Local Government Chronicle
Allister Hayman
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Pooling switch marks ‘city deal’ plans
19 January 2012
Ministers drop plans to incentivise councils to pool a proportion of their business rates across the area covered by their local enterprise partnership. -
Ministers propose tripling right-to-buy discount
23-Dec-2011
But consultation suggests councils may not gain the receipts of the sales to fund the replacement of new homes -
Treasury growth boss takes role at DCLG
22-Dec-2011
New director-general of neighbourhoods appointed to replace Richard McCarthy -
Solar subsidy cut 'unlawful'
22-Dec-2011
Ministers’ plans to slash feed-in-tariff for small solar power generators by more than half ruled unlawful by the High Court -
Shapps launches revamped housing kickstart scheme
22-Dec-2011
Grant Shapps launches new scheme to unlock stalled housing developments -
Four 'whole place' community budget pilots
21-Dec-2011
Ministers announce four areas will pilot the Total Place-style community budgets -
Planning reform needs overhaul, MPs warn
21-Dec-2011
Ministers’ plans risk making a “fetish” of brevity at the expense of clarity, MPs warn -
Bus franchising 'legitimate', watchdog finds
20-Dec-2011
Competition Commission publishes bus market report -
Nottingham to reject council tax freeze
20-Dec-2011
Nottingham set to be first regional city to rule out taking government council tax freeze offer -
DCLG staff morale plummets further
19-Dec-2011
Morale within Eric Pickles’ department has continued to fall over the past year, staff survey reveals -
Clegg looking for 'quick wins' on city deals
15 December 2011
Deputy prime minister wants progress on city deals before the Spring -
Fresh approach needed on mutuals, MPs warn
14-Dec-2011
The government’s drive to boost the role of public sector mutuals in the delivery of public services is failing, MPs warn -
Alliance raises fears of EU funding loss
9-Dec-2011
Lack of match-funding could see ERDF funding squandered -
Morale at DCLG set to fall further, MPs hear
8 December 2011
Sir Bob Kerslake admits that change programme and job cuts are taking their toll on workers -
Interim director 'paid £580,000'
8 December 2011
Eric Pickles pays temporary employee £580,000 for just 16 months’ work -
Regional assets to join national pool
8 December 2011
Letter from minister confirms ‘stewardship arrangements’ -
One-day debt window criticised
8 December 2011
Decision increases risk of housing finance reforms, LGA warns -
Ministers set out new offer to cities
7-Dec-2011
‘Menu’ of new powers available to cities to be published -
Growth policies 'stuck in the 80s'
7-Dec-2011
Ministers’ growth policies are “stuck in the 1980s” and risk leaving regional cities behind, thinktank says -
Public services reform plan delayed
7-Dec-2011
Cabinet Office confirms open public services implementation plan delayed until new year -
Two more rounds of bidding for growth fund
6-Dec-2011
Chancellor’s £1bn boost to regional growth fund to be spread over two bidding rounds -
Municipal bonds can help councils drive growth
6-Dec-2011
Councils should look to municipal bonds to help them drive local economic growth, thinktank says -
Strict limits on Pickles' bin fund
5-Dec-2011
Officials appear to rule out bids for weekly food waste collection, saying it is for residual waste only -
Adonis calls for clarity on mayoral powers
2-Dec-2011
Labour peer speaks of hopes for development on mayoral model -
‘There isn’t a single cause or motivation, so there’s no one solution’
1 December 2011
Darra Singh talks to LGC about the work of the independent riot panel and outlines his recommendations for the future -
Osborne announces £1bn growth fund boost
30-Nov-2011
Chancellor announces a further £1bn for the flagship regional growth fund as part of a series of growth measures in the autumn statement -
Riots 'will happen again' if urgent action not taken
28-Nov-2011
The independent panel set up to investigate the disturbances warns riots will happen again -
Public purse to pay twice for Clegg's jobs scheme
28-Nov-2011
Cash for welfare-to-work providers who get young people into subsidised jobs -
Shapps announces housing renewal allocations
25-Nov-2011
Housing minister announces the allocations of £35m pot to help out five Housing Market Renewal areas hit by government’s cuts to the programme -
Ministers' land auction model 'too limited'
25-Nov-2011
The government should extend the use of an innovative tool to capture the uplift in value of land given planning permission to private sector land, thinktank says -
Lack of enthusiasm for Pickles’ weekly bin fund
24 November 2011
Eric Pickles’ much-trumpeted £250m pot to help councils revert to weekly bin collections has received limited interest from councils -
Doubts grow over pledge to replace sold-off social housing
24 November 2011
Ministers admit not all receipts would be reinvested in new housing -
Feed-in tariff cut faces legal action
24 November 2011
Challenges launched to government’s decision to slash value of incentives to install solar panels -
Affordable housing starts fall 97%
22-Nov-2011
Impact of government’s in-year cuts to Homes & Communities Agency laid bare by figures -
Treasury increases housing debt
22-Nov-2011
Councils’ individual debt allocations published -
Data sharing proposals receive support
22-Nov-2011
Councils back measures to allow greater sharing of data between local authorities and the Department for Work & Pensions. -
Treasury to 'keep a third' of right-to-buy receipts
22-Nov-2011
UPDATE: Ministers unveil plans to ‘reinvigorate’ right to buy but a third of receipts are to be kept by Treasury for deficit reduction -
Data reveals areas most dependent on public sector employment
18-Nov-2011
Sheffield, Sunderland and Portsmouth among the top 30 towns and cities in the UK most dependent on public sector, according to official figures -
MPs call for reform to 'unfair' formula grant
16-Nov-2011
The current system for distributing central government funding to local bodies is overly complex and leads to unfair outcomes, MPs say -
Confidence survey: still a long way to go
10 November 2011
LGC’s quarterly confidence barometer shows sector remains worried about challenge ahead -
Lion's share of LEP funds goes to south-east
10 November 2011
Focus on one area will not help ‘rebalance the economy’, critics argue -
Leicester mayor wants more devolved powers
10 November 2011
Call for transport and regeneration policies to be decided at local level -
Councils gain top ranking for energy efficiency
9-Nov-2011
Four councils are ranked among the top 100 best performing organisations for taking steps to improve their energy efficiency -
Localism Bill close to Royal Assent
8-Nov-2011
MPs accept key House of Lords’ amendments to the flagship Localism Bill, which could save councils £1.3bn -
MPs back new high speed rail network
8-Nov-2011
But transport select committee says ministers should not over emphasise proposed network’s contribution to rebalancing the economy -
Transport funding gap grows
7-Nov-2011
London receives nearly three times as much transport funding as the north and the west Midlands combined, report finds -
Ministers 'must press ahead with finance tool'
7-Nov-2011
Ministers should urgently introduce Tax Increment Financing to boost growth, thinktank says -
Ministers hand £500m pot to LEPs
7-Nov-2011
Ministers have allocated a new £500m growth fund directly to local enterprise partnerships -
Fewer words, more ambiguity
3 November 2011
Ministers often boast that their planning reforms distil thousands of pages of policy into one short volume -
LGC View - Planning Reform
3 November 2011
It is vital that ministers, who unwisely ratcheted up the rhetoric against campaigners in summer, now engage with these concerns -
Emphasis on growth 'hits deprived areas'
3 November 2011
Committee of MPs criticises government’s lack of strategy for helping poorer areas -
Pickles promises £500m by year end to restart halted developments
3 November 2011
Cash to kickstart stalled projects distributed to councils and local enterprise partnerships before the end the year. -
Discount optional for second homes
3 November 2011
Councils to be able to choose whether to give second-home owners a discount on council tax -
NPPF consultation responses: the main messages
3 November 2011
Organisations with very different interests have raised some substantial and common concerns about the clarity, strategy and repercussions of the government’s planning reforms -
Ministers ask mayoral cities to bid for powers
2-Nov-2011
Ministers invite 12 largest regional cities to bid for powers to be held by a future elected mayor -
Pickles challenged over 'private' dinner with lobbyists
1-Nov-2011
But Speaker blocks parliamentary question about communities secretary’s undeclared five-star dinner -
Benn challenges Pickles over cuts to poorest
1-Nov-2011
New shadow communties secretary focuses on cuts to deprived areas and protection of sports fields in his first chance to question ministers -
Greater Manchester pans planning reforms
31-Oct-2011
Report urges against single strategy for whole country -
Ministers halve solar subsidy
31-Oct-2011
Ministers unveil plans to slash feed-in-tariff for small solar power generators by more than half -
North-east tops growth fund awards
31-Oct-2011
A third of recipients of second round of regional growth fund in the north-east of England -
Watchdog fires warning over flood risk
28-Oct-2011
Councils are struggling to develop the expertise to manage flood risk in the face of budget cuts, National Audit Office says -
LEPs have made 'limited progress'
28-Oct-2011
Local enterprise partnerships are failing to make an impact on their local economies, report finds -
EU targets pose new cost burdens
27 October 2011
Councils could be hit with significant new costs and burdens as a result of a new Brussels energy efficiency edict that could impose targets on the renovation of public buildings, the Local Government Association has warned -
Brussels refuses to relax funding rules
27 October 2011
Europe is standing firm on match-funding, so England’s regions must work to attract investment -
LGC View - European Funding
27 October 2011
With Parliament debating the UK’s role in Europe - and European leaders struggling to resolve a crisis that threatens the future of the EU itself - it may seem curious to be focusing on the European Commission’s draft proposals for 2014-2020 round of regional aid -
Q&A: Brussels sets out new plans for structural funding
27 October 2011
A guide to the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund and what it means for UK local authorities -
The only game in town?
27 October 2011
There is much in Brussels’ new structural funding proposals to please local government. -
Who is Commissioner Hahn?
