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. |
Mitie and Interserve Support Services to merge
26/06/2020 Outsourcer Mitie has proposed to merge with facilities management firm Interserve Support Services by the end of the year in a £271m deal. |
Welsh teenagers set to get the vote in local government ‘overhaul’
18/11/2019 A new law to give 16- and 17-year-olds in Wales the vote in local council elections has been unveiled by the Welsh government. |
Lack of elections in Northamptonshire: An attack on local democracy?
10/05/2019 With a suggestion that local government reorganisation in Northamptonshire may not take place now until 2021, why were there no local elections in the county last week? Mark Whitehead investigates. |
Redefining the shape of local government
20/03/2019 With the new authorities of East Suffolk and West Suffolk launching from next month, what final hurdles do the councils face in coming together? Neil Merrick reports. |
Dorset’s achievement in a world transformed
07/02/2019 Andrew Flockhart shows how officers and members throughout Dorset worked together – despite a host of challenges – to be ready for the transformation on 1 April from nine councils to two unitary authorities. |
Two Yorkshire LEPs approve merger plans
23/11/2018 Two local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) in Yorkshire have approved plans to merge and create a new business-led body. |
Merger between council and the NHS to be considered for Scottish Borders region
21/09/2018 A plan to merge a council and the NHS to form a single public authority is to be considered for the Scottish Borders region. |
Housing delivery should be considered in council mergers, warns report
19/06/2018 The merger of local authorities in Wales should not have any ‘unintended consequences’ on the delivery of affordable homes, CIH Cymru has warned. |
East Suffolk council merger gets parliamentary backing
10/05/2018 Plans to create a new ‘super district’ council for East Suffolk have been backed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. |
Suffolk councils put merger plans on hold
06/04/2018 Two Suffolk district councils have put their merger plans on hold after the county council ordered a review into the structure of local government. |
Javid approves creation of new district council
23/03/2018 Two Somerset councils have been given ministerial approval to merge together to form one new single council. |
Two councils vote in favour of merger
21/03/2018 Two Somerset councils have backed plans to dissolve both existing councils and create a single new one. |
Welsh government should stop ‘hectoring’ councils over reform, minister says
21/02/2018 Wales’ government should stop ‘hectoring’ councils and apologise for past approach to reform, the local government minister said as he outlined a new approach. |
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. |
Javid approves locally-led proposals to merge councils
01/12/2017 Communities Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday announced he was ‘minded’ to support two locally-led proposals for merging district councils in Somerset and Suffolk. |
Leaders publish plans to create single West Suffolk council
09/05/2017 Council leaders have put forward ‘ambitious’ proposals to create a single council for West Suffolk in a move they hope will ‘drive prosperity’ in the region. |
Cash reserves unable to meet cost of voluntary mergers, warns CIPFA
13/04/2017 Councils will be unable to cover the costs of voluntary mergers in Wales using their reserves, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPFA) has warned. |
Kent’s 'super council' plans put on hold
23/03/2017 Plans to create a new single council for East Kent are being postponed after Shepway District Council voted against the proposal. |
Critical lessons from merging councils
10/03/2017 Laura Sharman reports on a recent webinar exploring how two councils in Australia managed large scale change effectively when they became a ‘super council’. |
Free webinar on how to successfully merge councils
24/02/2017 This is your last chance to sign up to a free webinar exploring how councils can implement successful mergers and partnerships. |
Merging councils – more process, less stress
22/02/2017 Find out how Gosford City Council and Wyong Shire Council in Australia prepared themselves to merge together. |
The key to successful shared services
09/02/2017 Ivan Seselj explores what UK councils can learn from their Australian counterparts when it comes to implementing successful shared services and mergers. |
Free webinar: Critical lessons from merging councils in Australia
01/02/2017 Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils made history this month after becoming the first two districts in more than 40 years to approve a formal merger. |
Two districts approve ‘historic’ council merger
27/01/2017 Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils have approved plans to formally merge and create a new ‘super district’ council. |
Peabody and Family Mosaic agree merger
08/12/2016 Peabody and Family Mosaic have agreed to merge together, creating a new housing group to provide 55,000 homes. |
The pitfalls of local government transformation
09/11/2016 William Eichler finds out why Taunton Deane and West Somerset Councils are facing a judicial review over their plans to merge. |
Give councils financial incentive to merge says report
08/11/2016 Local authorities should be financial incentivised to merge together, such as limiting business rates retention to combined and unitary authorities, a new report has argued today. |
Drakeford sets out timetable for council revamp
