Elections on cyber alert
26/03/2024 Ministers have warned this year’s local and national elections are 'not business as usual’ – as councils prepare to tackle threats to voting security. |
'Victorian era' electoral registration failing voters, MPs warn
21/03/2024 The electoral registration system, which governs local elections in England, is ‘neither effective nor efficient’ and is disenfranchising millions, MPs warn. |
EXCLUSIVE: No pay offer until after local elections
14/03/2024 Local government employers will not make a pay offer until after the upcoming local elections in May, The MJ understands. |
Long-serving council leader to step down
12/03/2024 Sutton council leader Ruth Dombey, one of the longest-serving council leaders in the UK, has announced her intentions to step down. |
Prospective councillors told to campaign for MP
04/03/2024 Tory councillors in North Northamptonshire have been told they must do 30 sessions of canvassing if they want to stand in the upcoming local elections. |
Union urges prospective MPs to back national care service
21/02/2024 Election candidates in the forthcoming general election are being urged to support the creation of a new national care service in England. |
Voter ID legal challenge launched
19/02/2024 A legal challenge has been mounted against the Government over voter ID requirements for elections. |
South Yorkshire mayoral election on the cards
09/02/2024 A mayoral election could take place in South Yorkshire this year after it was confirmed that PCC responsibilities will be moved to the regional leader. |
Officer warning over street votes
06/02/2024 Council officers have issued a scathing response to plans for street-level planning votes – dismissing the idea as a costly ‘proliferation of polls’. |
First North Yorkshire mayoral election to cost £2m
17/01/2024 The election of the first mayor of a new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority is set to cost £2.2m, a council report has revealed. |
2024: an epochal year of change and transition
12/01/2024 Jonathan Werran, chief executive, Localis looks at what is coming down the tracks for local government in the year ahead. |
Alarm sounded on cyber threat to local elections
21/12/2023 Ministers have written to councils to warn of attempted foreign interference in next year’s elections. |
Peter Bone MP loses seat after bullying accusations
20/12/2023 A petition managed by North Northamptonshire Council has seen over 13% of voters in the constituency of Wellingborough call for the removal of Peter Bone MP. |
Peers urge Government to improve voter ID requirements
19/12/2023 The Government has been urged to consider adding additional forms of identification to the list of documents that are accepted during elections. |
Implementing the new voter ID requirement
18/12/2023 Baroness Drake, chair of the House of Lords Constitution Committee, discusses how implementation of the new voter ID requirement could be improved. |
Minister shrugs off election concerns
06/12/2023 Fears that pressures on elections officials will leave them overwhelmed at the next election have been dismissed by local government minister Simon Hoare. |
Norfolk devolution schedule delayed
04/12/2023 Norfolk’s level 3 devolution deal is set to be pushed back to 2025. |
28 Durham councillors lost in proposed boundary change
04/12/2023 Changes proposed by the Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBC) would see the loss of 28 councillors in County Durham. |
Warning of polling day disruption to services
17/11/2023 Frontline council services could be disrupted during elections as staff are drafted in to run polling stations and conduct counts, chief executives warn. |
Questions over plans to manage voter ID
13/11/2023 The chair of the levelling up, housing and communities (LUHC) committee has written to the LUHC department with concerns about managing voter ID in future elections. |
Street calls for PCC powers
02/11/2023 West Midlands mayor Andy Street has formally asked the Government to transfer police and crime commissioner (PCC) powers to the mayoralty. |
Peterborough leader loses confidence vote
02/11/2023 Peterborough City Council has new political leadership after councillors voted to remove Conservative leader Wayne Fitzgerald. |
Confidence vote risks ‘further government intervention’
27/10/2023 The leader of Peterborough City Council has said a confidence motion in him will result in ‘major political instability’ and risks further intervention from the Government. |
Starmer promises council funding reform
13/10/2023 The way local government is funded is too short-term and has resulted in local authorities such as Birmingham CC declaring bankruptcy, Sir Keir Starmer says. |
Plea to delay online postal vote applications
09/10/2023 Launching online applications for postal and proxy votes later this month should be ‘urgently reconsidered,’ elections officers have said. |
Wales to automatically register voters
03/10/2023 The Welsh Government is set to establish automatic voter registration for local government and Senedd elections. |