27 October 2011
LGC’s chief reporter profiles the European commissioner -
One business in ten has contacted LEP
26-Oct-2011
Firms in service sector most likely to be aware of partnerships -
Localism Bill: Ministers ditch 'people power' clause
25-Oct-2011
Provision would have enabled small groups of people to trigger referendum on any issue -
Chance to redesign services 'being missed'
25-Oct-2011
Councils are ‘salami-slicing’ budgets and are missing the opportunity to radically redesign their services, according to a new report -
Thinktank urges 'bold' business rates reform
24-Oct-2011
Report calls for resource review to enable councils to retain up to 60% of business rates growth -
Ministers reject criticism of bus services cuts
24-Oct-2011
Ministers say councils “disproportionately” cutting local services -
Greater Manchester keen to bid for 'whole place' pilot status
20 October 2011
Sir Howard Bernstein hails chance for radical reform of local public services -
Ministerial groups to be wound down
20 October 2011
Ministerial group’s work to be taken on by Louise Casey’s troubled families unit -
Slow assessments come under fire
20 October 2011
Jobs providers delivering the government’s flagship welfare to work programme warn scheme is undermined by work assessments -
Miliband slams PM over stalled growth fund
19-Oct-2011
Rivals clash at PMQs over economic growth -
Council suspends officer over Mouchel warning
14-Oct-2011
Bournemouth suspends senior officer for speaking out against council’s outsourcing deal -
Structure set up to strengthen local links
13 October 2011
New system based on 14 regions but will not tie up with BIS, HCA or LEPs -
'Rights' focus for decentralisation report
12-Oct-2011
Clark report finished and handed to prime minister -
Cities set to benefit from EU growth cash
10-Oct-2011
Brussels sets out new plans for next round of European regional aid -
Councils stockpile salt for white winter
8-Oct-2011
Survey finds more than half upping salt stock levels -
Clark promises to ease councils' transition to NPPF
7-Oct-2011
Government to ensure no council “disadvantaged” by planning reforms -
Shapps vows to stabilise 'bonkers' house prices
6-Oct-2011
Housing minister says the government will set out measures to tie housing prices to inflation but rules out 5% VAT for renovations -
Details of public land homes plan unveiled
6-Oct-2011
Four government departments have identified sites for 50,000 homes -
Tax freeze will see councils facing funding 'cliff edge', sector warns
6 October 2011
George Osborne’s offer to help councils freeze their rates for 2012-13 given short thrift by many sector leaders -
Greater Manchester publishes details of 'multi-site' enterprise zone
6 October 2011
Greater Manchester finalises plans for an Airport City enterprise zone -
Minister: 'No undue delay' in growth fund
5-Oct-2011
No problem with regional growth fund despite no money being paid out five months after successful bids were announced -
National Trust lists planning demands
30-Sep-2011
Trust outlines ten key changes to planning reforms -
Labour was 'too slow to trust' councils, Flint says
29-Sep-2011
Caroline Flint vows to put housing at the top of the political agenda and admits past failings -
Labour councils sign up to implement 'Harman's law' on equality
29 September 2011
Commitment to implement socio-economic duty passed into law by the Equalities Act 2010 but ditched by coalition -
Labour sketches new vision for public services
28-Sep-2011
Tessa Jowell sets out some details of how Ed Miliband’s ‘something for something’ public services might work -
Northants gets second LEP
28-Sep-2011
Ministers cede to county council’s bid for second local enterprise partnership -
Top mandarin quits Pickles' department
28-Sep-2011
The senior civil servant in charge of planning, housing and regeneration in Eric Pickles’ communities department has quit government -
Miliband: prioritise workers for council housing
27-Sep-2011
Labour leader says councils should take greater account of an individual’s contribution to their community when awarding social housing tenancies -
Labour plans to reverse bus deregulation
27-Sep-2011
Labour sets out the beginnings of its transport policy with a commitment to devolve more powers and reverse bus deregulation -
Labour slams Vince Cable's 'department for stagnation'
26-Sep-2011
Labour says Vince Cable has turned business department into a “department of stagnation” -
Balls urges tax on bankers to fund youth jobs
26-Sep-2011
Shadow chancellor calls for bank bonus tax to fund housing and jobs for young people -
Labour slams 'alarmingly slow' growth fund progress
12-Sep-2011
Labour fires warning after business department approves just one bid since April -
Planning row stalls ‘land auction’ pilots
8 September 2011
Councils still waiting to hear news of innovative development tool pilots -
Community budgets were watered down, papers show
8 September 2011
David Cameron’s claim that bureaucrats held back community budgets is undermined after official papers reveal ministers’ moves to water down the pilots -
Pickles ‘does not have power’ to intervene on third sector funding
8 September 2011
Eric Pickles forced to climb down over threat to impose legislation limiting councils’ freedom to manage funding of voluntary and community groups -
Localism Bill: cities primed for ‘devolution deal’
7-Sep-2011
Cities poised to benefit from amendment to Localism Bill that could pave the way to greater devolution -
Pickles slams chiefs' election fees
6-Sep-2011
Eric Pickles criticises the practice of paying council chief executives a fee for their role as returning officers in elections -
Pickles cracks down on 'lifestyle' surveys
2-Sep-2011
New guidance also confirms duty on councils not to pass on disproportionate cuts to civil society partners -
Only a third of councils have adopted local plans
2-Sep-2011
Figures prompt further fears government reforms could lead to untrammelled development on green spaces -
One growth fund project given green light
26-Aug-2011
Business department has completed due diligence on just one of the 50 sucessful regional growth fund bids -
Southwark fires riot evictions warning
24-Aug-2011
Southwark warns dozens of tenants that if convicted of riots-related offences they could face eviction -
Growth tsar questions coalition's approach
24-Aug-2011
Lord Heseltine says it was a “mistake” to disband the regional development agencies -
Councils face increase in homelessness cases
23-Aug-2011
The number of homelessness cases taken on by councils has increased by 14% over the past year -
Councils to charge companies who dig up roads
22-Aug-2011
Councils to charge ‘rental fee’ to utility companies who dig up busy roads during peak time under a new scheme aimed at reducing disruption -
David Miliband to chair youth taskforce
19-Aug-2011
Third sector umbrella body project to focus on unemployment -
Sharp drop in house building sparks concern
19-Aug-2011
Latest figures show housing association homes worst hit -
Lib Dem peer: judges 'extremely uneasy' about evicting rioters
18-Aug-2011
Warning comes as council faces growing campaign against threat to evict tenants -
Fears raised over community right to buy compensation
18 August 2011
Councils face prospect of recompensing owners of community value assets -
Councils play a key role in tackling worklessness
18 August 2011
Councils can and must still play role in tackling worklessness in their area, particularly the blight of youth unemployment -
‘Action needed’ on local initiative
18 August 2011
Conservative Westminster councillor urges prime minister to back community budgets programme -
Economic growth campaign to start
18 August 2011
Campaign will compare English leaders’ powers to foreign counterparts -
PM gave 'false hope' over Stoke enterprise zone pledge
17-Aug-2011
Treasury insists area will benefit from neighbouring zone -
‘Action needed’ on local initiative
17-Aug-2011
Westminster councillor urges prime minister to back community budgets programme -
New wave of enterprise zones announced
17-Aug-2011
Airfield in Cambridgeshire amongst clutch of thirteen new enterprise zones announced -
Wandsworth justifies eviction stance
16-Aug-2011
Wandsworth council denies “kneejerk reaction” in seeking to evict mother of teenager charged in relation to riots -
PM puts 'broken society' back at top of agenda
16-Aug-2011
David Cameron vows to press ahead with plans to turn around lives of troubled familes -
Tough talk on evicting rioters 'unlikely to be realised'
15-Aug-2011
Councils will find it difficult to evict rioters from social homes, legal experts say -
Peterborough bids to host green bank
12-Aug-2011
Move aimed at boosting city’s economy -
Shapps looks to widen powers to evict rioters
11-Aug-2011
Housing minister says he will consult on widening powers to enable councils and housing associations to evict those involved in rioting -
Scrapped youth jobs scheme had 'numerous benefits'
11-Aug-2011
Nearly half participants moving into sustained employment, report finds -
Bus services cuts harm life chances MPs warn
11-Aug-2011
Cuts to bus services preventing people from accessing work opportunities and vital services, MPs warn -
LGA hails work of councils in face of riots
10-Aug-2011
The Local Government Association hails the work of councils in responding to the riots that have hit their communities -
Haringey chief lauds response
10-Aug-2011
Haringey chief praises response to riots from council workers and other local agencies -
Confidence survey - it's only just begun
4 August 2011
LGC’s regular ‘confidence barometer’ suggests the sector believes the hardest times are still to come -
Ministers in 'cloud cuckoo land' over voluntary pooled budgets
4 August 2011
Ministerial oversight group shifts focus to ‘innovative finance’ -
Whitehall payoffs put councils in shade
4 August 2011
Department for Communities & Local Government agrees three packages of £200,000+ -
Ministers forced to rethink approach to securing EU renewal cash
4 August 2011
Fears of loss of hundreds of millions of European economic development investment prompts ministerial rethink -
LEPs get start up cash
3-Aug-2011
Thirty-two of the 37 local enterprise partnerships around the country will receive a share of the government’s £5m start-up fund -
Brussels lifts block on renewal spending
2-Aug-2011
Brussels says it has lifted a freeze on spending through six of England’s European-funded renewal programmes -
HRA transition outlined
2-Aug-2011
Councils to be able to buy way out of housing finance system from next Spring, government confirms -
North-west tops growth fund bids
1-Aug-2011
Nearly a third of second round of growth fund bids to affect the north-west of England -
Councils need to act quickly to protect green spaces
1-Aug-2011
Local authorities could be powerless to stop developers -
Clark lays down 12 month 'planning guarantee'
29-Jul-2011
No planning application should take longer than a year under a new ‘Planning Guarantee’ -
Manchester presses further on shared services plan
29-Jul-2011
Business cases agreed for five key areas including children and adult services in bid to save £46m over three years -
Pickles confirms watchdog to be outsourced
28-Jul-2011
Audit Commission’s local audit work contracted to private sector from next year -
Four enterprise zone sites confirmed
28-Jul-2011
Ministers have confirmed the specific location of the enterprise zones in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Sheffield -
Minister moots new council 'right to bid'
28-Jul-2011
Greg Clark suggests councils could get a new right that would enable them to bid to run central government services -
Ministers reject call to give councils powers over utility companies
27-Jul-2011
Ministers reject proposals to give councils powers to recoup cost of repairs to roads damaged by work done for utility companies -
Manchester moots bid for Green Bank
26-Jul-2011
Greater Manchester could bid to host the government’s Green Investment Bank in a move aimed at providing a boost to the city region’s economy -
Boris appoints LEP chair
26-Jul-2011
Boris Johnson has appointed Harvey McGrath as the business chair of the London Enterprise Partnership -
Blackpool appoints new chief
25-Jul-2011
Director of finance and resources at Blackpool Coastal Housing to replace retiring chief -
Ministers kickstart Big Society 'listening exercise'
25-Jul-2011
Open services white paper the “beginning of a journey” -
National planning framework unveiled
25-Jul-2011
Ministers publish new simpler national planning framework with priorities and rules -
Green light for Swindon & Wiltshire LEP
22-Jul-2011
Swindon & Wiltshire becomes 37th local enterprise partnership -
Byles drawn into phone hacking scandal
22-Jul-2011
Former Norfolk CC chief reported to be civil servant allegedly subject to media harrassment and phone tampering -
Leak probe after tweeting mandarin outed in press
22-Jul-2011
Eric Pickles’ department calls in external security officials to identify the source of leaks about the identity of the tweeting mandarin @NakedCServant -
Business rates retention sparks row over winners and losers
21 July 2011
Consultation throws up widely divergent fears from different parts of the sector -
Hull tops unemployment ranking
20-Jul-2011
