South Ayrshire Council could consider job cuts in new workforce plan
Council-run education catering services face mounting pressures, research finds
Salford loses ‘giant of local government’
Planning enforcement delays undermining trust, Ombudsman says
Digital Transformation, AI and Local Government: The Case for Workforce Upskilling
The new LocalGov and Multiverse report explores how workforce upskilling is driving smarter, more efficient, and inclusive local government transformation.
Local authority craft workers consider strike action
17/02/2026 Over a thousand local authority craft workers are set to be balloted for strike action after receiving what the Unite calls an ‘unsatisfactory pay offer’. |
Public libraries face volunteering workforce pressures
17/02/2026 A new report has warned that England’s public libraries face mounting workforce and infrastructure pressures as volunteering continues to expand. |
Peer suspended due to past contact with convicted councillor
11/02/2026 A peer has been suspended from Labour's parliamentary party due to his connections to a disgraced councillor. |
LGA slammed for failing to take its own advice
11/02/2026 Local Government Association has been accused of failing to take its own advice on employee relations in the aftermath of disastrous restructure consultation. |
Brum bin workers vote to extend strikes beyond local elections
11/02/2026 Striking bin workers in Birmingham have voted to extend their industrial action mandate past the city’s May local elections and into September 2026. |
Royal reception celebrates Northern Ireland local government staff
04/02/2026 Local government representatives from across Northern Ireland were honoured at a special reception hosted by Their Majesties The King and Queen. |
Councillors urge minimum pension age hike amid cost fears
04/02/2026 Councillors are pushing for the minimum pension age to be increased by two years for more officers amid fears about costs from reorganisation. |
Kent DOLGE head resigns over 'lapse of judgement'
04/02/2026 The head of Kent CC's Department of Local Government Efficiency (DOLGE) has stood down over a ‘lapse of judgement'. |
£2.8bn wages hike looms amid unions pay demands
29/01/2026 Local government’s wage bill would have to surge by £2.8bn to meet the demands laid down in unions’ pay claim for 2026-27, it has been estimated. |
WhatsApp probe finds councillors in breach of code of conduct
27/01/2026 An independent investigation into the ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp incident has found six individuals to have breached Tameside Council’s code of conduct. |
Councils fear exclusion from pay negotiations
27/01/2026 Council chiefs are calling for a formal role in negotiations on the Government’s proposed Fair Pay Agreement for care workers. |
LGA accused of pushing restructure to beat 'fire and rehire' changes
22/01/2026 The Labour-led Local Government Association's has been accused of trying to push through its restructure before fire and rehire practice are outlawed. |
Mayor hits back after fake AI video
20/01/2026 The Mayor of Gloucester criticises ‘online stunts’ after a fake, AI-generated video was published amid a row over the city’s finances. |
LGA: Fair Pay Agreement ‘unworkable’ without council involvement
16/01/2026 The proposed adult social care Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) model is unworkable without adequate funding and meaningful local government involvement, LGA warns. |
EXCLUSIVE: LGA plan hits mid ranks
15/01/2026 The latest plans to slash the pay for Local Government Association (LGA) staff are unlikely to hit those on the very highest salaries, leaked figures reveal. |
Unite accuses Birmingham CC leaders of misleading scrutiny committee
14/01/2026 Unite has accused Birmingham CC’s lead commissioner and managing director of misleading councillors during a meeting of a key scrutiny committee. |
Union strike to hit Leeds
08/01/2026 Union Unite members who work with people with additional needs are walking out over claims council cuts have put staff and service users at risk. |
Staff left reeling after LGA restructure plans
08/01/2026 Local Government Association (LGA) staff face pay cuts of up to £30,000 under modernisation plans. |
Bromley traffic wardens take further strike action
07/01/2026 Outsourced traffic wardens belonging to the GMB trade union have begun further strike action in Bromley. |
National recruitment campaign for local government launched
05/01/2026 A new national recruitment drive aiming to boost council workforces has been launched amid growing staffing pressures across local government. |
Union warns of more equal pay claims as payouts rise above £1bn
02/01/2026 The GMB has revealed it plans to launch 10,000 new equal pay claims across five more councils alongside 40,000 outstanding actions at 28 authorities. |
Local government leaders recognised in 2026 New Year honours list
02/01/2026 The 2026 New Year honours list has highlighted a group of senior local government figures for their dedication to public service across the UK. |
Former councillor accused of raping ex-wife
23/12/2025 A former Tory councillor from Swindon has appeared in court charged with drugging and raping his ex-wife. |
EXCLUSIVE: Opposition leader refuses to sign 'NDA' over £10m payment
