DCLG | LocalGov

Brokenshire announces Northamptonshire commissioners

09/05/2018

New local government secretary James Brokenshire has today announced the two commissioners appointed to help rescue troubled Northamptonshire CC.

Whitehall grabs £875m Right to Buy receipts

25/04/2018

Labour has demanded immediate Right to Buy (RTB) reforms after figures obtained by The MJ revealed the amount councils lose to Whitehall under the regime.

Business rate pilot councils could see £870m cash boost says think tank

12/04/2018

Local authorities are missing out on millions of pounds because of an £870m cash boost to business rate pilot councils, according to a study today from the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think-tank.

Javid orders review after second council payment error

20/03/2018

The Government has ordered a review after being forced to admit a second mistake in as many months in the way it calculates council payments.

Government oversight of LEPs not good enough, MPs say

16/03/2018

The Public Accounts Committee has stressed its lack of faith in the Government’s oversight of local enterprise partnerships in a critical report published today.

Javid backs single unitary council in Buckinghamshire

12/03/2018

Local government secretary Sajid Javid has backed a single unitary council for Buckinghamshire.

Whitehall's local government finance cover-up is exposed

20/02/2018

Key Whitehall departments involved in attempt to bury changes to provisional finance settlement data.

Labour accuses Government of 'holding back' local government

29/01/2018

Labour MPs have urged ministers to provide ‘strategic vision’ for local government.

EXCLUSIVE: Finance settlement 'shambles' after provisional data wrong

18/01/2018

The local government finance settlement has descended into a shambles after it emerged allocations in the provisional document were wrong, The MJ can exclusively reveal.

May rebrands DCLG

08/01/2018

Prime minister Theresa May has confirmed that her government’s renewed focus on housing will be reflected in the title of the Whitehall department that oversees the sector in the post-Grenfell Tower era.

Christchurch sets out bid to stop unitary plans

04/01/2018

Christchurch Borough Council has warned it could take legal action if the Government forces it to merge with Bournemouth and Poole councils.

Council tax increase limit raised by Javid

19/12/2017

Councils will be allowed to increase their core council tax by up to 3% in 2018/19 without a referendum, potentially raising an additional £250m.

Government to write off millions of housing associations' debt

16/11/2017

The Government is expected to wipe off around £60m in debt from housing associations in a bid to deliver more social housing.

Six in ten councils make progress on business rates relief

15/11/2017

More than 200 councils have now reissued business rates bills in accordance with the Government’s discretionary relief package, latest figures have shown.

Two London councils accused of breaking publicity rules

07/11/2017

The Government has threatened two London councils with court action, claiming they are breaking publicity rules by publishing their newspapers ‘too frequently’.

Grenfell council asks government to step back

07/11/2017

Kensington and Chelsea RLBC has asked the Government to water down its oversight at the council following the Grenfell Tower fire in June.

New draft bill to ban letting agent fees

01/11/2017

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) will introduce a draft bill to ban letting agent fees today.

Majority of Javid's decisions on housing appeals are in Tory seats, research finds

26/10/2017

The ‘vast majority’ of ministerial decisions on housing appeals have been in Conservative seats and a significant proportion of them have been refused against the inspector’s advice, a law firm reveals.

Javid sets out measures to strengthen tenants' rights

02/10/2017

Young people being priced out of the housing market is the ‘biggest barrier to social progress in our country today’, communities secretary Sajid Javid has warned.

Five more functions handed back to Rotherham

13/09/2017

More powers have been handed back to Rotherham Council following a report showing it has made further progress in the aftermath of the city's child abuse scandal.

Councillor hits out at Javid’s ‘prevarication’ on council finances

08/09/2017

A Basildon councillor has waited over two months for a response from Sajid Javid to a letter he wrote concerning the future of council finances.

Councils urged to apply for new business rates pilots

01/09/2017

Local authorities in England have been invited to participate in a second round of 100% business rates retention pilots as pools across economic areas.

Birmingham Council's scrutiny panel set to step back

04/08/2017

The team brought in to help Birmingham turn itself around has called on the secretary of state to let it step back in light of improvements and the new management team in place.

90 council-owned buildings fail new fire safety test

03/08/2017

Nearly 100 buildings owned or managed by councils and housing associations have failed the latest fire safety tests conducted in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Javid tries to build bridges with local government

12/07/2017

Sajid Javid has reached out to local government defending his recent criticisms of the sector as tough love designed to help them ‘do better’.

Javid claims local government is facing ‘looming crisis in confidence’

04/07/2017

Councils have been warned they are facing a ‘looming crisis in confidence’ in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire by communities secretary Sajid Javid.