Hull and Wolverhampton have had the highest proportion of jobs seeker allowance claimants in the UK over the past six years -
Clark takes on city champion role
19-Jul-2011
Decentralisation champion named minister for cities, with a ministerial group established to focus on England’s core cities -
Minister decries renewal cuts 'sob stories'
19-Jul-2011
Minister describes as “sob stories” concerns about the scrapping of the housing market renewal programme -
Miliband backs co-op council network
18-Jul-2011
Labour leader backs new network of Labour-led ‘co-operative councils’ based on reforms pioneered at Lambeth LBC -
Affordable homes could beat target
18-Jul-2011
Around 170,000 affrodable homes are expected to be built over the next four year, up 20,000 on the government’s initial target -
Growth fund oversubscribed again
18-Jul-2011
Second round of flagship regional growth fund sees around 500 bids worth £3bn competing for just £950m -
Treasury grabs £5bn in council housing revenue
18-Jul-2011
LGA calls on Peers to amend Localism Bill to bring about truly self-financing system for social housing -
Big Society needs strong government
14 July 2011
The vanguards demonstrate there is only so much local government can do to empower communities -
Councils to have ‘key role’ in decisions over agencies’ land assets
14 July 2011
Chief says RDA assets will be part of dedicated national programme within HCA -
Big Society pioneers
14 July 2011
The Balsall Heath Forum community group in a deprived inner-city area of Birmingham is leading the fourth ‘unofficial’ Big Society vanguard -
Eden DC: rural vanguard
14 July 2011
The vanguard is a continuation of what the council has “always been doing” -
Sutton LBC: Business as usual
14 July 2011
Sutton is proud of its vanguard status as recognition of good work over the past 20 years -
Windsor & Maidenhead: Evolution, not revolution
14 July 2011
The vanguard has also opened up Whitehall, with the council able to access support to help ‘bust’ barriers -
Ministers 'must be bold on business rates'
13-Jul-2011
Cities should be allowed to retain up to 60% of their business rates in order to provide a strong incentive to approve developments, report says -
Pickles says estimate of homelessness spike 'out of date'
12-Jul-2011
Eric Pickles says his department’s estimate that the government’s benefit cap could prompt a 20,000 spike in homelessness was ‘six months old’ -
Big Society paper 'falls short of radical vision'
12-Jul-2011
David Cameron launches open public services white paper -
MPs fire warning over LEP confusion
11-Jul-2011
MPs fire warning over lack of capacity and clarity over local enterprise partnerships as ministers give Dorset LEP the green light -
'Big Society bill' to be published
11-Jul-2011
Prime minister to launch much-delayed white paper aimed at opening up public services to private sector and civil society -
Reaction to the party leaders
7 July 2011
Messers Cameron, Clegg - and Miliband - took to the stage at the LGA conference -
Watchdog's abolition poses 'significant risks'
7 July 2011
Abolition of the Audit Commission breaches ‘fundamental principles’, MPs warn -
Pilots weakened by opt-out clause
7 July 2011
Clegg’s commitment to Total Place-style community budgeting programmes questioned -
Kent's empty homes scheme adopted
7 July 2011
Councils across the west of England follow lead to bring empty properties back into use -
Unskilled jobs 'leaving city centres'
6-Jul-2011
City centre jobs increasingly made up of highly qualified workers, report finds -
Green transport schemes get funding
6-Jul-2011
Thirty nine schemes share £155m in first tranche of government’s Local Sustainable Transport fund -
Taskforce to focus on Derby job losses
6-Jul-2011
Vince Cable announces taskforce to help mitigate impact of 1,400 Bombardier job losses -
Ministers back down on RDA asset 'fire sale'
6-Jul-2011
Majority of regional development agencies’ land and property assets to be passed to national housing quango -
TaxPayers’ Alliance questions Pickles’ India trip
6-Jul-2011
Communities secretary defends £12k taxpayer-funded visit to India -
Another 29 bids for enterprise zones
4-Jul-2011
Ministers have received 29 bids for ten new enterprise zones across the country, including a further two for London -
Lord Hanningfield sentenced
1-Jul-2011
Former Essex CC leader jailed for nine months for falsely claiming parliamentary expenses -
Cockell calls for 'bold' approach
28-Jun-2011
New chairman uses inaugural speech to invite PM to agree principles for localism -
DCLG : 'greater localism' needed on community budget pilots
23 June 2011
Ministers set to announce new push on community budgets in a bid to build momentum within the much-vaunted programme -
Treasury gears up to revise Osborne's sluggish growth scheme
23 June 2011
The Treasury set to revise chancellor’s flagship national insurance holiday scheme after applications fall far short of expectations -
Labour's localism: councils must be put at heart of agenda, says Flint
23 June 2011
Shadow communites secretary says local democractic accountability must underpin drive to decentralise services -
Help for districts' weekly collections
23 June 2011
Communities secretary says small districts will be supported to retain weekly collections -
Tory councils call for more freedoms
21-Jun-2011
Four flagship Tory councils have called on the government to add a raft of new freedoms to the Localism Bill -
Funding for first time buyers unveiled
21-Jun-2011
Housing minister announces funding allocations for relaunched scheme -
Pickles visits only three authorities to date
16 June 2011
Westminster politicians fail to prioritise meeting local councillors -
Spelman: Bins a matter for 'local discretion'
14-Jun-2011
Household waste collection remains an issue for “local discretion”, environment secretary insists -
Mayors need more powers
14-Jun-2011
Thinktanks urge government to bolster mayoral policy with option of London-style ‘metro mayors’ -
Climbdown for Pickles over bins
13-Jun-2011
Communities secretary forced to accept it is up to councils to decide how often they collect their waste -
Hull & Humber LEP given go ahead
9-Jun-2011
Total number of new economic development bodies rises to 35 -
Islington sets out 'Spirit Level' plan
9-Jun-2011
Islington to seek to ban payday loan companies as part of 19-point fairness plan -
Localism agenda 'incoherent', MPs warn
9 June 2011
Localism agenda marked by “inconsistency and incoherence”, select committee finds -
New powers to protect green spaces
8-Jun-2011
Government pledges £7.5m to help create a dozen large-scale zones protecting nature -
Bristol identifies enterprise zone site
8-Jun-2011
A tract of land around Bristol’s Temple Meads railway station has been given enterprise zone status -
Tweeting mandarin to face disciplinary action
6-Jun-2011
Civil servant accused of anonymously criticising Eric Pickles and other ministers on Twitter suspended -
Bylaw powers go ahead with caveat
2 June 2011
Powers to allow councils to make bylaws without Whitehall approval look set to be limited to those deemed “sensible and appropriate”. -
London families will be 'significantly worse off' under benefit reform
2 June 2011
Universal credit will not ‘make work pay’, report finds -
Hull and Humber LEP set for green light
1-Jun-2011
Humber-wide local enterprise partnership inches closer after councils submit bid with minister’s backing -
Public housing slump continues
20-May-2011
Public sector housing construction remains in the doldrums, survey finds -
Gloucestershire gets LEP
19-May-2011
Gloucestershire local enterprise partnership gets green light bringing total number of LEPs to 34 -
LEP boards are taking shape
19 May 2011
With 23 of the 33 local enterprise partnerships now appointing their boards the new face of local economic development in England is beginning to take shape. -
Regions lose 3,000 projects after RDA cuts
19 May 2011
The move to abolish England’s regional development agencies has seen nearly 3,000 economic development projects scrapped across the country -
Environmental action likely casualty of sector cuts, warns report
19 May 2011
The combination of funding cuts and changes to the local government landscape could jeopardise council action to tackle climate change -
Glowing report on axed job scheme
19 May 2011
Department for Work & Pensions delivers glowing assessment of youth jobs scheme axed by the coalition government as ‘expensive failure’ -
LGC View - Immense challenge for Leps ahead
19 May 2011
With the economy flat-lining, Mr Pickles’ ‘year zero’ approach to economic development may yet give the government cause for regret -
No commitment on city champions
19 May 2011
Pledge remains unfulfilled one year on -
Concern over lack of consultation on LEP quango
18-May-2011
Ministers failed to consult other business groups before appointing the British Chambers of Commerce to run a new national local enterprise partnership quango -
'Big Society' lacks clear vision or credible plan
18-May-2011
David Cameron has failed to articulate a clear idea of the ‘Big Society’ and lacks a plan for making it work in deprived areas, report finds -
Eight areas to trial business-led planning
17-May-2011
Eight areas in English towns and cities chosen for business-led “neighbourhood plans” -
Newham drops DCLG legal action
12 May 2011
Council withdraws threat of legal action against Eric Pickles’ department over funding settlement -
LATEST: Allegations over Watson smears were investigated
11-May-2011
Sir Gus O’Donnell confirms he did investigate the smearing of a senior civil servant -
Housing renewal cash 'too little'
10-May-2011
Grant Shapps’ £30m “lifeline” to communities hit by scrapping of Housing Market Renewal programme not enough say experts -
Hull & Humber LEP looks likely
10-May-2011
New Labour leader of Hull City Council backs creation of a pan-Humber local enterprise partnership -
New fears over loss of regions' Euro billions
9-May-2011
Just one of the 50 successful bids to the government’s flagship regional growth fund has sought match-funding from European economic development cash -
Welfare-to-work scheme poses 'significant risks'
9-May-2011
Iain Duncan Smith’s flagship welfare-to-work programme poses “significant financial risks”, MPs warn -
Despite all the antipathy, some confidence
5 May 2011
After a year of the coalition government, Eric Pickles and front-loaded cuts, LGC’s latest survey shows greater confidence in safeguarding front-line services -
Sector confidence over services improves
5 May 2011
Councils’ assurance that they can safeguard their key services improves significantly in recent months -
Confusion over PM's enterprise zone pledge
4-May-2011
David Cameron promises Staffordshire that it will get an enterprise zone - despite a competitive bidding process set up to award enterprise zone status -
LGA responds over localised business rates
3-May-2011
The Local Government Association has set out its principal ideas for how a new system of localised business rates might work -
Papers reveal limited impact of community budget pilots
21 April 2011
Whitehall reluctance to contribute leaves flagship programme struggling -
Government ignores advice as regional asset sell-off gets under way
21 April 2011
Regions lose out on key regeneration assets -
Newham issues DCLG legal threat
21 April 2011
Newham notifies ministers it intends to bring a legal challenge against the local government settlement -
Councils foot bill for botched road repairs
20-Apr-2011
Councils face £70m bill for damage to roads caused by utility companies’ ‘repairs’ -
Few people can name councillors
19-Apr-2011
Only one in three people across the UK can name any of their local councillors, according to a new survey. -
Pickles tops 'talking rubbish' poll
19-Apr-2011
Eric Pickles has been voted the government minister who talks the “most rubbish” by green campaigners -
Whitehall policy making 'poor'
18-Apr-2011
Institute for Government slams the poor quality of government policy making -
Lancashire LEP approved
14-Apr-2011
UPDATED: 15 APRIL - A pan-Lancashire local enterprise partnership gets the green light -
Manchester looks for 'radical solutions'
14 April 2011
City region explores collaboration options to exceed £116m savings target -
No reprimand for Watson smear
14 April 2011
No punished over negative briefing against civil servant -
In Practice: Social enterprises
14 April 2011
How five social enterprises are providing local public services, from waste removal to community care to woodland management -
Social enterprises - LGC view
14 April 2011
Never has social enterprise’s stock been so high -
Ministers announce RDA asset 'fire sale'
13-Apr-2011
Ministers set out plans to sell-off one in five of the regional development agencies land and property assets - but London’s are to be gifted to the mayor -
Ministers scotch move to pass Yorkshire's assets to councils
13-Apr-2011
RDA wanted to pass half of £90m land assets to councils -
Statutory third sector guidance for councils unveiled
13-Apr-2011
Eric Pickles outlines new statutory guidance to give legal forces to his “reasonable expectations” of how councils deal with third sector -
Just one in ten bids to growth fund approved
12-Apr-2011
First round of regional growth fund sees more than half of successful bids focused on the north of England with London and the south-east missing out -