Level up seaside towns or lose power, Conservatives told
19/09/2023 The Conservative Government must level up England’s struggling coastal communities or risk losing 113 seaside seats to Labour, a conservative think tank warns. |
Millions missing from electoral register
18/09/2023 An overhaul of data sharing with council elections teams is required, a report by the Electoral Commission has concluded. |
Staff warn of general election disruption over voter ID
13/09/2023 Faced with the rollout of voter ID, electoral administrators have said they are not convinced they can deliver a general election before January 2025. |
Voter ID law ‘poisoned cure’, MPs say
12/09/2023 The voter ID rule which was brought in to tackle electoral fraud ahead of the 2023 local elections ‘disenfranchises more voters than it protects’, MPs say. |
Cyber-attack hit Electoral Commission
08/08/2023 Information held by the Electoral Commission was accessed by 'hostile actors,' the watchdog has revealed. |
Croydon elections 'secure' despite 'justified' criticism
08/08/2023 A review of Croydon’s 2022 elections has backed chief executive Katherine Kerswell’s handling of the delayed result but said some criticism was ‘justified’. |
Town council urges Nadine Dorries MP to quit
27/07/2023 Flitwick Town Council has called on Nadine Dorries MP to ‘immediately vacate’ her seat to allow for a by-election. |
Risk of 'major electoral failure,' officers warn
26/06/2023 Pressure on council teams running elections will only be recognised in the event of a ‘major electoral failure,’ a new report has warned. |
Councils raise concerns over disproportionate impact of voter ID
23/06/2023 Councils have raised concerns that problems with new voting identification rules hit some groups harder than others, local government leaders have warned. |
Labour blocks Driscoll mayoral bid
05/06/2023 North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll has been blocked by Labour from standing as the party’s mayoral candidate for the proposed North East combined authority. |
Voting reforms could ‘erect barriers’ for elderly, charity says
25/05/2023 The introduction of further checks on postal and proxy voting could disenfranchise older people, an elderly persons charity has warned. |
New checks on postal and proxy voting announced
24/05/2023 Further checks to ensure there is no fraud when people vote by post or by proxy could soon be introduced, according to the Government. |
Northern Ireland branded 'inert' as councils go to polls
18/05/2023 With Northern Ireland's local elections today the region has been branded ‘uncompetitive’ and in need of localised public services due to Stormont stalemate. |
Council chiefs in Northern Ireland warn of intimidation
17/05/2023 Council leaders in Northern Ireland have raised concerns about the abuse and intimidation of candidates in this year’s local council election campaign. |
One in 100 turned away due to voter ID
16/05/2023 One in 100 were unable to vote up after turning up at polling stations without valid ID, election observers have estimated. |
Court case looms after election blunder
16/05/2023 A councillor who gained the most votes at a recent election faces a court case for her seat after a blunder led officials to announce the wrong winner. |
Devon council reissues postal votes after admitting mistake
11/05/2023 Postal votes for part of a Devon district have been reissued after East Devon Council admitted a mistake was made in the recent local elections. |
Voter ID led to ‘incidents’ of disenfranchisement
11/05/2023 Young people suffered ‘total disenfranchisement’ when they were turned away at the recent local elections despite having the correct ID, campaign group says. |
Local elections ‘well run’ but voter ID concerns remain
05/05/2023 The first local elections requiring residents to show ID were ‘well run’, but the new law prevented some eligible voters from casting their vote. |
Voting suspended after Southampton candidate’s death
05/05/2023 Voting was suspended yesterday in the Southampton ward of Coxford after the death of the local candidate, the city council has confirmed. |
Results point to big losses for Conservative councils
05/05/2023 Early results from the local elections point to big losses for the Conservatives, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats scooping up victories. |
Voter ID rap sequel drops
04/05/2023 South Norfolk Council has released a second rap video to remind residents to take photo ID with them when they vote today. |
Voters urged to be patient with polling staff
04/05/2023 Local authority leaders have asked voters to be patient with polling station staff today as they process voter ID changes. |
Urban councils call for redistributive funding model
02/05/2023 A network of urban councils has launched a manifesto calling on the Government to end competitive bidding and return to a redistributive council funding model. |
Council chief plans voter ID rapping sequel