Victims of Grenfell Tower fire to receive £5,500 per household

19/06/2017

Every household whose home was destroyed in the Grenfell Tower fire will receive £5,500 from an emergency fund, the Government today announced.

Safety review launched into hundreds of tower blocks

16/06/2017

The Government has ordered an emergency review into tower blocks following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in London.

Sajid Javid keeps local government role

12/06/2017

Sajid Javid has been re-appointed as minister for communities and local government by the prime minister.

A bulging in-tray awaits the communities secretary next week

08/06/2017

From community cohesion to business rates, devolution and adult social care, whoever walks into Marsham Street next week will have a lot of paperwork to go through.

Surrey promised ‘extra funding’ to abandon 15% council tax referendum

10/03/2017

New documents have come to light revealing more evidence of a ‘secret deal’ between Surrey County Council and the Government over the county’s proposed 15% tax hike.

Government departments told to find cuts of up to 6%

28/02/2017

Government departments have been told to draw up plans for up to 6% spending cuts in a bid to save £3.5bn by 2020.

Statsbuster – Housebuilding in England 2016

27/02/2017

Neil Merrick analyses the latest housebuilding statistics to reveal national and local trends in starts and completions.

Leadership offer for local government 'put on ice'

24/02/2017

A ‘powerful’ new leadership offer for local government backed by No 10 is the latest casualty of shifting Whitehall priorities, The MJ can reveal.

Councils hit out at lack of new money in final settlement

21/02/2017

Local government figures have expressed their disappointment at a lack of new council funding in the 2017/18 settlement.

Government ‘erased’ male rough sleepers from statistics, campaigners claim

03/02/2017

A coalition of men’s charities have lodged an official complaint after a Government report ‘erased’ the gender of male of rough sleepers.

Power to award grants returned to Tower Hamlets

17/01/2017

The communities secretary has confirmed the start of a ‘phased return’ of powers to Tower Hamlets, but commissioners caution there is still ‘much to do’.

No ‘evidence’ Troubled Families programme works, MPs say

20/12/2016

The Government has ‘overstated’ the effectiveness of the program designed to deal with disadvantaged families and has been ‘evasive’ in its dealings with MPs, committee report says.

Blackburn's high street crowned best in Britain

13/12/2016

Blackburn has come out on top in the awards for Britain's best high street.

'Phased return' of powers to Tower Hamlets

05/12/2016

Tower Hamlets LBC is to gain back control of certain powers as part of a 'phased return' by Sajid Javid.

Town hall 'pravdas' given final warning

05/12/2016

Three councils that have continued to publish regular newspapers have been given a ‘last chance’ to abide by government rules.

Number of new homes increases for third consecutive year

16/11/2016

The number of new homes rose by 11% this year, representing the third consecutive year-on-year increase, Government figures reveal.

New £20m council funding pot for homelessness prevention

18/10/2016

Local authorities are to receive £20m for a new homeless prevention strategy to pilot initiatives on the issue, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has announced.

Government overturns county's rejection of fracking scheme

06/10/2016

The Government has overturned Lancashire County Council’s decision to refuse permission for a fracking site.

Homelessness at a ten-year high

29/09/2016

Homelessness figures have hit a ten-year high as council chiefs warn against ‘rushing through’ new duties to tackle the problem.

More than 56,000 households buy homes under revived Right to Buy

22/09/2016

Over 50,000 households have purchased a home in the last four years under the Government’s Right to Buy scheme, new figures show.

Council seeks judicial review over Aylesbury Estate decision

21/09/2016

Southwark Council has pledged to fight the ‘bizarre’ government decision to block a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on Aylesbury Estate.

Javid takes £900m North East devolution deal 'off the table'

09/09/2016

The £900m North East devolution deal is ‘off the table’, said communities secretary Sajid Javid.

Whitehall must take ‘bold new action’ to tackle housing shortage, LGA says

26/08/2016

Council chiefs call for ‘bold new action’ to solve the housing crisis in response to recent Government housebuilding figures.

Councils will be vital to May’s premiership predicts Clark

12/07/2016

The role of local government will be ‘vital’ in Theresa May’s vision for the country when she becomes prime minister, according to communities secretary Greg Clark.

DCLG’s land disposal programme has had ‘slow start’, says watchdog

12/07/2016

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has only met 5% of its commitment to release enough public sector land for 160,000 homes by 2020, the NAO has revealed.

MPs to examine how best to protect public parks

11/07/2016

The impact council budget cuts have had on public parks and open spaces will be considered in a new Government inquiry.

Clark launches review into future of council funding

05/07/2016

Councils have been urged to ‘shape their financial future’ as communities secretary Greg Clark launches a consultation into the retention of business rates.