'Amazing model' of Big Society saved from closure
8-Apr-2011
The Selby Centre in north London is saved from closure after Haringey LBC reinstates its grant -
Business groups slam Pickles' new LEP quango
7-Apr-2011
Department removes business groups’ names from press release supporting national local enterprise partnership network -
Jobcentre shake-up fears ignored
7 April 2011
Ministers have forced through a “high-risk” top-down reorganisation of Jobcentre Plus despite serious concerns raised by Whitehall officials -
League table reveals most deprived councils
7 April 2011
Three neighbouring Northants districts show biggest declines in official ranking of deprivation, but north west and London still fare the worst -
No Big Society barriers busted
7 April 2011
‘Big Society website’ aimed at cutting retape and busting barriers has yet to produce any tangible outcomes -
Whitehall pay to stay unpublished
7 April 2011
Nineteen Whitehall departments say they have no plans to publish details of their middle managers pay -
New homes bonus cash confirmed
6-Apr-2011
Grant Shapps confirms the final allocations for councils through the new homes bonus scheme. -
Surrey to form LEP 'with or without' ministers' blessing
6-Apr-2011
Surrey CC says it will press ahead with its own local enterprise partnership with or without ministerial approval -
Green light for another south-west LEP
31-Mar-2011
New local enterprise partnership covers Devon and Somerset -
Yorkshire only RDA not to reveal asset 'fire sale' plan
31-Mar-2011
Yorkshire Forward is the only regional development agency to refuse to disclose its advice to ministers for the sale of its £90m in assets -
Ministers scotch RDA's move to pass £108m in assets to councils
31 March 2011
Ministers block proposals by the South East regional development agency to pass nearly £108m in assets to council partnerships -
Enterprise zones will have 'modest' effect
31 March 2011
The creation of 21 enterprise zones will have only a limited impact on growth and job creation, experts have warned. -
‘Pro-growth’ planning in local hands, says DCLG
31 March 2011
‘Pro-growth’ planning will not lead to developer free-for-all, Department for Communities & Local Government says -
Few councils have carbon policies in place
31 March 2011
Only a quarter of councils in England have an effective plan in place to slash carbon emissions this decade -
'Land auctions’ could be extended
31 March 2011
Land auction pilots could yet be expanded to include private land -
Pro-growth planning - round-up of the main points
31 March 2011
Greg Clark said the government’s new “pro-growth” policies should be a material consideration in local planning decisions with immediate effect. -
Doubts grow over bylaw commitment
30-Mar-2011
DCLG won’t commit to previous pledge to devolve powers to councils -
Ministers block transfer of RDA assets to councils
28-Mar-2011
Ministers block regional development agencies’ plans to transfer their assets to councils citing need to reduce deficit -
Development agency assets to pass to national quango
25-Mar-2011
Majority of North West Regional Development Agency’s £56.8m land and property assets to be passed to national housing quango -
Four enterprise zone sites identified
24-Mar-2011
Vince Cable identifies specific sites of four of the eleven new enterprise zones announced in the Budget -
Pilots denied control of purse strings
24 March 2011
Community budgets programme fails to secure pooled budgets targets, council leaders say -
Extra £2bn for Green Investment Bank
23-Mar-2011
BUDGET 2011: Chancellor commits further £2bn for Green Investment Bank and sets a carbon floor price -
Chancellor moves to help first-time buyers
23-Mar-2011
BUDGET 2011: A relaunched shared equity scheme for first-time buyers forms part of a range of measures in the Budget aimed at boosting housing growth -
Eleven urban enterprise zones
23-Mar-2011
BUDGET 2011: George Osborne announces first tranche of 11 new enterprise zones in urban areas across England -
Bristol adopts innovative empty homes scheme
23-Mar-2011
Bristol adopts Kent CC’s pioneering scheme to get more empty homes back into use -
Review could curb green energy schemes
23-Mar-2011
Campaigners warn that a review of the feed-in-tarif scheme could halt council-led green energy projects -
LDA's final budget 'saves' 44 jobs
23-Mar-2011
44 posts ‘saved’ as Boris Johnson’s economic develeopment agency confirms final funding settlement -
Localism Bill 'lacks focus on sustainability'
23-Mar-2011
MPs call for greater committment to sustainability in Localism Bill -
LEPs to take the lead on enterprise zones
22-Mar-2011
Chancellor set to hand local enterprise partnerships lead role in formation of new generation of enterprise zones -
Payment by results ruled out for pilots
17 March 2011
Department for Work & Pensions says community budget pilots will not be able to use payment-by-results model -
Bin policy ‘to stay a local decision’
17 March 2011
Ministers set to announce incentives for councils to revert to weekly food waste collections but will stop short of trying to force them to do so -
Statutory guidance to enforce expectations
17 March 2011
Eric Pickles’ mooted code of conduct for how councils engage with third sector groups is most likely to be achieved through statutory guidance -
Five councils pilot town hall-backed mortgage scheme
16-Mar-2011
Scheme to help first-time buyers get a foot on the property ladder. -
Manufacturing revival must focus on 'manu-services'
14-Mar-2011
Time to move beyond outdated notion that manufacturing is just about ‘making things’, thinktank says -
Watchdog slams ministers' move to scrap housing renewal push
14-Mar-2011
It was “untimely and premature” for ministers to scrap the Housing Market Renewal programme the Audit Commission says -
Coalfields regeneration funding cut
10-Mar-2011
Ministers announce 15% cut to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust over next two years and expect body to become ‘self funding’ beyond that -
Seven ‘Local BIS’ offices mooted
10 March 2011
Minister says exact locations for the teams are still being determined -
Lancashire charities warn of 'devastating' impact of cuts
9-Mar-2011
The chiefs of 15 charities in Lancashire warn Eric Pickles that cuts to councils will have “devastating” impact that will last for decades -
Town halls and Whitehall sign concordat on climate change
9-Mar-2011
Town halls and Whitehall have entered into a new joint-agreement setting out how councils should help tackle climate change -
RICS says LEPs should take planning role
9-Mar-2011
Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors advises ministers that planning key play a key role in stimulating economic growth -
Two more councils join Greater Brum LEP
9-Mar-2011
Wyre Forest and Redditch join Greater Birmingham local enterprise partnership as Eric Pickles announces new national association for LEPs -
Councils shut out of north-west RDA asset sell-off
9-Mar-2011
North-west regional development agency says it will not pass assets on to council or local enterprise partnerships -
East Midlands agency wants majority of assets to stay in public hands
9-Mar-2011
East midlands regional development agency says only five of 36 assets should be put to market -
Shared services for two north-east councils
8-Mar-2011
North Tyneside Council and Northumberland CC commit to shared services plan -
Minister denies public money spent on legal advice on 'smears'
4-Mar-2011
Bob Neill says no public money has been spent on legal advice about potentially defamatory media briefings against a civil servant -
Sir Gus reprimands PM over Watson smear
3-Mar-2011
Civil service head wrote to David Cameron over “unacceptable” behaviour of relating to smear -
Ministers block release of RDA asset plans
3 March 2011
Details of the fate of millions of pounds worth of land and property withheld -
Ministers herald US-style tax competition between councils
3 March 2011
Provisions in the Localism Bill will allow councils to cut their rates and open the door for competition between authorities -
South West RDA to sell off 60% of land and property
3 March 2011
The South West regional development agency sets out its plan to sell off nearly two-thirds of its assets ahead of closure -
DBIS denies sidelining LEPs in new strategy
3 March 2011
Vince Cable’s business department has denied that is sidelining local enterprise partnerships as it develops a new strategy to boost inward investment. -
Local budget pilots ‘on track’
3 March 2011
Pickles denies lack of engagement in community budget pilots despite evidence to the contrary -
Cable warned off eighties-style Enterprise Zones
28-Feb-2011
Two leading thinktanks say the business secretary’s plan to reintroduce eighties-style Enterprise Zones is likely to fail to boost growth -
Between a rock and a hard place
24 February 2011
Few people question that the concept of Big Society is a good one - yet the prime minister’s initiative remains much criticised. -
Pickles opposes Cable's local housing growth innovation
24 February 2011
Vince Cable’s plan to include land auctions in growth review opposed by communities secretary -
Cameron's 'city champions' prove elusive
24 February 2011
Prime minister fails to deliver on pledge to appoint a set of ‘city champions’ to drive economic growth -
Fears for loss of RDA skills
24 February 2011
The latest figures from England’s eight regional development agencies show that a quarter of their staff have left since May election -
DWP imposed JCP changes
24 February 2011
Department for Work & Pensions accused of “unilaterally” changing Job Centre Plus boundaries -
Big Society chiefs speak
24 February 2011
Strong leadership is critical to successful partnership working between councils and civil society organisations, -
Whitehall 'could do much more to help'
24 February 2011
Four major barriers that ministers could act on now to help realise the PM’s Big Society vision -
'Amazing model' of Big Society faces axe
23-Feb-2011
One of the country’s largest community centres hailed by a minister as an “amazing model” of the Big Society in action is at risk of closure. -
Landmark community centre faces uncertain future
23-Feb-2011
The organisations at the Selby Centre read like a checklist of the government’s Big Society agenda, but now it faces the axe -
North-east RDA says majority of assets should remain local
18-Feb-2011
One North East advises ministers that the majority of its assets should either be sold or transferred to local authorities -
London-wide LEP gets green light
17-Feb-2011
A pan-London local enterprise partnership backed by Boris Johnson and London Councils has been given the green light -
Lack of leadership puts community-based budgets at risk
17 February 2011
Sector voices frustration as pilot programme struggles to get off the ground -
Confidence hit hard by funding cuts
17 February 2011
An overwhelming majority of respondents to the latest LGC confidence survey are not confident their front-line services will be protected from cuts to public spending, reflecting the reality behind ministerial rhetoric. -
DCLG admits spending data errors
17 February 2011
More than £2m of expenditure labelled as consultancy costs due to administrative mistakes, department says -
Midlands RDA recommends asset sell-off
16-Feb-2011
Local enterprise partnerships likely to be denied access to majority of assets worth £107m -
HCA unveils £2.2bn affordable housing programme
14-Feb-2011
Homes & Communities Agency invites providers to submit bids for £2.2bn funding pot -
Two more LEPs get green light
10-Feb-2011
Ministers back York & North Yorkshire and the Enterprise M3 bids -
DCLG spend on consultants soars
10-Feb-2011
Communities secretary Eric Pickles spends millions shaking up his department -
Hardly a charter for nimbyism
10 February 2011
Such will be the difficulties that experts now suggest the government’s Big Society approach to planning may be little more than a damp squib -
RDAs submit proposals for disposal of £500m of assets
10 February 2011
England’s eight regional development agencies submit plans to government -
Minister confirms new network of government offices
9-Feb-2011
Business minister confirms department will create a network of six government offices in the regions just six months after Eric Pickles axed them -
Business lobby sets out 24-point plan for growth
7-Feb-2011
Institute of Directors outlines growth plan including business rate localisation but opposes allowing councils to set their own rates -
Big Society under further attack
7-Feb-2011
Dame Hoodless, dubbed the “mother of the Big Society” says government cuts could “destroy” the nation’s “army of volunteers” -
Sutton backs PM's troubled Big Society vanguards
4-Feb-2011
Sutton leader speaks out in support of troubled Big Society vanguard initiative following Liverpool’s withdrawal -
Liverpool pulls out of Big Society vanguard
3-Feb-2011
Council leader writes to David Cameron to say spending cuts imposed on Liverpool mean the council can no longer continue with Big Society “vanguard” -
Liverpool's Big Society project fails to lift off
3 February 2011
David Cameron’s Big Society vanguard is in disarray after being undemined by spending cuts the project’s champion Phil Redmond says -
When is a 'government office' not a 'government office'...?