01/05/2023 Rapping council chief Trevor Holden has revealed he is planning a sequel to his hit track on the need for voter ID at this week’s local elections. |
General election offers chance to 'raise awareness of social care'
27/04/2023 The ‘looming general election’ offers an ideal chance to showcase and raise awareness of social care with the public, says the new president of ADASS. |
Council chiefs call for civility ahead of elections
24/04/2023 Council leaders have joined forces with the Jo Cox Foundation to call for civility towards candidates and officers running the local elections on 4 May. |
One in 10 voters confused over ID rules, poll finds
21/04/2023 Voters are confused over new ID rules just days before they can apply for a certificate to take part in local government elections, researchers have warned. |
Tories expect to lose 1,000 seats
17/04/2023 The Conservatives are braced to lose 1,000 council seats in next month’s local elections. |
Rapping returning officer drops voter ID track
14/04/2023 South Norfolk Council has dropped a new rap video to remind residents to take photo ID with them when they vote in the upcoming local elections. |
MPs to examine voter self-ID
14/04/2023 Self-ID for voters is among issues to be examined by MPs when they question a range of election administrators and campaigners next week. |
Labour pledges to revitalise high streets
12/04/2023 Labour will today promote its plan to revitalise ailing high streets through a £700m fund to help small businesses with soaring energy bills. |
Minister raps council over pre-election restrictions
06/04/2023 Experts have said pre-election period restrictions are causing misunderstandings after minister rapped a council amid claims it had taken things too far. |
Bristol City Council to be run by committees
05/04/2023 Bristol council is set to be run by seven policy committees after the May elections following a referendum which decided to abolish the directly elected mayor. |
Confusion over suitable ID ahead of elections
31/03/2023 Local leaders in Merseyside have raised worries that confusion over acceptable ID in elections could exclude some people from voting. |
Local elections 'clear indications' of national result
03/01/2023 Local elections in May will give a strong pointer to likely results of a national poll next year, according to a leading analyst. |
Council chiefs call for voter ID laws to be delayed
12/12/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to delay the introduction of voter ID requirements until after the local elections in May. |
Concern over elections timetable
07/11/2022 Campaigners and elections staff have raised concerns over the deliverability of voter ID at next year’s elections. |
Workload warning over voting pilots
11/10/2022 Proposals to introduce automatic voter registration in Wales could cause confusion and add to already heavy workloads, election officers have warned. |
Liverpool to lose five councillors in boundary shake-up
08/09/2022 Liverpool is set to lose five councillors as the boundary commission redraws the political map. |
EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall risk warning over election reforms
29/04/2022 Whitehall officials have privately admitted councils could be overwhelmed by one of the largest sets of electoral reforms ever seen by local authorities, The MJ understands. |
Scottish voters making more use of the single transferable vote
26/04/2022 Voters in Scotland are making increased use of the single transferable vote (STV) in local elections, according to new analysis. |
Tories could lose 800 council seats next month, polling reveals
19/04/2022 The Conservatives could lose 800 councillors in next month's local elections, new polling has suggested. |
Lords vote against plans for photo ID for voters
08/04/2022 The Government has been defeated by Lords over plans to introduce mandatory photo ID for voters. |
Elections at 'risk of failure'
24/01/2022 A deluge of reforms to elections is putting the system at risk of failure, officials have warned. |
City council votes to overhaul electoral system
20/01/2022 Derby City Council councillors have approved proposals to change the electoral system so that members are elected once every four years. |
MPs call for voter ID plans to be halted
13/12/2021 The Government's voter ID plans should be paused to determine if the measures are 'fit for purpose', MPs have warned. |
Four Welsh councils to pilot flexible voting schemes
09/11/2021 Four councils in Wales will allow people to vote before polling day in next May’s local government elections as part of a pilot scheme. |
Welsh Government makes final decision on boundary changes
18/10/2021 The biggest ever changes to electoral boundaries in Welsh local government have been confirmed. |
It’s now or never for modern democracy
14/10/2021 The electoral landscape is now ‘more crowded than ever’, while council resources have been ground down, says Laura Lock – and she warns that professionals do not have limitless capacity. |
Mayoral elections to be 'first past the post'
