AI and the Pothole Crisis: Learning from 'Down Under’
Leo Hanna, executive vice president UK at TechnologyOne, looks at what the UK can learn from Australia when it comes to using AI to identify potholes.
Slicing districts could slow reorganisation for fast-track areas
14/02/2025 Cutting across district boundaries to make new unitaries could create a backlog of legislation and boundary reviews that stymies the Government’s reorganisation timetable. |
London leaders seek new deal with Khan
07/02/2025 London borough leaders have demanded more formal influence over powers devolved to the capital. |
Council leaders welcome new combined authority
07/02/2025 Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority has now been formerly established, moving the area closer to unlocking a £400m investment fund. |
New Lancashire combined county authority launched
06/02/2025 The new Lancashire combined county authority has officially come into being. |
Learning from NHS digital transformation
05/02/2025 Justin Day, CEO and co-founder of Cloud Gateway, considers what local government devolution can learn from NHS digital transformation. |
Six areas chosen for devolution fast track
05/02/2025 Six new areas have been chosen to join the Government’s devolution priority programme. |
What is local government reorganisation?
04/02/2025 Local government reorganisation is the process of changing the structure, functions and responsibilities of councils. |
Medway bids for city status
31/01/2025 The leader of Medway Council has called on the Government to grant Medway city status to prevent reorganisation leading to a ‘significant loss of identity’. |
Government has no evidence to support ‘mega councils’, DCN says
31/01/2025 Freedom of Information requests have exposed an ‘alarming’ lack of evidence to support the creation of mega councils, according to the District Councils’ Network (DCN). |
Questions over financial impact of reorganisation
30/01/2025 Questions have been raised over whether the Government's approach to local government reorganisation will help resolve the financial crisis facing the sector. |
Districts warn against ‘mega councils’
24/01/2025 District councils are prepared to engage with local government reorganisation but warn against ‘rigidly insisting’ on a minimum population of 500,000. |
Mayor warns of creating 'behemoths'
22/01/2025 A mayor has warned of creating local government ‘behemoths' overburdened with responsibilities. |
Norwich councillors back unitary bid
22/01/2025 Norwich City Council members have voted in favour of pursuing unitary status as part of the Government’s efforts to reorganise local government. |
Lincolnshire leaders back local government shake up
22/01/2025 The leaders of three councils in Lincolnshire have proposed reducing the number of local authorities in the county from 10 to two. |
Edinburgh tourism tax could be starting point for fiscal devolution, experts suggest
20/01/2025 The approach to a tourism tax being taken forward in Scottish and Welsh cities could be a starting point for fiscal devolution in England, experts suggest. |
Ministry confirms 18 councils seeking election postponement
16/01/2025 The Government has officially revealed that it has received requests to postpone elections this year from 18 councils. |
Council leader calls for Woking BC debt ‘write off’
14/01/2025 The leader of Surrey County Council has urged the Government to ‘write off’ £1bn of Woking BC's debt to enable the creation of a unitary authority. |
LGA: Councils with ‘scarce resources’ need reorganisation support
13/01/2025 Councils that have bid to be on the fast-track for new devolution deals and reorganisation need extra funding and a quick decision on local elections, the LGA says. |
Fifteen county areas bid to fast-track devolution and reorganisation
10/01/2025 Fifteen county areas are bidding to be on Labour's fast-track for new devolution deals and local government reorganisation (LGR) with all applying to postpone May elections to make this possible. |
Voters ‘set to be deprived of local democracy’
10/01/2025 The District Councils’ Network has warned that millions of voters will be ‘deprived of their local democracy’ due to plans to postpone some county council elections. |
McMahon: No cap on devo priority programme
10/01/2025 There will be no cap on the number of areas included in the Government's devolution priority programme, a minister has said. |
Rayner rejects reorganisation 'distraction' claim
08/01/2025 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has denied that local government reorganisation will impact on councils' ability to deliver services. |
Warwickshire urged not to request election delay
08/01/2025 Four district councils in Warwickshire have urged the county council not to request a delay to its local elections this year. |
Devon districts rally against unitarisation
07/01/2025 Devon’s eight district councils have joined forces to oppose the creation of a unitary authority for the county. |
Elections in limbo as devo deadline looms