04/11/2016 The timetable for local government reform in Wales has been set out by the local government secretary, Mark Drakeford. |
Welsh councils to work regionally rather than be forced to merge
05/10/2016 There will be no forced mergers of councils in Wales, although they will be required to work together to deliver key services, according to new proposals. |
South West districts to merge
08/09/2016 Taunton Deane and West Somerset councils are set to merge following a council meeting last night. |
Report calls for merger of two Somerset councils
23/08/2016 The leader of West Somerset District Council has called for his council to merge with Taunton Deane Borough Council to secure the financial future of the authorities. |
District council votes for merger
27/07/2016 Taunton Deane BC has given the green light to merger plans with neighbouring West Somerset Council. |
Welsh council merger map is ditched by minister
24/05/2016 The Welsh first minister has admitted the reorganisation map for local government was not going to be implemented. |
Housing association merger will create country's 'largest provider of affordable homes'
07/04/2016 Three housing associations have entered into merger talks and together will build 100,000 new homes across London and the South East. |
Welsh council mergers could save £650m but 2,000 jobs at risk
25/11/2015 Cutting the number of councils in Wales from 22 to eight or nine would deliver savings of £650m over ten years, according to figures published by the Welsh Government. |
Council mergers delayed following Labour-Plaid deal
21/10/2015 The forced merger of councils in Wales will be delayed until after the National Assembly for Wales elections in 2016, following a deal between Plaid Cymru and the Labour Welsh Government. |
Tories call for referendums to decide council mergers
30/09/2015 Councils would only be merged in Wales if residents approved plans in a local referendum, under plans launched by the Welsh Conservatives. |
Loss of top council jobs ‘a good thing’, says Welsh first minister
23/06/2015 Top local government jobs will be lost under the planned shake-up of Welsh councils, the first minister has said. |
Council chiefs warn over impact of proposed mergers
18/06/2015 Council leaders have warned the proposed restructure of local government in Wales – which will see 22 local authorities cut down to eight or nine – will cause ‘disruption and distraction’ in the sector. |
Reform of Welsh councils unveiled
17/06/2015 Plans to cut the number of local authorities in Wales to eight or nine have been unveiled by the Welsh Government. |
Welsh councils could save £151m on admin finds report
15/06/2015 Councils in Wales could save £151m a year in administrative costs if they transformed back office services in line with English authorities, a new report has concluded. |
Local government system ‘bleeding to death’, warns Welsh council leader
03/06/2015 A council leader has called for fast-paced local government reorganisation in Wales because the current system is ‘bleeding to death’. |
County leader pushes for town hall merger
12/05/2015 The outgoing leader of North Yorkshire CC has called for his county to be merged with districts to form a unitary. |
Council considers cheaper funeral service
06/03/2015 North East Lincolnshire Council is considering setting up a new organisation to deliver an affordable funeral service. |
Conwy slams ‘disrespectful’ language of Welsh Government in merger spat
05/02/2015 A Welsh council has slammed a government vision for local government reorganisation, branding it ‘disrespectful’ and a ‘threat to local democracy’. |
Council merger plans rejected by minister
27/01/2015 Plans for six councils in Wales to merge have been rejected by minister for public services, Leighton Andrews. |
Councils agree staff merger, sparking job loss fears
26/01/2015 A union has warned that plans for two London councils to ‘merge’ could lead to ‘massive job losses’. |
Council mergers could hurt local democracy warns report
21/01/2015 The reorganisation of local government in Wales could deter new councillors from standing for election, a new report is warning. |
Minister slams Welsh councils for ‘disappointing’ response to reform plan
09/12/2014 Welsh councils have been blasted for their ‘disappointingly low’ response rate to a plan on the future of local government. |
Councils fail to agree voluntary mergers
02/12/2014 Just six of the 22 local authorities in Wales have submitted voluntary merger plans in time for the government's deadline. |
Council mergers could cost £269m says report
25/11/2014 Local government mergers in Wales could cost £269m, according to a study on the financial implications of reform. |
Conwy and Denbighshire take first steps towards merger
18/11/2014 Conwy and Denbighshire councils look set to merge after councillors at both authorities voted in favour of the move. |
Welsh council considers merger options
07/10/2014 Rhondda Cynon Taf is to investigate the pros and cons of merging with neighbouring authorities. |
Welsh councils urged to push ahead with voluntary mergers
24/09/2014 Local authorities in Wales have been urged to agree voluntary mergers to end uncertainty for staff and service users, by minister for public services Leighton Andrews. |
Council merger would be ‘a step backwards’, argues town hall
05/09/2014 A council in South Wales has insisted it can ‘stand alone’ amid proposals to merge it with two other local authorities. |
Concerns raised over council mergers in Wales
05/08/2014 Independent councillors have raised concerns over the reorganisation of local authorities in Wales. |
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.