3 February 2011
Vince Cable moves to reestablish new regional government offices just six months after Eric Pickles axed them -
Lancashire threatens to go it alone if LEP bid fails
3 February 2011
Lancashire CC has threatened to stop working with councils in east Lancashire if its bid for a single pan-county local enterprise partnership is unsuccessful -
PM does not rule out local taxes
2-Feb-2011
Asked about the introduction of local fuel taxes in prime minister’s questions, David Cameron side-stepped the question -
Local rates a 'no-go' CBI chief warns
1-Feb-2011
New CBI director general says business lobby will oppose any plans to free councils to set their own business rates -
Clegg admits growth measures facing 'chronology problems'
27 January 2011
Nick Clegg concedes the delayed timing of the government’s growth measures is a problem as fears grow of a double-dip recession -
Mayor-backed proposal frontrunner in London LEP bids
27 January 2011
Three London local enterprise partnership proposals are vying for approval with a pan-London bid backed by Boris Johnson the favourite -
LGA fears loss of £2.3bn EU funds
27 January 2011
LGA concerns over ERDF funding -
Flint demands clarity over WNF
27 January 2011
Caroline Flint calls on Eric Pickles to set record straight on working neighbourhoods fund -
Pay row 'masks budget cuts'
27 January 2011
Ged Fitzgerald speaks to LGC about ministers’ rhetoric on chiefs pay and the difficulty of balancing a budget hit by £91m in cuts -
RDA redundancies to cost £103m or more
26-Jan-2011
Minister says the redundancies at the regional development agencies could be £103m or more with the full cost of scrapping the agencies unknown -
Demand for growth fund 'far outstrips supply'
26-Jan-2011
Nick Clegg says bids for first round of the regional growth fund are worth “well over” £2bn -
Shapps 'disappointed' at cuts to Supporting People
25-Jan-2011
Housing minister writes to LGA to express his ‘disppointment’ with council cuts to Supporting People programmes -
Clegg concerned about 'lack of ambition' in localism agenda
20 January 2011
Nick Clegg goes into battle over local government review amid concerns about backsliding on localism agenda -
Bidding begins for £1.4bn fund
20 January 2011
Bids for regional growth fund take shape with more than £150m asked for from just four core cities -
Clegg goes into battle over finance review
19-Jan-2011
Deputy prime minister calls for fundamental review of local government finance against wishes of Eric Pickles -
Birmingham and Solent set out £50m growth fund bids
18-Jan-2011
Birmingham City Council and the Solent local enterprise partnership set to approve regional growth fund bids which together total over £50m -
Green light for north-east LEP
14-Jan-2011
Ministers have approved a new local enterprise partnership covering most of the north-east of England. -
Lib Dem minister apologises over breach of election rules
14-Jan-2011
Communities minister Andrew Stunell apologises for breaching election rules with empty homes announcement -
DCLG to take control of EU regeneration funding
13 January 2011
Nascent local enterprise partnerships will only have a limited role in delivering European regional aid after the government confirmed plans to centralise the fund -
Expect a bun fight over tiny LEP fund
13 January 2011
David Cameron’s announcement of a new local enterprise partnership Capacity Fund seemed at first like a much-welcome boost to bodies that many fear may become little more than talking shops -
EU schemes threatened by RDA cuts
13 January 2011
England’s poorest areas could lose out on hundreds of millions of European aid in the wake of ministers’ decision to scrap the regional development agencies -
Two radically different funds
13 January 2011
Ministers have said that the new Regional Growth Fund will work alongside the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme as a source of match-funding. -
Banks' role in coordinating RGF bid threatens to undermine LEPs
13 January 2011
Lord Heseltine calls on banks to bid to the regional growth fund on behalf of small businesses -
LEP-less revise bids or go renegade
13 January 2011
LEP-less round up -
South-east councils slam Shapps' new homes bonus
12-Jan-2011
A group of 21 mainly Conservative-led councils in the south-east raises “serious concerns” about the government’s proposed New Home Bonus -
Fears grow over future of coalfields renewal
12-Jan-2011
Ministers further delay decision on the future of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust prompting fears the renewal of coalfield areas could be at risk -
Pickles relaxes empty home regulations
10-Jan-2011
Time period before councils can step in to seize empty properties extended to two years -
PM gives LEPs a little boost
6-Jan-2011
David Cameron announces a limited amount of funding to help support the new local enterprise partnerships -
Merseyside's shared regeneration deal falters
6-Jan-2011
A “ground-breaking” deal to share a director of regeneration between Liverpool and Knowsley councils appears to have collapsed -
LGA slams minister for rubbish rhetoric
6-Jan-2011
Councils told to disregard ministers’ ‘regrettable’ stance on maintaining waste collections -
Confusion over bin collection policy
5-Jan-2011
Defra backs away from local government minister’s “political” stance on bin collections and says it will not be issuing new guidance -
Pickles dodges questions over Watson smear
5-Jan-2011
Communities secretary dodges questions from Caroline Flint over “defamatory” comments made about Electoral Commission chair Jenny Watson -
Revised 'Enterprise M3' LEP bid submitted
4-Jan-2011
North Hampshire and West Surrey authorities propose alternative local enterprise partnership, leaving Surrey CC in limbo -
Northants and Hull press ahead with own LEPs
23-Dec-2010
No need for ministerial approval, claim renegade partnerships -
North-east big loser in final RDA budget allocations
22-Dec-2010
The north-east and east of England are hit with the biggest cuts to the final year budget for their regional development agencies -
Growth fund guidance sets out key tests
20-Dec-2010
New guidance on regional growth fund sets out four key tests for reliance on public sector -
Councils slam ministers' 'spin' as detail of cuts emerge
16-Dec-2010
Blackburn with Darwen accuses government of “lying” after treasuers find cuts of £10m more than ministers said -
Spectre of 1980s CCT policy looms from bill
16 December 2010
Councils will have to consider allowing community groups take over services -
Anger over passing on of EU fines to town halls
16 December 2010
Councils rail against powers in the Localism Bill allowing ministers to pass on to town halls the cost of fines levied against the UK government for mishandling regional aid programmes -
‘Right to buy’ could be used for RDA assets
16 December 2010
Councils could use the new community right to buy to stymie any Treasury-led fire sale of RDA assets -
Criticism of HRA reform
16 December 2010
Ministers have been accused of going against the spirit of the Localism Bill by inserting a clause that allows the Treasury to revisit the terms under which the Housing Revenue Account is reformed. -
Bill pushes ahead with creation of mayors
16 December 2010
Mayoral model to be set up in 12 cities, with leaders appointed and confirmed by referenda in 2012 -
North-east economic body pushes ahead
15-Dec-2010
A new economic partnership for the north-east of England is pressing ahead -
Three new LEPs given green light
13-Dec-2010
Proposals for local enterprise partnerships in East Anglia, Worcestershire and the Black Country are given the green light -
Lancashire LEP row rolls on
13-Dec-2010
The row over local enterprise partnerships in Lancashire continues with councils in east Lancashire accusing the county of ‘misrepresenting’ business -
Police funding row delays settlement still further
9 December 2010
Town halls forced to prepare budgets on theoretical figures -
Manchester set out first four services for fast-track merger
9 December 2010
Greater Manchester’s 10 councils have announced which four areas are to be fast-tracked in their plans to merge services. -
Localism Bill postponed, again
8-Dec-2010
The government’s flaghip Localism Bill has slipped again after encountering yet another delay -
DfT gets new head
7-Dec-2010
Former Birmingham City Council chief appointed permanent secretary at the Department for Transport -
Helen Bailey to step down
7-Dec-2010
Helen Bailey announces she is to leave her post as Treasury’s director of public services -
Lancashire-LEP row set for resolution
6-Dec-2010
Single Lancashire-wide local enterprise partnership proposal set to be finalised affer councils withdraw support for Pennine Lancashire bid -
Government confirms Localism Bill date
3-Dec-2010
Departmental business plans confirms date of Localism Bill -
Pickles green lights new Boris powers
3-Dec-2010
Localism bill to include housing, regeneration and economic development transfer -
North-east councils warn cuts maybe 'undeliverable'
3-Dec-2010
Cross-party group of north-east councils warns of “undeliverable” cuts that will leave “long term problems” -
'LEP-less' pushing for green light
3-Dec-2010
Areas that missed out on the first wave of approved Local Enterprise Partnerships are working on new bids they hope will get green light -
Ministers decree Greater Manchester voting rules
3-Dec-2010
Unanimity required for city region congestion charging -
‘Four-band’ settlement mooted to mitigate cuts
2 December 2010
Proposals to ease the impact of the cuts ‘recipe for legal action’ -
Reserve powers ‘dampen localism’
2 December 2010
Fears grow the government’s power of general competence could be circumscribed when it is unveiled in the localism bill -
DCLG temp staff costs up despite ‘war on waste’
2 December 2010
DCLG spending data shows huge spikes in outlay on agency workers and millions spent on consultants, publicity and market research -
DCLG still a closed book in defamatory comment row
1-Dec-2010
Ministers took no action over potentially defamatory comments about Electoral Commission chair -
Few 'Big Society' groups in Work Programme
26-Nov-2010
No councils and only five civil society organisations included in the government’s shortlist of 35 preferred welfare-to-work providers -
Pickles makes failed bid for more cash
25 November 2010
Communities secretary asks Treasury for more money as JobCentre Plus chief commissioned to review impact of spending review cuts on employment levels -
Deprived authorities to be hit the hardest
25 November 2010
New modelling of the cuts set out in the spending review shows that the most deprived councils are hit the worst -
Minister outlines Green Deal details
24-Nov-2010
Councils to take strategic ownership of energy efficiency programme in partnership with private sector -
Barker: tax on carbon use is here to stay
24-Nov-2010
Carbon stealth tax to be a “permanent” feature of the tax system despite being introduced with the justification of deficit reduction -
Localism Bill delayed two weeks
22-Nov-2010
Localism Bill delayed two weeks amid final wranglings over details of key proposals -
LEPs will fail without funding, business chief says
22-Nov-2010
The Federation of Small Businesses warns Eric Pickles that businesses will walk away from LEPs if they lack funding and proper business engagement -
Government adviser says welfare reform will ‘shrink the Big Society’
22-Nov-2010
Decentralisation minister Greg Clark’s key adviser slams “extreme centralisation” of welfare reform plans -
Ministers to keep infrastructure levy
18-Nov-2010
The Community Infrastructure Levy will remain but will be reformed to ensure a cut of proceeds goes to “neighbourhoods” -
DCLG appoints two new directors
18-Nov-2010
Richard McCarthy and David Prout have been appointed to the Department for Communities & Local Government’s top jobs -
New Homes Bonus costs emerge
18 November 2010
House-building incentive could eat into formula grant by 4% over six years -
Boris says multiple London LEPs 'nuts'
17-Nov-2010
London Mayor sets out his vision for a new London-wide Local Enterprise Partnership and says it would be “nuts” to abandon strategic approach -
'Little hope' of narrowing wealth divide
16-Nov-2010
The government’s current plans offer “little hope” of narrowing gap between rich and poor communities across the country, report argues -
Minister: 'Many will lose out' in housing benefit cuts
15-Nov-2010
