Reform UK urged to take responsibilities seriously
07/05/2025 Sector leaders have called on Reform UK councillors to take their responsibilities seriously following the party's sweeping success in the local elections. |
Skills England 'needs time to prove itself'
06/05/2025 The agency created by the Government to boost post-16 skills in England needs a year to show whether it will be effective, a prominent educationalist says. |
Government launches support network to help local veterans
06/05/2025 Local authority leaders have welcomed a new system designed to make it easier for veterans to access care and support but cautioned against the duplication of services. |
Reform criticised after flag ban proposal
06/05/2025 Reform has sparked controversy after declaring the only flags that will be flown by councils it controls will be the Union Jack and St. George’s Cross. |
Reform gains in English local elections
02/05/2025 Labour has held onto key mayoralties even though it looks like Nigel Farage's Reform UK will make significant gains in local elections across England. |
Rural areas deprived of affordable homes, says Princess Anne
02/05/2025 HRH The Princess Royal has highlighted the urgency of the rural housing crisis, following statistics that reveal waiting lists for affordable rural housing increased by 20% between 2020-2023. |
Exclusive: Community duty mooted
02/05/2025 The Government is looking to hand all councils an extra duty to involve community groups in their decision-making, The MJ has learnt. |
Surrey councils stand firm in reorganisation plans
30/04/2025 District and borough councils across Surrey have published proposals for local government reorganisation, defying the Government’s requests for unity on final proposals. |
Councils struggling to cover animal welfare costs
30/04/2025 Local authority efforts to enforce animal welfare legislation are undermined by cost restraints, according to a report by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). |
Council takes legal advice over listed building blaze
30/04/2025 Wiltshire Council is taking legal advice over a fire at a listed building at the centre of a planning dispute. |
Climate change due to wreak havoc on properties
30/04/2025 More than six million properties in England are in areas that are at risk of flooding, the Climate Change Committee has warned. |
Fly-tippers to be charged for cost of seizing vehicles
30/04/2025 The Government is encouraging councils to work with the police to seize and crush vehicles used by waste criminals as part of a crack-down on fly-tipping. |
200k children risk being trapped in temporary accommodation
29/04/2025 Over 200,000 children could be in temporary accommodation by the end of this Parliament if more isn’t done to build social housing, homelessness charity warns. |
Council chiefs call for solar panels on new builds
28/04/2025 All new homes should have solar panels installed to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs for households, council leaders say. |
Call for kerbside collections amidst battery-fire crisis
28/04/2025 Universal kerbside collections for waste batteries and electricals across the UK could save £6bn by boosting recycling and tackling the battery fire 'epidemic'. |
Brighton and Hove takes steps to combat elm disease
28/04/2025 Brighton and Hove City Council is set to launch its annual inoculation programme to protect thousands of historic trees from elm disease. |
Carbon tax could cost councils billions, LGA warns
25/04/2025 A scheme aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the burning of waste could place ‘billions of pounds’ of unavoidable costs on local authorities, LGA warns. |
RAC fears private parking firms are escaping scrutiny
25/04/2025 Private firms that run local car parks are set to issue a record 14.5 million tickets to drivers this year. |
Directors of children’s services criticise pepper spray policy
24/04/2025 Council directors working in children’s services have criticized the Government’s decision to allow the use of pepper spray in young offender institutions. |
Councils risk being 'fleeced' over reorg, says former commissioner
24/04/2025 Councils facing reorganisation face being ‘fleeced' by consultants keen to profit from the process, a former Northamptonshire CC commissioner has claimed. |
Call for caution over land value capture reform
24/04/2025 Experts have urged against wholesale reform of developer contributions, despite the flaws within the current system. |
Mayor urged to take over vacant shops to revitalise high streets
23/04/2025 The Mayor of London has been urged to provide more ‘financial and practical’ support to help drive high street regeneration across the capital. |
Leeds battles Right to Buy housing crisis
23/04/2025 Efforts to deliver affordable housing in Leeds have been undermined by Right to Buy, the city council has warned. |
Horsham challenges local plan decision
23/04/2025 Horsham District Council has complained to the planning inspectorate after its local plan was rejected. |
Pothole breakdowns jump 20%
23/04/2025 Pothole-related breakdowns have increased by nearly 20% compared to the same period last year, according to the RAC. |