Council spending being squeezed by debt payments

15/06/2016

The cost of paying off historic debts is putting pressure on council’s ‘dwindling’ revenue resources, the National Audit Office has warned today.

Inquiry launched into council interventions

24/05/2016

An inquiry into the government interventions at Tower Hamlets and Rotherham councils has been launched.

Mayor warns councils need more support to protect green spaces

18/05/2016

A recent High Court judgement has 'weakened' national policy on the protection of green spaces, the mayor of Salford has warned.

Four-year settlement unaffected by Budget, confirms Clark

19/04/2016

The four-year financial settlement for local authorities will not be affected by cuts announced in this year's Budget, the Government has confirmed.

Tower Hamlets fails to win back powers

12/04/2016

Tower Hamlets is still 'some way off' at showing sufficient improvement in order to be handed back control of more functions, according to communities secretary Greg Clark.

Right to buy amendment causes concern over forced sale of housing stock

07/04/2016

Councils could be forced to sell their housing stock by the secretary of state, after changes were made to the wording of the Housing and Planning Bill.

Bids open for multi-billion local growth fund

23/03/2016

Local Enterprise Partnerships have been urged to bid for a share of £1.8bn funding, after the latest round of local growth funding was released.

Councils told to ‘take the fight to the fraudsters’

23/03/2016

Councils have been issued with new guidance that is designed to combat the estimated £2bn lost through fraud every year.

Planning permissions reach eight-year high

09/03/2016

The number of planning permissions for new homes has reached the highest total in eight years, according to the latest figures.

Map shows take-up of Community Rights programme

08/03/2016

More than 3,000 buildings, green spaces and other assets have been protected under legislation designed to give people more say over developments in their areas, according to the Government.

Business rates expected to reach record levels

17/02/2016

Business rate income is expected to increase by £400m to a record £23.5bn in England for 2016/17, according to new figures released today.

Responsibility for fire and rescue policy to move to the Home Office

06/01/2016

Responsibility for fire and rescue policy will move to the Home Office, the Prime Minister confirmed yesterday.

Councils secure funding to help domestic abuse victims

11/12/2015

The allocation of £3.5m to support domestic abuse victims has been announced with the naming of 46 local authorities which placed successful bids.

Coastal towns secure £3m cash boost

11/12/2015

Blackpool’s Winter Gardens is one of 77 projects set to benefit from a £3m government cash injection into coastal towns and resorts.

Flood affected communities exempt from paying council tax and business rates

09/12/2015

Flood affected communities will not face council tax or business rate bills for the homes and businesses they have been displaced from, Greg Clark announced yesterday.

Councils to be fully-funded for clean-up costs in the wake of Storm Desmond

08/12/2015

The areas that were most severely hit by last weekend’s storm will have 100% of their costs reimbursed, communities secretary Greg Clark has announced amid criticisms of cuts to flood defences.

MPs call for transparency on cost of new burdens

02/12/2015

The new burdens placed on local authorities due to the reform of the Care Act should be properly identified and assessed, according to a new report from a parliamentary watchdog.

Clark stresses spending review was 'good result' for local government

01/12/2015

The spending review was a 'very good result for local government', according to communities secretary Greg Clark.

Winner chosen for 'best British high street'

01/12/2015

Bishopthorpe Road in York has been named as the best shopping street in Britain.

Spending Review: Osborne pushes councils to ‘draw on reserves’

25/11/2015

George Osborne has urged councils to ‘draw on reserves’ to improve local services, while gifting greater freedom over asset sales.

Spending Review: Local government set for further cuts

25/11/2015

Local government is bracing itself for a further squeeze on its budgets when the chancellor announces his spending plans later today.

Councils paying out record levels of business rate discounts

19/11/2015

Councils have paid out more than £3bn in business rate discounts and reliefs in the past year, according to new figures.

Council chiefs lash out at ‘misleading’ reserves figure

19/11/2015

Reports that councils have more than £22bn in cash reserves have been slammed as ‘hugely misleading’ by council leaders.

John Lewis boss secures role at the DCLG

18/11/2015

The managing director of upmarket department store chain John Lewis has been appointed to a top position advising local government ministers.

Four departments agree 30% spending cuts

09/11/2015

Four government departments - including the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) - have provisionally agreed to cut spending by up to 30% over the next four years.

Ministers reject plans ‘mega mosque’ in Newham

30/10/2015

Plans to build the largest mosque in Britain have been rejected by the Government.

Control of Tower Hamlets to be passed back to the mayor

30/10/2015

Greater responsibility for the governance of Tower Hamlets borough council will be passed to the mayor, Greg Clark announced yesterday.

Government ‘should be embarrassed’ by land disposal records, says watchdog

24/09/2015

The Government has been criticised for the way it has managed the sale of public land for new housing, in a damning report published by the public spending watchdog.