Welfare minister Lord Freud concedes there will be drift of poor people out of inner London -
No end to Lancashire LEP stand off
15-Nov-2010
Row over the new landscape of economic development in Lancashire rumbles on with the east and west divided over Local Enterprise Partnership bids -
Shapps consults on New Homes Bonus
12-Nov-2010
Housing minister publishes consultation on plan to incentivise house building in local areas -
Pickles misleads on block-booking claim
12-Nov-2010
Eric Pickles claims to have evidence that no councils in London have begun block booking accomodation in response to housing benefit reform were based on “misunderstanding”. -
Ministers to give Greater Manchester 'super council' green light
11-Nov-2010
Ministers approve proposals for a combined authority across Greater Manchester -
Pickles at odds with sector over 20% first-year cuts
11 November 2010
Councils call for urgent clarification of how ministers intend to dampen front-loaded cuts of up to 20% next year -
Slump in Pickles’ rating as sector’s champion
11 November 2010
Council chiefs’ faith in Eric Pickles and his ministerial team has plummeted since the general election, LGC’s latest confidence survey has found. -
European regeneneration funding centralised
11 November 2010
Communities secretary moves to centralise around £2bn of European structural funding -
Pickles loses more support
11 November 2010
Council chiefs’ confidence that the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government will be supportive of town halls has plummeted since the election -
DCLG guidance advised caution
11 November 2010
DCLG issued internal advice on handling the decision not to re-appoint an Audit Commission director “responsibly”, weeks before potentially defamatory briefings were given against Electoral Commission chair Jenny Watson. -
The workforce will bear the brunt
11 November 2010
Workforce restructuring is a growing priority, with council chiefs expecting cuts in excess of the government’s headline figure -
Where the cuts will bite
11 November 2010
Adult social care, housing and economic development have emerged as the key areas of concern. -
Boris faces borough battle over LEP bid
10-Nov-2010
Mayor’s plans for a London-wide local enterprise partnership being resisted by London boroughs -
Pickles tells London boroughs to 'grow up'
8-Nov-2010
Communities secretary faces down hostile crowd at the London Councils annual summit -
'LEP-less' won't be shut out of funding, officials insist
5-Nov-2010
Areas without local enterprise partnerships will be able to bid for economic development funding -
Minister confirms RDAs’ assets will not be 'handed' to LEPs
4 November 2010
Development agencies’ land and property set to go to HCA rather than to local enterprise partnerships -
Manchester prepares for ever-greater integration
4 November 2010
Plans to radically increase the integration of key services across Greater Manchester could dwarf the so-called super-council mooted between Westminster City Council, Kensington & Chelsea RBC and Hammersmith & Fulham LBC -
LEP-less areas will lose out on funds
4 November 2010
Economic development cash only for first wave of 24 LEPs -
Greater Manchester outlines area-wide TIF plan
2-Nov-2010
Greater Manchester wants new Tax Increment Financing tool to cover entire city region -
Regions hit with deepest transport cuts
2-Nov-2010
Areas outside London hit with much deeper cuts to transport funding, analysis shows -
Minister skewers local growth policy
2-Nov-2010
Mark Prisk writes to Vince Cable warning the government’s local growth policy could be “a failure in large parts of England” -
Flint: Pickles must come clean over "disgraceful" comments
29-Oct-2010
Caroline Flint urges Eric Pickles to come clean over his department’s refusal to answer a request about “potentially defamatory” comments made about the Electoral Commission chair -
First wave of 24 LEPs given green light
28-Oct-2010
Vince Cable announces that 24 of the 62 Local Enterprise Partnership bids have been given the green light. -
DCLG dodges legal advice questions
28 October 2010
Transparency issues raised as department refuses to confirm or deny whether legal advice taken -
White paper to herald new era of partnership working
28 October 2010
Local growth white paper to set out new terms of engagement between Whitehall, town hall and the private sector over economic development -
£60m concession on housing benefit cut
27-Oct-2010
Ministers make £60m available to help ease impact of housing benefit cuts as flagship Tory London borough warns Eric Pickles of million pound cost -
Pickles foots £1bn bill to scrap RDAs
27-Oct-2010
Department for Communities & Local Government hit with near £1bn bill to scrap RDAs -
More transport projects spared axe
26-Oct-2010
Transport secretary spares 16 road and infrastructure schemes from axe and unveils £600m pot to fund up to 22 other local transport schemes -
Ministers set aside £1.4bn-plus to scrap RDAs
26-Oct-2010
Eric Pickles could be hit with a £800m bill to wind up RDAs as part of a £1.4bn cross-Whitehall package -
Change to charges hits sector
21 October 2010
Policy u-turn on PFI operators could increase councils’ costs -
Carbon levels 'mostly falling'
21 October 2010
Carbon emissions decrease across nearly 80% of UK local authority areas but emissions from homes continue to rise -
Red tape threat to energy sale plan
21 October 2010
Plans to allow councils to sell electricity to the national grid could be stymied by red tape that requires councils to receive backing from a large energy supplier -
Ministers call for London LEP bids
8-Oct-2010
Vince Cable and Eric Pickles have invited the Mayor of London and London’s boroughs to bring forward Local Enterprise Partnership proposals -
Call for pooled cultural services for 'bigger bang'
8-Oct-2010
Councils should combine their cultural services across boundaries and focus investment on ‘functional cultural areas’, a new report argues -
Tory MPs slam Kent-Essex 'super-LEP'
8-Oct-2010
All bar one of Kent’s 14 backbench Conservative MPs oppose Eric Pickles’ plan for a ‘super-LEP’ arguing it will harm the local economy -
Local devolution begins with green light for LEPs
6-Oct-2010
Ministers are set to approve 22 of the 56 bids for new local enterprise partnerships, in what could signal the start of a radical process of devolving powers -
RDA liabilities 'not a surprise' says minister
6-Oct-2010
The likely cost of scrapping regional development agencies has not taken ministers by surprise, business minister Mark Prisk tells LGC -
Cash package for long-term unemployed
5-Oct-2010
People out of work for six months will be eligible for financial package worth £2,000 to help them start their own business -
Transport capital budgets could go to LEPs
5-Oct-2010
New LEPs could gain control of transport capital budgets, the transport secretary has said -
Warning over welfare switch to private sector
5-Oct-2010
Manchester’s chief warns government against relying entirely on the private sector to achieve welfare reforms -
HCA to take on housing watchdog powers
4-Oct-2010
The Homes & Communities Agency is to take on social housing watchdog role from the doomed Tenant Services Authority but will be hit with a 50%cut -
Cable calls in auditors to assess RDAs' liabilities
30 September 2010
Vince Cable calls in auditors as cost of scrapping Regional Development Agencies threatens to rise to £2.5bn -
Treasury drags heels on low-carbon commitment
29-Sep-2010
HM Treasury has been slow to register for the UK’s flagship carbon reduction commitment -
Brussels fires warning over RDA abolition
29-Sep-2010
The European Commission warns that abolition of regional development agencies could cause delays programmes and the loss of hundreds of millions of pounds of cash -
Ed Miliband signs up to localism agenda
28-Sep-2010
The new Labour leader burnishes localism credentials in his key note speech at his party’s conference -
Green light for super council 'imminent'
28-Sep-2010
Ministerial backing for Greater Manchester super council expected as draft legislation nears completion -
Local economic health check to underpin LEPs
27-Sep-2010
Ministers step back from scrapping the Local Economic Assessment duty -
Baker launches new sustainable transport fund
23-Sep-2010
Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker unveils new sustainable transport fund, but doesn’t say how much it’s worth -
Ministers urged not to cap TIF borrowing freedoms
23 September 2010
Regeneration experts urge ministers to ignore political pressure to cap the amount councils can borrow under new financial freedoms -
DECC reneges on Green Deal programme with councils
23 September 2010
Ministers ditch plan to pilot flagship household energy efficiency scheme with Mayor of London and 14 councils -
Cost of abolishing RDAs rises to £1.5bn
23 September 2010
The cost of scrapping the regional development agencies could rise above £1.5bn opening up a budget blackhole -
Cable: 'only a dozen LEP bids good'
23 September 2010
Business secretary Vince Cable says there were too many bids and many regions were “hopelessly fragmented and need to get their act together” -
What we know about LEPs - and what we don't
23 September 2010
Chief reporter Allister Hayman answers eight key questions about Local Enterprise Partnerships -
Cost of scrapping RDAs opens £1.5bn blackhole
22-Sep-2010
The cost of scrapping the regional development agencies could rise above £1.5bn opening up a budget black hole -
Clegg hands councils new borrowing powers
20-Sep-2010
Councils are to be given new powers to borrow against future revenues from business rates to help drive forward infrastructure development -
Clegg to give green light to TIF
20-Sep-2010
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg to announce plans to hand councils new powers to borrow against business rates revenues -
DWP scraps devolution of powers
16 September 2010
Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith scraps the previous government’s commitment to devolve powers over employment programmes -
Traffic light system likely for approval of LEP bids
16 September 2010
Ministers inch towards a traffic light system for the approval of local enterprise partnership bids -
London LEPs on ice as ministers consult Boris
15-Sep-2010
Four London Local Enterprise Partnership bids put on hold while ministers consult Boris Johnson -
Tourism LEP to drive South-East visitor economy
15-Sep-2010
The tourism board for the south-east of England has submitted a bid for a region-wide Local Enterprise Partnership -
BURA to relaunch in "a couple of weeks"
10-Sep-2010
British Urban Regeneration Association to relaunch as online resource centre called UK Regeneration -
England meets its landfill reduction targets
9-Sep-2010
Government says its not minded to introduce bans on waste to landfill as figures show England will meet its 2010 reduction targets -
HCA decides fate of shelved homes schemes
9-Sep-2010
Plans for 3,000 homes cut as Homes & Communities Agency decides fate of frozen housing schemes -
LEPs face weeding process after 56 bids are submitted
9 September 2010
Eric Pickles is forced to climb down over plans for local enterprise partnerships after being inundated with bids to set up the new bodies -
LEPs: 56 bids submitted
8-Sep-2010
The Department for Communities & Local Government has confirmed it received 56 proposals for Local Enterprise Partnerships. LGC publishes the full list -
County-based LEPs could be rejected
7-Sep-2010
Ministers hint that Local Enterprise Partnership proposals based on county council boundaries could be rejected -
Pickles intervenes to join push for Kent-Essex 'super-LEP'
6-Sep-2010
Communities secretary intervenes in Essex and Kent to secure ‘super-LEP’ across the two powerhouses -
HCA agrees private rented housing deal
3-Sep-2010
Homes & Communities Agency agrees landmark private rented sector deal to kickstart housing development -
South Midlands 'super-LEP' bid collapses
3-Sep-2010
Plan for a new Local Enterprise Partnership covering Leicester, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire have collapsed while Oxfordshire agrees a ‘city region’ plan -
Anger over clawback of EU funds
2 September 2010
Regions resist Whitehall take over of £2bn in European development aid -
Cable prepares to step in over LEPs
2 September 2010
Business secretary Vince Cable is becoming concerned about the process of replacing the regional development agencies with LEPs -
LEPS: Legal entity or loose association?