Council rejects accusation it acted illegally in homeless mother case
22/04/2025 A London borough maintains that it has acted legally after the local government ombudsman accused it of refusing to find temporary housing for a pregnant woman. |
Council to sell unsafe properties purchased after Grenfell fire
22/04/2025 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is aiming to sell off 14 properties that it purchased to house survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. |
Council spends £220k demolishing ‘man cave’
22/04/2025 Forest of Dean District Council was forced to spend £220,000 demolishing an illegally built leisure complex belonging to a millionaire. |
Welsh councils in need of net zero funding
22/04/2025 Local authority leaders in Wales have called for more funding to help deliver net zero commitments. |
Blackpool to invest £30m in coastline defences
17/04/2025 Blackpool Council has announced a £30m investment to construct new coastline defences to prevent erosion. |
Craig David backs call for 90,000 social homes
17/04/2025 Music icon Craig David has backed a call for tens of thousands of new social homes a year over the next decade. |
Enfield threatens legal action over ancient oak felling
17/04/2025 Enfield Council has threatened the Toby Carvery pub chain with legal action after the felling of a 500-year-old oak tree. |
Surrey to remain divided on unitary plans
16/04/2025 Surrey's borough and district councils have revealed the region is set to defy government requests for unity on final reorganisation proposals. |
Council issues order to protect remains of ancient oak
16/04/2025 Enfield Council has issued an emergency preservation order to protect what remains of a 500-year-old oak tree that was partially felled by a pub chain. |
Busking to cease in Leicester Square
15/04/2025 Local authorities have suspended two busking pitches in Leicester Square. |
Reorganisation proposals average 544,000 population
14/04/2025 Reorganisation proposals submitted by councils would produce new unitaries of varying sizes but with an average population of 544,837, analysis reveals. |
Police to deal with antisocial behaviour complaints
14/04/2025 Police forces in England and Wales are now required to respond to antisocial behaviour complaints within 72 hours. |
Council plans major repairs to Victorian-era bridge
14/04/2025 Leicester City Council has submitted a planning application for major repairs to the Victorian-era Rialto Bridge. |
Scottish councils reject shared service proposal
11/04/2025 Three councils in Scotland have rejected a shared service proposal after concluding it would not offer ‘value for money'. |
Local transport in Wales gets £110m boost
11/04/2025 The Welsh Government has announced an investment of £110m to boost local transport. |
Hackney’s blue badge assessments ‘flawed’
11/04/2025 Drivers in Hackney have been urged to reapply for a blue badge after an investigation revealed flaws in the council’s scheme. |
Kensington & Chelsea launches legal action against Grenfell companies
10/04/2025 Kensington & Chelsea LBC has launched legal action worth around £360m against companies involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower. |
Essex CC rejects combined authority plan ‘in its current form’
10/04/2025 Essex County Council has told the Government that it cannot support the proposal for devolution in Greater Essex ‘in its current form’. |
Minister blocks Oldham exit from development plan
10/04/2025 Oldham MBC's attempt to exit an agreement that could see the development of 11,500 new homes has been stymied by the Government. |
Government backs £30m Doncaster airport investment
10/04/2025 The Government has backed the decision by the South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard to invest £30m to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA). |
LGA updates business plan amid reorganisation shake-up
09/04/2025 The Local Government Association (LGA) is working on a new business plan as mayors increasingly reject its advances. |
EXCLUSIVE: Rayner drops Brum inquiry plan
09/04/2025 Angela Rayner has dropped plans for a statutory inquiry that would have investigated Labour-run Birmingham City Council's failed rollout of an IT system. |
Social housing wait over a hundred years in some areas
09/04/2025 The Government has been urged to tackle the worsening housing crisis as new research reveals a century-long wait for social housing in parts of England. |
Universal theme park deal ‘landmark moment’
09/04/2025 The agreement of a deal with Universal to open a new theme park in Bedford – billed as one of the largest in Europe – has been welcomed as a ‘landmark moment’. |
Liverpool CC praised for ‘substantial’ progress
08/04/2025 Liverpool City Council has further to go on its improvement journey but has ‘made significant and substantial’ progress, according to an improvement board. |
Spelthorne commissioners named
Council ordered to investigate nursery payment policies
‘Watchdogs with bite’ needed to hold mayors to account
Political balance of LGA confirmed
