall consults on plans to simplify planning rules for 5G roll-out
27/08/2019 The Government has launched a consultation on proposals to simplify planning rules for mobile infrastructure to support the roll-out of 5G across the country. |
Commissioner appointed to oversee council’s ‘inadequate’ children’s services
27/08/2019 The Government has appointed a commissioner to improve Medway Council’s children’s services after Ofsted rated them ‘inadequate’. |
Northants gives green light to 17 community-run libraries
23/08/2019 Northamptonshire County Council has approved the business cases of 17 community-run libraries as part of a plan to safeguard the future of the authority’s library service. |
Campaigners warn of ‘democracy deserts’
22/08/2019 There were 17 councils where the party getting the most votes in May’s local elections did not get the most councillors, electoral reform campaigners say. |
County council’s trading standards team seizes £23m of unsafe items
21/08/2019 A trading standards team in Suffolk has seized nearly one million unsafe consumer items at the Port of Felixstowe. |
Whitehall warned not to ‘scrap’ HS2 as review announced
21/08/2019 The Government has announced an independent review into ‘whether and how’ the HS2 programme should proceed. |
City of London publishes UK’s ‘first’ wind microclimate guidelines
20/08/2019 The City of London has published the UK’s first wind microclimate guidelines for new development proposals in the Square Mile in an effort to keep cyclists safe. |
Councils urged to apply for £7.5m digital innovation fund
19/08/2019 The Government has invited local authorities to apply for funding to help explore how digital technology can boost frontline services. |
New partnership to help Welsh councils build affordable housing
16/08/2019 The Welsh government has partnered with a membership body for housing professionals in an effort to help councils build more affordable housing in Wales. |
Glasgow council launches car-free zones around schools
16/08/2019 Glasgow City Council is trialling car free zones to improve road safety and reduce harmful emissions outside of six of the city’s primary schools. |
Council proposes £120m scheme to upgrade Liverpool’s ‘flawed’ junction
15/08/2019 Liverpool City Council has submitted proposals to the Government outlining its plans to radically redesign one of the city’s major junctions as part of a wider bid to boost transport in the North. |
Welsh council trials ‘less expensive’ pothole repair method
14/08/2019 A trial of a new plastic-based substance to help councils fix potholes has found that it could be faster, cleaner and less expensive. |
Think tank calls for fuel duty rise to tackle pollution
12/08/2019 A think tank has called for tough action to tackle air pollution, particularly from road transport, including higher fuel prices and a default 20mph urban speed limit. |
Watchdog warns millions of people at risk of mobile signal ‘blackouts’
09/08/2019 Eight in ten areas in the UK suffer from patchy 4G mobile coverage, new research from Which? has revealed. |
Government welcomes plans to create West Midlands national park
08/08/2019 Whitehall has welcomed proposals to create a new West Midlands urban national park that would span more than seven cities and open up hundreds of miles of green space. |
Northants to cut out-of-area placements with £151k children’s home
07/08/2019 Northamptonshire County Council has decided to open up a new children’s home in a bid to reduce the number of children being placed outside of the county. |
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
True-blue network
Find out how PSBA provides true-blue network to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
Changing the way teams in Gwynedd work with PSBA’s services
How PSBA has helped improve productivity at Gwynedd Council.
5G: Unlocking new opportunities for healthcare
5G will be revolutionary for UK businesses and industry, but especially in the healthcare sector.
SD-WAN: A Cornerstone of Network Transformation
Your network is fundamental to your digital transformation. Learn how SD-WAN can prepare your network for the future.
How PSBA is connecting the public sector in Wales
There are a number of benefits for a public sector organisation using PSBA’s services.
Digital leadership and social value ecosystems
Philip Baulch explores the role of the digital leader in driving culture change.