06/01/2025 County councils across England will decide this week whether to ask the Government to postpone this year's elections in order to reorganise and pursue devolution. |
Tories set five tests for restructuring
24/12/2024 The Conservatives have set five tests for local government restructure as they hit back at Labour attempts to ‘dictate' to councils over the move. |
Herts reorganisation threatens representation, leaders warn
24/12/2024 A single unitary council for Hertfordshire ‘risks diminishing local representation’, local leaders warn. |
Exeter to make unitary bid in local government reorganisation
23/12/2024 Exeter City Council is set to make an independent bid for unitary status under the Government’s reorganisation plans. |
Devolution revolution: Practical next steps for local authorities
20/12/2024 After a flurry of announcements affecting local government in the build-up to Christmas, councils must ensure they’re ready to get ahead of the curve in the New Year. Laura Hughes, partner at Browne Jacobson, offers some advice on this front. |
CCN backs reorganisation
19/12/2024 The chair of the County Councils' Network (CCN), Tim Oliver, has backed radical Government plans to abolish dozens of local authorities by 2027. |
What councils would like for Christmas
17/12/2024 Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the LGIU, reflects on the English Devolution White Paper and considers what councils will be asking for this Christmas. |
Rayner to launch public sector rewire White Paper
16/12/2024 Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will kick off a huge rewiring of public service reform with the launch of the devolution White Paper in Leeds later today. |
Council delays name change
13/12/2024 Tewkesbury Borough Council has pushed back changing its name amid delays to the Government’s devolution white paper. |
South East councils on brink of ‘crisis’
04/12/2024 The local government system in the South East of England is on ‘the brink of looming crisis’, according to a think-tank. |
Devolution would help skills 'mismatch' - report
03/12/2024 Government should give local areas greater powers over skills to address the ‘mismatch' of people needed for future industries, Birmingham Uni has urged. |
Councils brace for reorganisation push
25/11/2024 Six counties in the east of England are expected to be among those at the front of the queue for local government reorganisation, it has been reported. |
MPs call for the scrapping of 15 councils
25/11/2024 A group of Labour MPs have called for the abolition of Lancashire’s 15 councils in a bid to simplify local government in the county. |
Elected mayor 'stumbling block' warning
21/11/2024 Ministers' insistence on a directly-elected mayor is ‘fast appearing on the horizon as a major stumbling block for English devolution', expert warns. |
Suffolk talks devo with minister
19/11/2024 Suffolk CC's leader has said he remains committed to devolution in the county ‘streamlining local government' following a meeting with minister Jim McMahon. |
London mayor calls for Right to Buy devolution
18/11/2024 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on the Government to devolve control over Right to Buy to the capital. |
Call for new cultural powers for mayors
05/11/2024 Mayors in England should be handed significant new powers and responsibilities over the creative, cultural and heritage life of their regions, according to a new report. |
Budget: Authorities to get single funding settlements
30/10/2024 The Government has announced the first six authorities eligible to receive single funding settlements. |
Budget: Reorganisation confirmed in high tax, high spend Budget
30/10/2024 Local government reorganisation – and the efficiency savings it will make – were confirmed in Budget documents today. |
EXCLUSIVE: Government to launch full reorganisation
28/10/2024 Plans for full local government reorganisation could be mooted as soon as this week's Budget, The MJ understands. |
Fresh round of devolution talks for Norfolk launched
11/10/2024 A fresh round of devolution talks between Norfolk County Council and the Government was launched this week following a decision to halt an earlier £600m deal. |
Mayors can relieve council pressures, says report
09/10/2024 Mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) can help with long-standing policy challenges in public services as well as boosting economic growth, a think-tank has argued. |
Councils call on Government to 'back up its rhetoric' on devolution
04/10/2024 Councils have called for the Government to ‘back up its rhetoric' by devolving powers across England. |
LGA calls for devolution of retrofit funding
30/09/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged the Government to use the Autumn Budget to devolve all funding for retrofitting social and fuel poor homes to councils. |
Staffordshire leaders kick off devolution conversation
30/09/2024 Council leaders across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have written to the Government to begin a conversation about devolution. |