Plans for weekly rubbish collections could be ditched

07/09/2015

Plans by the Government to bring back guaranteed weekly rubbish collections has been binned, according to reports in the national media.

Birmingham awarded improvement funding

01/09/2015

Birmingham City Council has been awarded a £4.37m grant to speed up work on its improvement programme.

Rotherham to remain under Government control until 2019

25/08/2015

The Government has said it is likely to take four years until full powers are returned to Rotherham Council following intervention after a sexual abuse scandal emerged in 2014.

Councils urged to bid for £3m domestic abuse fund

25/08/2015

A new £3m fund has been launched offering local authorities the chance to bid for around £100,000 each to support victims of domestic abuse.

Government accused of shedding localism agenda under new planning reforms

13/07/2015

Planning reforms designed to speed up construction represent a ‘shift away from localism’, according to the chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee.

Sweeping planning reforms must keep councils ‘central’ to process, warns LGA

10/07/2015

Councils have warned communities risk being taken out of the planning process under new Treasury proposals designed to speed up house building.

Crematorium review to be conducted in wake of baby ashes scandal

09/07/2015

A review of crematorium facilities has been launched by the Communities and Local Government Department (DCLG), following ‘unacceptable failures’ at Shrewsbury's Emstrey crematorium.

Clark praises local government in contrast to ‘rumbustious’ Pickles

03/07/2015

Communities secretary Greg Clark has praised councils for absorbing budget cuts with ‘cool-headed efficiency’, marking a change in attitude to the sector compared with his predecessor.

Councils face £3.3bn of cuts next year, warns LGA

26/06/2015

Councils in England are facing a £3.3bn reduction in central government funding for local services in 2016/17, according to new analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA).

Watchdog slams Government efforts to free up land for homes

24/06/2015

A Government programme designed to free up public land for new homes has been criticised for misleading statistics, a lack of monitoring and the absence of any economic rationale.

DCLG warned to improve understanding of burdens on councils

11/06/2015

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) needs to improve its understanding of the burden’s placed on councils’ finances, auditors are warning today.

Ministers have 'no plans' to reduce the number of LEPs

11/06/2015

The Government has 'no plans' to reduce the number of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

Osborne reveals £230m spending cut for DCLG

04/06/2015

George Osborne has revealed £230m will be cut from the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) spending budget this year, as part of £3bn saving measures.

Pickles to be given knighthood

22/05/2015

The communities secretary for the duration of the last parliament, Eric Pickles, is to be given a knighthood, Downing Street has announced.

‘Bold’ action demanded after councils build just 1,200 homes in 12 months

22/05/2015

Just 125,000 new homes were built in England last year, falling almost a quarter of a million properties short of targets –figures have revealed.

Greg Clark appointed new local government secretary

11/05/2015

Greg Clark has replaced Eric Pickles as the new secretary of state for communities and local government, as part of David Cameron's post-election reshuffle of frontbench ministers.

Betts accuses Pickles of sitting idly on housing cash

30/03/2015

Eric Pickles has been accused of allowing funding earmarked for house building to ‘sit idly’ in his department’s coffers, by MP Clive Betts.

Council warned over 'transparency failings'

20/03/2015

Rother District Council has received a warning from Government over its ‘failing in transparency’ and lack of accountability on decisions made about senior staff pay.

Outrage as homeownership hits 29-year low

26/02/2015

Homeownership in England has crashed to its lowest level in almost three decades, figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have revealed.

Banning urban pesticide use image

Banning urban pesticide use

RSPB and PAN are working on a letter from local councillors calling on the Government to introduce a national ban on urban pesticide use. Find out more below.
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Strategic Lead for SEND and Vulnerable Learners

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£90,800 - £101,318
Our vision is for all children and young people in Greenwich to experience a safe, healthy and happy childhood Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Strategic Lead for Adolescent Safeguarding and Family Support

Royal Borough of Greenwich
£90,800 - £101,318
At the Royal Borough of Greenwich, we believe children should enjoy their childhoods. Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Administrator

Wakefield Council
£23,500 to £23,893, grade 4
We put our customers at the heart of everything we do and are looking for a new team member to join us in Learner Services. Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Wakefield Council

Service Lead, Performance, Policy and Delivery

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
£58,215 - £63,564 per annum (min and max salary for the job).
We have an exciting opportunity for to join us as Service Lead for Performance, Policy and Delivery! Windsor, Berkshire
Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

Solicitor/Legal Executive - Children and Education

Essex County Council
£47472 - £55850 per annum
Solicitor/Legal Executive - Children and EducationPermanent, Full TimeUp to £55,850 per annumLocation
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