16/09/2021 The Government has announced the 'first past the post' electoral system will be used for all local mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections. |
High turnout in May’s elections despite COVID-19
14/09/2021 May’s elections were well-run and there was no decline in turnout despite the pandemic, new research shows. |
Labour under pressure to commit to voting reform
14/09/2021 The party is set to debate adopting Proportional Representation (PR) for General Elections at its annual conference. |
Voter ID law must be 'necessary and proportionate' warn MPs
02/09/2021 The Government must explain why a new law to make voter ID mandatory is both necessary and proportionate, MPs have said today. |
Democracy under threat: Elections Bill’s risk to people with additional needs
03/08/2021 Dr Mark Brookes discusses why measures to introduce voter ID could affect voter participation for those with learning disabilities. |
Welsh government proposes placing polling stations in colleges
03/08/2021 People in Wales may soon be able to vote for their local representatives as they go about their weekly shop or finish their lessons. |
Report calls for 'sweeping reform' of electoral system
12/07/2021 A full review of electoral funding and legislative changes are needed to avoid electoral failure in the UK, a new report has argued. |
Elections Bill introduced in Parliament
06/07/2021 Councils must be properly funded and given ample time to prepare for the 'significant' changes proposed for election rules in the UK, the Electoral Commission has warned. |
Four out of ten people without ID will not apply for free voter cards, campaigners warn
02/07/2021 Four out of ten people without photo ID are unlikely to apply for a free elector card from their local council, according to the results of a new survey. |
Commissioners appointed at Liverpool City Council
10/06/2021 Surrey CC’s chief executive Joanna Killian will be part of the team of independent commissioners who will oversee improvements at Liverpool City Council, local government secretary Robert Jenrick has announced today. |
Free voter cards to be issued by councils under new bill
27/05/2021 Councils will be required to provide free voter cards for people without the correct identification under the Government’s voter ID plans. |
Civil society groups denounce voter ID plans as ‘dangerous distraction’
14/05/2021 Leading UK civil society groups have united to challenge plans to block those without ID from voting. |
Queen's Speech: No social care solution in sight
11/05/2021 The Queen’s Speech has said proposals on social care reform will be brought forward – but it fell short of a commitment to legislation in this Parliament. |
Queen's Speech: Controversial voter ID plans roll forward
11/05/2021 Voter ID is expected to be introduced by May 2023 after the Government pledged to introduce legislation to ‘ensure the integrity of elections’. |
Local elections 2021: Counties buck the Tory trend
09/05/2021 County councils have bucked the trend of Conservative success in the local election on Thursday, with a mixed picture for the party. |
Local elections 2021: Voters back mayors in referendums
09/05/2021 Tower Hamlets and Newham LBC have both voted to keep the post of directly elected mayor in referendums run alongside the local elections. |
Welsh elections 2021: Labour stays in power
08/05/2021 Welsh Labour are set to retain control of the Welsh Government, taking half of the seats on the second day of counting. |
Scottish elections 2021: SNP secures fourth consecutive victory
08/05/2021 The SNP has won three key seats in the 2021 Scottish elections, although it is unclear if they have done enough to secure a majority before the second day of counting. |
English elections 2021: Conservatives make gains across country
07/05/2021 The Conservatives have taken control of 13 more councils in England in last week's local elections. |
Everyone with a learning disability should have their voices heard in the local elections
04/05/2021 Emma Fraser explains why having a learning disability should never be a barrier to taking part fully in elections. |
Only a third of local election candidates are women
04/05/2021 New research has shown that only a third of candidates in the English local elections are women, leading to concerns about a lack of gender equality in local government. |
Battle of the Smart Cities
04/05/2021 Piers Mulroney explores how the race to innovate, digitise and decarbonise is driving the mayoral elections in Birmingham and Manchester. |
Council apologises for duplicate postal vote
04/05/2021 Darlington Borough Council has issued an apology after a printing error caused 370 duplicate postal votes to be sent out in error. |
Government scraps self-isolation rule to allow care home residents to visit polling stations
04/05/2021 Care home residents will be allowed to vote in person in this week's local elections without having to self-isolate afterwards for 14 days, due to changes in Government guidance. |
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.