22/12/2025 An opposition leader has claimed he refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in order to be told the facts behind a £10m payment to waste firm Biffa. |
Birmingham signs ‘historic’ equal pay deal with unions
10/12/2025 Thousands of Birmingham City Council women workers will today find out how much they will receive from an equal payout offer agreed between unions and the local authority. |
Moray Council supports schools with staff attendance project
05/12/2025 Moray Council is to deliver a ‘major project’ to boost staff attendance following an increase in absence rates. |
Brum bin collections cancelled as agency staff strike
02/12/2025 Birmingham City Council was forced to suspend bin collections this week amid an escalation of industrial action to hit the service. |
Council staff demand pay rise amid rising pressures
01/12/2025 Unions representing council workers have today submitted their joint pay claim for 2026–27, calling for a wage rise of at least £3,000. |
Staff shortages ‘blighting’ children’s education, union warns
28/11/2025 Staffing shortages in UK schools are putting children’s education – and safety – at risk, warns the union UNISON. |
Healey’s council tax underpayment ‘admin error’
24/11/2025 Defence Secretary John Healey has acknowledged he underpaid £1,500 in council tax due to an ‘administrative error’ by Westminster Council. |
EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs' pay slump
20/11/2025 Advertised salaries for local government chief executives have failed to keep up with inflation, an analysis has revealed. |
Reform UK councillor suspended over WhatsApp messages
20/11/2025 Reform UK councillor Tom Pickup has been suspended for being part of a WhatsApp group where participants allegedly called for a ‘mass Islam genocide’. |
Agency workers join escalating Birmingham bin strike
18/11/2025 Agency workers have now joined Birmingham City Council’s directly employed refuse collectors in the long-running bin strike. |
Reed: Reorganisation will contribute to 'fair' pay
14/11/2025 Local government reorganisation will help pay council workers a ‘fair wage', communities secretary Steve Reed has suggested. |
Labour refuses to use devo Bill to protect councillors' addresses
13/11/2025 The Government has rejected a plea to use the devolution Bill to remove the requirement for councillors to publish their home addresses. |
Fresh finance officer warning
12/11/2025 The recruitment crisis for section 151 officers is destined to get worse, a local government adviser with 25 years of public sector experience has warned. |
Isle of Wight Council ‘dysfunctional’, report finds
12/11/2025 A new report has warned that Isle of Wight Council faces serious governance failings and risks Government intervention unless urgent reforms are made. |
‘Captain Chaos’: Row erupts over Kent fire authority
11/11/2025 A firefighters’ union has raised serious concerns about the governance of Kent and Medway Fire Authority, calling the body ‘in disarray’ after suspensions. |
Tougher sanctions to tackle town hall misconduct proposed
11/11/2025 Local authorities could be granted new powers to suspend councillors for serious misconduct, according to proposals to improve standards in local government. |
Councils spend over £70k removing flags
10/11/2025 Local authorities up and down the country have spent at least £70,000 removing unauthorised flags, according to freedom of information (FOI) requests. |
Councils urged to transform Gen Z recruitment strategies
07/11/2025 Only 5% of people working in local government are aged under 25, research has revealed. |
Council welcomes ‘crucial funds’ with £750k number plate sale
07/11/2025 A historic mayoral number plate has been sold by Leeds City Council for more than £700,000. |
Professional body for monitoring officers to be launched this month
07/11/2025 A professional body for monitoring officers will be launched later this month to serve those working in a role that has expanded significantly. |
EXCLUSIVE: Reorganisation should be last resort, says Unison boss
05/11/2025 Local government reorganisation should only be happening where there is ‘no choice’, general secretary of trade union Unison, Christina McAnea, has said. |
EXCLUSIVE: Succession headache for sector
05/11/2025 Councils are ‘on the brink of staffing crisis’ due to their ageing workforce, public sector trading organisation Commercial Services Group (CSG) has warned. |
Multi-million-pound redundancy bill in shake-up of Worcestershire councils
04/11/2025 The business case for creating a single unitary authority in Worcestershire estimates that up to £24.2 could be required for redundancy payments. |
Care home fraud uncovered by Dudley Council
30/10/2025 An investigation by a council’s trading standards team has found former care home bosses guilty of having ‘financially abused’ an elderly resident. |
Councils need more backing to manage investment risks, Localis warns
29/10/2025 Think-tank calls for government action to help finance directors balance investment risk and growth goals. |
Mayors call for real Living Wage for care workers
28/10/2025 Mayors Andy Burnham and Kim McGuinness have signed an open letter urging Government to guarantee all adult social care workers are paid the real Living Wage. |
Reform UK councillors expelled after leaked video
28/10/2025 Two suspended Reform UK councillors from Kent have reportedly been expelled from the party due to misconduct allegations. |