2 September 2010
Eric Pickles on LEPs: “Be as ambitious as you can. Be as radical as you like. Be as bold as you want. I’m not going to stand in anyone’s way.” -
Looking at Lancashire LEPs
2 September 2010
From Preston it’s a short train ride across the Pennines to Blackburn. But in economic terms, the distance between the two former mill towns is far greater -
Penalties warning as carbon scheme deadline looms
2 September 2010
About a third of the councils required to register for Britain’s mandatory carbon reduction scheme have not done so, LGC has learned -
LEP watch: War of words on Humberside
1-Sep-2010
A row on Humberside over plans for Local Enterprise Partnerships rumbles on - and other developments around the country -
Greater Manchester sets out detailed LEP plan
27-Aug-2010
Greater Manchester sets out detailed proposals for its Local Enterprise Partnership as well as its response to the new £1bn Regional Growth Fund -
100,000 social homes still 'poor' in 2015
27-Aug-2010
Around 10% of social homes remain beneath the decent homes standard with around 100,000 homes to still ‘poor’ by 2015, report shows -
Buckinghamshire wants county-based LEP
26-Aug-2010
Bucks decides to pitch for a county-wide Local Enterprise Partnership rather than joining with neighbours -
BURA enters liquidation
24-Aug-2010
British Urban Regeneration Association announces it is to go into voluntary liquidation -
LEP round up: Peninsula 'tip' partnership for Cornwall
24-Aug-2010
Cornwall gives Devon cold-shoulder and plans partnership with Isle of Scilly; Solihull agrees to join Greater Birmingham -
LEP tensions grow in Lancashire
23-Aug-2010
Rival LEP bids in Lancashire as county presses ahead with its own plan against the wishes of Blackpool and Blackburn -
LGA map shows at least 42 LEPs in pipeline
20-Aug-2010
At least 42 new Local Enterprise Partnerships are being planned across England with around 14 in the Greater South East, according to the LGA -
First 100 days leave sector underwhelmed
19 August 2010
Local government delivers a damning verdict on Eric Pickles’ first 100 days in an exclusive LGC confidence survey -
Bill for mayoral referenda could total more than £1m
19 August 2010
Plans to hold mayoral referenda in England’s 12 largest regional cities could cost the councils involved a total of more than £1m, official estimates suggest. -
Wirral chief steps down
18-Aug-2010
Wirral MBC chief stands down to take early voluntary retirement -
North East plans new partnership
9-Aug-2010
Councils and businesses in the north east prepare plans for new regional economic development body to takeover from the RDA -
Healey slams ministers over housing 'black hole' myth
9-Aug-2010
Former housing minister slams government over claims of £610m housing black hole that LGC revealed to be false -
No Kent and Essex 'super-LEP'
9-Aug-2010
LEP round up: Kent and Essex reject ‘super LEP’ plan and a row over the new geography of economic development in the east midlands heats up -
Ministers to slash funding to 'Big Society' partners
5-Aug-2010
Government to cut the number of key civil society partners it funds from 42 to 15 and cap their funding at £500,000 per year -
Centre for Cities appoints new chief
5-Aug-2010
The urban policy think tank Centre for Cities appoints Alexandra Jones, formerly of the Work Foundation, as its new chief executive -
Housing ‘black hole’ shown to be myth
5 August 2010
Freedom of Information request reveals £1.5bn for Housing Pledge had been agreed -
Housing: what's to be scrapped, cut or reformed
5 August 2010
Round up of changes in housing and planning -
'More than 800' providers bid for Work Programme
4-Aug-2010
‘More than 800’ organisations want to deliver the new welfare to work programme but the government won’t say how many councils or third sector organisations have expressed an interest -
Pickles scraps DCLG targets
4-Aug-2010
Pickles pledges to scrap his department’s performance targets as new data shows DCLG is ‘on track ’ to meet less than half of its key objectives -
Councils urge Shapps to apply New Homes Bonus to renewal
4-Aug-2010
Councils urge Shapps to apply new homes bonus to regeneration schemes rather than just newly built homes -
Greater Manchester sets out post-RDA plan
2-Aug-2010
Greater Manchester plans to take control of inward investment and business support but backs creation of a “residual regional body” -
MPs to examine 'localism' agenda
29-Jul-2010
Select Committee to examine the impact of the government’s decentralisation agenda including the abolition of regional planning -
Spelman launches waste review
29-Jul-2010
Government launches formal review of England’s waste policies and announces £2m boost for flood prevention -
Don't centralise RDA powers, ministers told
29-Jul-2010
Business and council leaders tell ministers to devolve more RDA functions to Local Enterprise Partnerships -
Two-year settlement likely ahead of finance reforms
29 July 2010
Changes to the block grant due to begin in 2013-14 settlement -
West Midlands acts to beat freeze on European funds
29 July 2010
West Midlands councils could establish a Scottish-style quango to manage European economic development cash after its regional development agency (RDA) is scrapped -
Teesside submits LEP bid
28-Jul-2010
Teesside submits bid for Local Enterprise Partnership scotching plans for single regional voice for north east -
Minister hints at green light for Manchester 'super council'
28-Jul-2010
Greg Clark signals that Greater Manchester city region’s combined authority plan could be given green light -
Clark relaxed over postcode lottery fears
27-Jul-2010
Greg Clark says localism will create a diverse array of local services but this is “exactly what government is trying to do” -
Councils to take 'lead-role' in bids for growth fund
27-Jul-2010
Local Enterprise Partnerships to take lead role in bids to £1bn Regional Growth Fund with deadline for first round of funding set for end of year -
Cheshire East votes down electoral reform plan
26-Jul-2010
Cheshire East rejects boundary commissions plan to nearly double the number of council wards -
Boroughs apply brakes to Boris' Olympic power grab
26-Jul-2010
The mayor fails to seal the deal with boroughs over Olympic Legacy power grab and end of the London Development Agency -
Heseltine to head up £1bn regional growth fund
23-Jul-2010
Lord Heseltine will chair advisory panel that will approve bids to the £1bn Regional Growth Fund -
Town Halls to have 'no role' in welfare plan
23-Jul-2010
LGA warns that councils are being shut out of government’s welfare reform after being “rebuffed” by ministers -
Pickles moves to abolish government offices
22-Jul-2010
Communities secretary says all of England’s eight regional government offices will be scrapped -
Aged electoral system needs 'root and branch' reform
22-Jul-2010
Urgent review of electoral system needed to ensure it can cope with future demands, electoral adminstrators’ trade body warns -
Big beasts lock horns over local economic agenda
22 July 2010
A rift between Vince Cable and Eric Pickles over the form and function of Local Enterprise Partnerships is causing confusion at the local level -
Cable 'open minded' on councils taking on more RDA powers
21-Jul-2010
Business secretary says Local Enterprise Partnerships will be able to bid for RDAs’ inward investment functions -
Exclusive: Enterprise scheme 'creates more than 10,000 businesses'
21-Jul-2010
A forum of 20 council areas delivering a flagship enterprise growth scheme calls for minsters to back local enterprise support -
Leeds City Region agrees plan for LEP
20-Jul-2010
Leeds City Region to establish Local Enterprise Partnership on existing geography but shelves chief executive plan -
Move to scrap local economic health check 'on the horizon'
19-Jul-2010
Local Economic Assessment duty could to be thrown on Pickles’ “bonfire of the inanities” -
Spelman moves to dampen 'bin tax' row
19-Jul-2010
“Bin taxes” will be scrapped Spelman confirms amid talk of tensions in Whitehall over waste collection -
Exclusive: Councils could take over from RDAs in six months
19-Jul-2010
Independent survey finds councils ready to take on roles and functions of RDAs in six to twelve months -
Leeds City region agrees £110m housing deal
19-Jul-2010
Leeds City Region and Homes & Communities Agency agree deal for joint investment board -
Islington sets up inequality commission
16-Jul-2010
Islington LBC appoints the author of The Spirit Level to head up new commisison to tackle inequality in the borough -
Exclusive: Treasury freezes £2bn in EU regional aid
16-Jul-2010
Treasury freezes £2bn in European regional aid putting £4bn in potential economic development investment at risk -
Timetable for LEPs brought forward
15 July 2010
EXCLUSIVE: Council-led partnerships to replace regional development agencies may need to be in place by next September. -
Will Pickles be forced to step in?
15 July 2010
”Permissiveness,” a mandarin at the Department for Communities & Local Government says, “is the word we should associate with Eric Pickles”. -
Treasury sources upbeat on TIFs
15 July 2010
The US-style Tax Increment Financing tool is still on the Treasury’s radar and likely to be in localism bill -
Battle lines are drawn over LEPs
15 July 2010
Turf wars between councils over the make-up of new economic arrangements could hinder progress on forming replacements for the RDAs -
HCA scraps flagship council house building scheme
14-Jul-2010
Local Authority New Build programme scrapped as a result of £450m cuts to the Homes & Communities Agency -
Brussels to fine UK government £155m
12-Jul-2010
Brussels hits UK with £155m fine for irregularities in handling of European Regional Development Fund cash -
North-west plans regional partnerships
8 July 2010
Economic development in the north-west of England is likely to be led by six subregional partnerships. -
Huhne to allow councils to sell electricity
7-Jul-2010
Councils across the UK will be able to sell electricity they generate through renewable sources to the national grid under plans set out by the climate change secretary today -
Pickles looks to a better Total Place
6-Jul-2010
Place-based budgets and joined up local services is the “future” of local government, the communities secretary Eric Pickles has said. -
Authorities must share chief execs, says Pickles
6-Jul-2010
The role of council chief executive is a “non-job” and can only be justified in future if it is shared across local authority areas and between different public services such as health, the communities secretary has said -
NI exemptions ‘will hit south-east’
1 July 2010
Leaders complain to chancellor that they are subsidising unproductive regions -
Ministers back ‘metro mayors’
1 July 2010
Proposals would give urban sub-regions a wide range of economic powers -
Lib Dem transport promises hit by cuts
1 July 2010
Local transport minister Norman Baker admits that manifesto pledges on rail expansion and bus regulation now seem unfeasible -
Social housing faces extra £470m shortfall
1 July 2010
Funding for new social housing could be cut by a further £470m after ministers said the Treasury may make up less than a third of a £610m black hole -
The road ahead is an uphill one
1 July 2010
What’s the point of a Liberal Democrat in a transport department dominated by Tories? -
Post-review DCLG ‘will be slimmer’
1 July 2010
DCLG will be “much smaller” following the autumn spending review, says the department’s acting permanent secretary -
Exclusive: Greater Manchester slams door on RDA
30-Jun-2010
The Greater Manchester city region decides to go it alone as a local enterprise partnership as leaders withdraw support for RDA -
£1bn fund to boost regional growth
29-Jun-2010
Ministers set out plans for regional growth fund and local enterprise partnerships -
South east hit worst by £270m RDA cuts
29-Jun-2010
Regional development agencies in the greater south east hit worst by cuts to in-year budgets -
National planning quangos scrapped
29-Jun-2010
The government scraps the National Housing & Planning Advice Unit and the newly established Infrastructure Planning Commission -
Doomed job scheme ‘was working’
24 June 2010
Councils’ Future Jobs Fund projects had doubled their success rate when ministers decided to axe the programme, LGC research suggests -
A market approach to jobs
24 June 2010
The toughening of what constitutes success, as well as the more expansive reach of the programme, has serious implications for councils. -
Economic development role falls on cities
24 June 2010
England’s major cities will be charged with driving forward economic development, housing growth and regeneration under expected government proposals -
Regional leaders boards intend to continue
24 June 2010
Local authorities in the north of England plan to keep their regional leaders boards in place despite the government’s move to scrap them -
Minister: 10,000 housing jobs could go
23-Jun-2010
Government estimates disclosed by housing minister suggest cuts could see more than 10,000 housing jobs lost -
Minister admits £500m error in £1.7bn ring-fencing promise
23-Jun-2010
Bob Neill concedes that a pledge to lift ring-fencing from £1.7bn in funding was ‘mistakenly’ inflated by £500m -
Osborne: all RDAs will be 'abolished'
22-Jun-2010
Regional development agencies to be scrapped and replaced by partnerships focused on major cities and “natural economic areas” -
Growth fund for poorer regions
22-Jun-2010
Government to create new growth fund for capital investment in regions with high public sector employment -
Pickles picks commissioners for Doncaster
22-Jun-2010
Sir John Harman, Jessica Crowe and Julie Kenny take on commissioner roles at troubled council -
RDAs hit back at 'ignorant and mischievous' report
21-Jun-2010
England’s regional development agencies hit back at TaxPayers’ Alliance report on “wasteful” RDA spending -
Green light for 12 major transport schemes
18-Jun-2010
Manchester Metrolink extension and Tyne and Wear metro upgrade given funding go ahead -
Shapps: 'TSA will be scrapped'
18-Jun-2010
Housing minister set to announce that the Tenant Services Authority will be scrapped -
Councils to have freehand on shared housing
17-Jun-2010
Housing minister tweaks legislation on Houses in Multiple Occupation -
Liverpool plans business rates funding tool
17-Jun-2010
Liverpool businesses launch plans for new Business Improvement District in city’s commercial heart -
Where the cuts will fall - economic development
17 June 2010