Wessex councils join forces for devolution
30/09/2024 Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire councils are set to submit expressions of interest in devolution in response to a request from the Government. |
Further devolution needed to drive energy efficiency measures
25/09/2024 Devolution of funding is needed so that mayoral combined authorities can take the lead in delivering energy efficiency upgrades to homes, a new report says. |
Rayner confirms four devolution agreements
19/09/2024 Four devolution agreements have been signed off in what the secretary of state for local government describes as ‘only the first step’ of a devolution drive. |
'Financial emergency' council advised to join combined authority
16/09/2024 North Somerset Council will consider entering talks to join the West of England Combined Authority. |
Labour scraps counties' devo deals
13/09/2024 Norfolk and Suffolk CCs have revealed the new Labour Government has scrapped the directly-elected county leader devolution deals agreed with the Conservatives. |
Cheshire and Warrington councils talk devolution
05/09/2024 Local authorities in Cheshire and Warrington have made some ‘positive’ steps along the road to devolution. |
Gough: Local government under water
04/09/2024 ‘Big changes' to tackle the ‘structural problems' facing local government are needed to help councils survive but ‘priority' is devolution, Kent leader says. |
Fiscal devolution could lead to greater inequalities, warns IFS
03/09/2024 Devolution must come with reform of council funding allocations or it could worsen inequalities, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think-tank has warned. |
Think-tank calls for £6bn devolution to tackle economic inactivity
02/09/2024 A think-tank has argued that the Government should transfer £6bn to local government in a bid to tackle economic inactivity. |
Six club together for South Midlands devolution
27/08/2024 Steps are being taken towards forming a devolution proposal covering six councils in the South Midlands. |
Cheshire devolution talks gain pace
19/08/2024 A partnership of three Cheshire councils is said to have emerged as an ‘early candidate’ for accelerated talks on devolution with the new Government. |
Devolution deals in limbo as new proposals emerge
14/08/2024 Work is underway on a flurry of new devolution proposals despite a string of deals remaining in limbo. |
Government urged to devolve council tax powers
31/07/2024 The Government should devolve the power to fix council tax rates to local authorities, a think-tank has urged. |
McMahon: Existing devolution deals may be improved
26/07/2024 Local government minister Jim McMahon has said it is down to the Government to make devolution ‘attractive enough' for councils. |
Devolution ‘essential’ to Labour's growth mission
25/07/2024 Devolution reforms will be essential if Labour is to fulfil its mission of nationwide growth, a new report has argued. |
South East Councils calls for ‘seat’ at the devolution table
24/07/2024 Councils in the South East of England have written to the Government voicing concerns that they could be at a disadvantage in the ‘devolution revolution’. |
Minister voices concern over districts' role in devolution
22/07/2024 District councils should be handed a greater role in devolution talks, a minister has said. |
King's Speech: Devolution takes centre stage
17/07/2024 The announcement of an English Devolution Bill took centre stage in the King's Speech. |
King's Speech: A plan for devolution
17/07/2024 The new Labour Government has set out a widespread plan for devolution and economic growth in its Parliamentary timetable, with central diktat reserved for planning proposals. |
Taking Back Control: Why climate action needs devolution
17/07/2024 Christopher Hammond, UK100 chief executive and former council leader, argues that devolution is essential for tackling climate change. |
Rayner promises ‘new devolution revolution’
16/07/2024 Angela Rayner will today write to local leaders urging them to work with Government on delivering ‘the most ambitious programme of devolution' ever seen. |
Rayner: Labour ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’
09/07/2024 Deputy PM Angela Rayner is set to tell regional mayors that Labour is ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’ through a major programme of devolution. |
Mayor tells Labour to ‘commit’ to the Northern Powerhouse
08/07/2024 The new Labour Government should ‘commit early to the Northern Powerhouse’, says the mayor of Greater Manchester. |
Fresh calls for fiscal devo
04/07/2024 Backers of fiscal devolution have urged the government elected today to reconsider the policy despite their lobbying failing to get it mentioned in the manifestos. |
NextGov: Devolutionary road
24/06/2024 Jonathan Werran, the chief executive of think-tank Localis, discusses what the next government should do to extend devolution. |
Manchester legend Sir Howard Bernstein dies
22/06/2024 Former chief executive of Manchester City Council, Sir Howard Bernstein, has died, aged 71. |