The ability of councils to tackle worklessness and boost enterprise in deprived areas has been taken away by cuts to local authority grants, the Institute for Economic Development has said. -
Where the cuts will fall - housing
17 June 2010
The construction of affordable homes could grind to a halt, housing and planning groups have warned. -
Manchester bullish on local partnership plan
17 June 2010
The 10 authorities in the Manchester city region are to push ahead with plans to form a legally-binding partnership and say ministers would be wrong to block them -
Where the cuts will fall - transport
17 June 2010
Plans for a £235m trolley bus project in Leeds, a £45m rapid transit bus scheme in Blackburn and a £127m extension to the West Midlands tram have been frozen, along with 60 other major transport projects across England, the transport secretary has confirmed. -
Area hit by cuts face loss of retailers
17 June 2010
Large retailers could relocate out of towns and cities that rely heavily on the public sector amid fears that sector job cuts will damage trading, a report on regenerating town centres will warn. -
North West leaders plead the case for RDA
16-Jun-2010
The North West local authority leaders’ board backs the the NWDA in letter to Cable and Pickles -
Ministers review Northants renewal body
15-Jun-2010
Future of West Northamptonshire Development Corporation is in doubt after ministers announce a review -
Boris Johnson beefs up powers for City Hall
15-Jun-2010
London’s mayor sets out proposals to take greater control over housing, regeneration and the Metropolitan Police -
Core cities hit by transport freeze
11-Jun-2010
63 major projects frozen, including Leeds’ trolley bus and Birmingham’s tram extension and £150m slashed from budget for small local transport schemes -
Ministers terminate welfare-to-work schemes
10-Jun-2010
All existing employment schemes are to be scrapped within 12 months ahead of a new single scheme called the Work Programme -
Cost of scrapping RDAs 'unknown'
10-Jun-2010
Officials in the busienss department have no “meaningful estimate” of costs or savings of scrapping RDAs -
Poorest hit hardest by cuts to council grants
10-Jun-2010
Councils in deprived areas hit hardest by £1.2bn cuts to local government set out by Eric Pickles -
Clive Betts to head CLG committee
10-Jun-2010
Clive Betts beats favourite Nick Raynsford in the vote for the chair of the CLG select committee, while Graham Stuart bags education -
Blackpool Tower funding safe
10-Jun-2010
£39m for Blackpool Council to buy the resort’s Tower and Winter Gardens is safe minister says -
City region plans RDA replacement
10 June 2010
Birmingham city region plans to form a flagship local enterprise partnerhip that will take powers from RDA -
Cuts in infrastructure grants loom
10 June 2010
LGC analysis shows that infrastructure grants in England included the Treasury’s review of public spending commitments since the turn of the year total about £12bn. -
Scheme to help first-time buyers
10 June 2010
Twelve local authorities to pilot a council-backed mortgage guarantee scheme with High Street bank to help first-time buyers onto property ladder -
Metro schemes threatened as Treasury targets transport
10 June 2010
Leeds and other councils are expecting the Treasury to claw back hundreds of millions of pounds of transport spending allocated by the previous government -
Pickles agrees ‘exceptional’ salary for Doncaster head
10 June 2010
With senior public sector pay levels becoming a key battleground, communities secretary Eric Pickles concedes that in “exceptional” circumstances council chiefs can be paid more than the prime minister. -
Cuts force Hull Forward to close
9-Jun-2010
Hull’s economic development company announces it will close due to public spending cuts -
Shapps commits to housing finance review
8-Jun-2010
The housing minster says he will continue the consultation on the Housing Revenue Account subsidy system -
Private sector 'jobs deficit' hampers regional cities
7-Jun-2010
Report reveals a massive deficit in the number of private sector jobs in cities outside the M25 -
Cable: renewal money to be focused on the north
4-Jun-2010
Vince Cable says the emphasis of economic development will be on the north of England and the west Midlands -
Cameron’s ‘beacon’ bank's off to sluggish start
3 June 2010
The high-profile bank set up by Essex CC to help support local firms through the recession has so far helped 10 businesses, early figures show. -
House-building strategy shift ‘recipe for disaster’
3 June 2010
Home builders warn of housing hiatus after Eric Pickles tells councils to disregard regional housing targets -
Homes agency facing £610m black hole
3 June 2010
Funding restrictions will have a widespread impact as new government makes some ‘difficult choices’ -
Rob Vincent to take helm at 'failing' Doncaster
2-Jun-2010
Kirklees chief Rob Vincent appointed new chief of Doncaster as Eric Pickles announces interventions -
Confusion about £270m in cuts to RDAs
2-Jun-2010
Mandarins struggle to identify where cuts can be made to the budgets of regional development agencies -
Pickles intervenes in Doncaster
2-Jun-2010
Communities secretary Eric Pickles set to announce interventions in Doncaster -
Raynsford and Betts vie for CLG committee chair
2-Jun-2010
Nick Raynsford and Clive Betts emerge as frontrunners to take on chair of CLG select committee -
Cameron to appoint 'city champions'
1-Jun-2010
The Prime Minister sets out plans to rebalance the UK economy and drive growth in the regions -
Report: Wait for growth before slashing public sector
31-May-2010
Work Foundation report argues private sector is not yet ready to soak up big public sector job losses -
Councils slow to get young people into jobs
28-May-2010
Figures show slow take up of council-led job creation scheme with only a tenth of positions filled -
Port firms get respite from backdated bills
28-May-2010
Eric Pickles freezes demands for millions of pounds of backdated business rates payments -
HCA told to prepare for £610m cut
27-May-2010
A £610m black hole in the HCA’s budget could mean housing projects are scrapped and new spending is frozen for the rest of the year -
Localism proposals go out to consultation
27 May 2010
The government’s flagship localism bill will not be put before Parliament until the end of the year -
'Big tent' hope at property fair
27 May 2010
Smaller cities and towns to benefits from special forum at Mipim property show -
It's not about power
27 May 2010
“They will go the way of Anne Boleyn,” new communities secretary Eric Pickles once said of England’s regional development agencies -
Reprieve promised for ‘popular’ RDAs
27 May 2010
No blanket imposition of Local Enterprise Partnerships -
Scrapping jobs fund a "backward step"
26-May-2010
Ministers’ decision to scrap the Future Jobs Fund could drive up youth unemployment, critics say -
HCA cuts £230m and freezes spending
26-May-2010
HCA forced to cut £230m from this year’s budget and put all new investment on hold -
Huge cuts to hit southern RDAs
25-May-2010
RDAs in the south of England could be hit with cuts of up to 58% of their budgets for this year -
Localism Bill 'after summer recess'
24-May-2010
Leaks of the Queen’s Speech show that schools reforms will be at the forefront of the Government’s programme but the local government bill is to be postponed until after summer -
Laws spells out £6.25bn cuts
24-May-2010
Communities department hit with £780m in in-year cuts and local government £1.2bn, while the Future Jobs Fund is scrapped -
Lib Dems win vote to retain control of Sheffield
21-May-2010
Lib Dems retain control of Sheffield City Council while negotiations on the control of Bradford continue -
RDAs prepare for budget cuts
21-May-2010
RDAs scramble to find in-year savings as part of the chancellor’s £6bn cuts with the agencies in the south east likely to be the worst hit -
'Popular' RDAs can remain
20-May-2010
The Lib Dems have secured a softening of the Tories’ stance on RDAs meaning those in the north could remain and the government will push ahead on plans for mayors -
'Radical' planning reforms not a priority
20-May-2010
Proposals to give communties more powers to intervene in planning decisions are a “longer term” goal -
Review of economic assessments
20 May 2010
EXCLUSIVE: Lack of funding hampers progress on town halls’ new duty to produce detailed local economic assessments -
Leeds looks at recruiting chief for city region
20 May 2010
Plans to recruit a chief executive to head the Leeds City Region are being floated by council leaders of the 11 authorities involved in the pilot -
Billions frozen in funding review
20 May 2010
Ministers freeze a flagship council-led job creation scheme aimed at tackling youth unemployment and have put a question mark over billions of pounds of transport and regeneration funding -
Centre for Cities chief departs
19-May-2010
Dermot Finch, chief executive of thinktank Centre for Cities, has announced he is stepping down -
Tory plan for mayors opposed by Lib Dems
19-May-2010
David Cameron’s flagship policy to hold referenda on directly elected mayors in England’s largest regional cities could cause a rift in the coalition -
Blackpool's takeover of resort's icons at risk
19-May-2010
Whitehall mandarins opposed Blackpool’s move to take the Winter Gardens and the Blackpool Tower into public ownership -
Councils to get general power of competence
19-May-2010
“Big Society” briefing note promises legislation for general power of competence -
Business calls for public pay freeze
19-May-2010
CBI calls for an immediate two-year public sector pay freeze and greater privatisation of public services -
HCA sets out plans for £2m in savings
18-May-2010
The Homes and Communties Agency says it will save £2m by reducing headcount and cutting back on offices -
Billions of transport and renewal funding at risk
18-May-2010
Government’s review of all new spending since January puts billions of transport and regeneration investment at risk -
DCLG memo: "smile ... lean forward ...be interesting"
17-May-2010
Read here in full a leaked memo that reveals fears of 40% spending cuts within the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as insecurities about the department’s new Tory bosses -
Pickles orders review of mortgage help scheme
13-May-2010
Mortgage Rescue Scheme to be reviewed after figures show it has only helped 458 households in 15 months -
Greg Clark handed localism brief
13-May-2010
Grant Shapps is the new housing minister and Greg Clark has been appointed “decentralisation” minister -
Narrowly defeated Labour MP could challenge result
13-May-2010
An unseated London Labour MP is ready to challenge his election result after voters were turned away -
Coalition advised ‘to put policies on ice’
13 May 2010
Conservative and Liberal Democrats told to lighten the legislative load so the coalition deal can last two years -
Wipeout for the BNP in Barking
13 May 2010
The overall UK election result may have been murky, but in East London Labour’s victory over the BNP was complete -
Warning as mayor buys out Tube upgrade firm
13 May 2010
London Mayor Boris Johnson’s takeover of contractor Tube Lines could set back the upgrading timetable and open up the capital’s transport budgets to central government cuts, experts warn -
Pickles named Communities Secretary
12-May-2010
Eric Pickles is appointed communities secretary while the coalition government reveals it will launch a review of local government finance -
Leese hopes to return as Manchester leader
12-May-2010
Sir Richard Leese aims to return as Manchester City Council leader after a police caution -
Who's who in the new government?
12-May-2010
Eric Pickles heads the communities department, Vince Cable is the new business secretary, Theresa May the new home secretary and Iain Duncan Smith the work secretary in David Cameron’s new cabinet -
Question marks over NHS protection pledge
12-May-2010
Conservative pledge to protect NHS spending could be dropped as part of the coalition deal -
Local Lib Dems 'happy' about Labour coalition talks
11-May-2010
The Liberal Democrat’s local government leader welcomes Nick Clegg’s move to negotiate with Labour -
Liverpool's new leader plans to halt homes demolition
10-May-2010
Liverpool council to scrap plans to demolish homes as part of housing policy overhaul -
Students unable to vote complain of 'discrimination'
7-May-2010
Students unable to vote in Sheffield are campaigning to encourage others turned away to complain -
At the count - a personal view
7-May-2010
LGC’s Allister Hayman was at the counts at Barking & Dagenham throughout the night - read his diary… -
Survey says Lab-Lib Dem pact ‘least worst’
6 May 2010
Exclusive LGC survey reveals chiefs have little confidence in likelihood of next government delivering change -
Tory plans could 'sideline' local voice in Olympic legacy
5-May-2010
Host boroughs criticise Conservatives’ plan to hand control of London 2012 legacy to Mayor of London -
Business leaders oppose scrapping RDAs
4-May-2010
Business leaders in Yorkshire and the West Midlands plead the case for their regions’ RDAs -
Brown battles for seaside town votes
4-May-2010
Labour battles for votes in key coastal town marginals while Cameron outlines plans for first days in power -
Greater Manchester to bid for pot of EU cash
4-May-2010
City region set to bid for a new £50m urban renewal fund for Manchester and the wider North-West -
Tories would give Boris more powers
30-Apr-2010
A Conservative government could hand the Mayor of London long sought after powers over housing and transport -
Spending cuts to drive regeneration to local level
30-Apr-2010
In an era of public spending restraint councils will have to adopt a new approach to regeneration, a thinkthank says -
Birmingham sets up innovative homes venture
29 April 2010
EXCLUSIVE: Council agrees outline for new private public sector vehicle to kick starting house building and boost the private rented sector -
Overcrowded home population set to hit three million
28-Apr-2010
A chronic shortage of affordable homes and the impact of the recession are blamed for the increase -
Regeneration spending cuts to have 'dire' impact
28-Apr-2010
Cutting regeneration spending will have a profound effect on deprived areas, the Institute of Economic Development says -
Urban voters turn their back on Labour
26-Apr-2010
Swathes of urban voters turn their backs on Labour - but this has not translated into a support for the other two main parties