Warnings over Labour devolution drive
20/06/2024 A Labour drive to fill in the devolution map will take time and energy away from deepening devolution in areas that have already secured deals, expert warns. |
Birmingham councillor becomes West Midlands deputy mayor
17/06/2024 The deputy leader of Birmingham City Council has been appointed as the deputy mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). |
‘Existential crisis’ for councils as £6bn funding gap revealed
06/06/2024 A new Local Government White Paper has uncovered a £6.2bn funding gap facing councils in England over the next two years. |
Devolution deal delayed due to election
03/06/2024 Council leaders in the North West have reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a devolution deal despite election delay. |
Call to fix ‘incomplete patchwork’ of devolution deals
13/05/2024 The next government must extend devolution to 85% of England to address an ‘incomplete patchwork of mismatched deals’, a think-tank has argued. |
Mayors meet to hear growth plans
13/05/2024 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has summoned his party’s newly-elected mayors for a meeting to detail his plans for economic growth. |
Unitary transfers services to town council in ‘historic’ deal
08/05/2024 Somerset Council has passed on several functions to a local town council after it narrowly managed to set a balanced budget with a pledge to devolve powers. |
Torbay councillors back devolution bid
02/05/2024 Torbay Council members have given the green light to the creation of a new Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority (CCA). |
Devon councillors back devolution bid
30/04/2024 Devon County Council members have voted in favour of going ahead with plans that could see more power transferred from Whitehall to Devon and Torbay. |
What is a metro mayor?
25/04/2024 A metro mayor is directly elected by local people to oversee a region’s combined authority. |
LGA lobbied over income tax devolution
24/04/2024 The Local Government Association’s (LGA) White Paper should make the case for councils to receive a share of income tax, sector experts have urged. |
Addressing regional inequalities
18/04/2024 Andrew Borland, Chief Innovation Officer at the Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC), University of Liverpool discusses the importance of levelling up for growth. |
Devon County Council’s long-serving leader steps down
18/04/2024 The leader of Devon County Council has said it is the ‘right time’ to leave the post after 15 years. |
Government ignores sugar levy calls
12/04/2024 The Government has ignored Local Government Association (LGA) calls for the sugar levy to be spent by councils to tackle physical inactivity. |
Petition calls for creation of new town council
12/04/2024 A petition calling for the creation of a new town council in Salford has been submitted to Salford City Council. |
LocalGov Elections: Vote reformation
10/04/2024 Jonathan Werran, chief exec, Localis draws inspiration from a popular podcast on the Reformation to ponder the question of just how local are our politics. |
Next Government urged to look at devolving air passenger duty
10/04/2024 The leader of a Labour council in the shadow of Heathrow Airport has urged the next Government to look at devolving air passenger duty (APD). |
Think-tank's call for landfill tax devolution
04/04/2024 A think-tank has called for a portion of the proceeds from landfill tax to be devolved to councils. |
Devolve NHS England's £168bn budget to local government, says report
02/04/2024 NHS England’s £168bn budget should be handed to local government in a radical restructure, the Reform think-tank has suggested in a report today. |
Hull and East Riding finalise devolution proposal
28/03/2024 A devolution proposal for a Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is set to be submitted to the levelling up department. |
Parties draw battlelines for local elections
28/03/2024 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has given a speech in Dudley today following campaign launches by the Conservatives and Lib Dems. |
Lincolnshire devolution deal approved
15/03/2024 Lincolnshire CC members have approved a devolution deal for the area which will see the establishment of the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County. |
The elephant in the budget
12/03/2024 The budget provided support to strengthen growth, but bolder action is required to tackle finances, says Amanda Kelly, local government lead at PA Consulting. |
Budget: Chancellor launches productivity push
06/03/2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled a Budget with little respite for local government but demands for increased public sector productivity. |
Coventry to consider £35m for Gigapark investment zone
06/03/2024 Coventry City Council’s cabinet will discuss whether to accept up to £35m of government funding to develop a battery gigafactory as part a new investment zone. |
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.
