Local Government Chronicle
Mark Smulian
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Mediawatch: Fire, brimstone and a stunned silence...
9 May 2013
Reporter Mark Smulian reviews the week’s media -
Ukip surge shakes local government
3-May-2013
Advance by party with no whips and recall mechanism -
Sector wide audit standards launched
19-Mar-2013
Code aims to ensure public bodies held to account -
Troubled Families evaluation agreed
18-Mar-2013
Local and central government have joined forces to judge how well the controversial programme works -
Acting MD takes over at Norfolk
18-Mar-2013
Anne Gibson take on interim role -
Fraud busters find a billion
18-Mar-2013
100,000 cases of wrongly claimed council tax discounts -
Localism rights misunderstood and ignored, report finds
18-Mar-2013
Localism rights benefit middle classes the most -
Mediawatch - A media frenzy over mansions and macaws
14 March 2013
Reporter Mark Smulian reviews the week’s media -
Cutting to the quick: beyond 2015
7 March 2013
While local government has dug deep to limit the effects of cuts on services, will a further round of reductions from 2015 be the breaking point that triggers a public backlash? Mark Smulian reports on LGC’s roundtable in association with Newton Europe -
Welfare reforms face tough questions
21 February 2013
The sector is deeply unprepared for sweeping changes to welfare, while experts worry that ‘too much, too soon’ reforms will have unintended effects, as Mark Smulian found at the LGC Civica Question Time debate -
Survey shows DCLG staff woes
5-Feb-2013
Only 22% ‘proud’ to work there -
Court to rule on council tax support schemes
4-Feb-2013
Vicar’s campaign leads to judicial reviews -
Blake becomes St Albans chief
4-Feb-2013
Leader says choice provides continuity -
Cities demand cuts meeting with cabinet
1-Feb-2013
Pickles warned council finance system is ‘inequitable and unsustainable’ -
Elvery set for interim chief post
1-Feb-2013
Croydon plans year-long appointment. -
Auditors back 'Early Action' on social problems
31-Jan-2013
Potentially large returns on investment available, but evidence is thin -
Low paid face £600 council tax demands
31-Jan-2013
Think tank finds 74% of councils will charge those previously exempt -
LGA unveils Commissioning Academy
31 January 2013
Applications open for peer-led learning -
Mediawatch - A big chill and a lot of hot air…
31 January 2013
Mark Smulian assesses the media’s coverage of councils’ response to the heavy snowfall -
York pioneers library mutual
30-Jan-2013
Maude gives grant towards transition -
Exceptions open for vulnerable Universal Credit claimants
29-Jan-2013
Direct rent to landlords ruled out in most cases -
Big Society baffles third sector
29-Jan-2013
Research finds concept has ‘double-sided’ response -
Sure Start 'hollowed out', says Labour
29-Jan-2013
Hundreds of centres closed since 2010 -
MPs urge massive power transfer for councils
29-Jan-2013
Local government should ‘demand’ financial freedom, says report -
Director quits after suspension
28-Jan-2013
Rotherham’s finance head Andrew Bedford resigns -
Doubts raised over council rescue
21-Jan-2013
Rescuer’s members worried over sharing with stricken West Somerset -
Legal action threat over council tax benefit schemes
21-Jan-2013
Judicial review sought against three London boroughs. -
Rutland dissidents reject 'single point of contact'
18-Jan-2013
Group says channelling contact through chief is unacceptable. -
Monitoring officers 'gold plating' standards advice
18-Jan-2013
Minister cites ‘bureaucrats’ love of bureaucracy’. -
Neill attacks officer over 'serious disrepute'
18-Jan-2013
Former minister makes allegations against Tower Hamlets’ monitoring officer. -
Suspension follows recycling fiasco
17-Jan-2013
Cheshire East plans new senior management structure after investigation -
MPs attack sector-led improvement
17-Jan-2013
Report questions entire basis for Audit Commission abolition. -
‘There is a quiet revolution going on’
17 January 2013
Local government minister Don Foster tells Mark Smulian the true extent of change has yet to be widely appreciated -
Addressing the affordable housing shortfall
17 January 2013
When controversial planning policies were announced two days after he became a minister, Don Foster hit the ground running -
London chief off to Whitehall
16-Jan-2013
Croydon’s Jon Rouse to head Department of Health’s local government links -
Full house for second City Deal bids
16-Jan-2013
Twenty areas bid for wider powers -
Cabinet member moved after safeguarding report
16-Jan-2013
Minister extends intervention at Pembrokeshire -
Police watchdog probes Greenhalgh complaint
16-Jan-2013
Activists claim impropriety in Fulham estate redevelopment -
Early retirement for suspended chief
16-Jan-2013
Scilly Isles’ Hygate leaves after 21 years -
Minister offers to explore council budget flexibility
15-Jan-2013
Wirral leaders in crisis meeting with Nick Boles. -
Council 'can sue for defamation'
15-Jan-2013
Lawyers find new power in Rutland row report. -
Late accounts threaten political leadership
14-Jan-2013
Gloucester Tories face no confidence vote -
Officer at centre of Wirral suspensions cleared
7-Jan-2013
Probe finds contractor meeting was not improper -
Leaders blast Lewis over councillor pensions
7-Jan-2013
LGC survey finds hostililty to banning councillors from LGPS -
Tory revolt looms over loss of councillors' pensions
4-Jan-2013
End of LGPS eligibility will deter people from standing, leaders say -
Sector anxiety over Tower Hamlets situation
4-Jan-2013
Minister alarmed over failure to appoint head of paid service -
Lavery quits Cornwall for NZ post
3-Jan-2013
Departure comes months after outsourcing row. -
CBE for Tapster in New Year honours
2-Jan-2013
Former chief executives and leaders amongst recipients -
Review of the Year 2012
13 December 2012
More ‘localism’ but less control, and less money to do anything with. It was a tough year, as Mark Smulian summarises -
Mediawatch: Read all about it, read all about it … and more…
13 December 2012
Reporter Mark Smulian reviews the week’s local government media -
Pension tax changes may spark retirements
10-Dec-2012
‘Unintended consequences’ warning to public sector staff. -
Welsh Assembly leaves councils adrift on benefits
10-Dec-2012
Christmas recall may be needed for council tax benefit regulations. -
Libraries close in face of cuts
10-Dec-2012
Cipfa survey finds more volunteers but fewer staff. -
Curryer named as Nottingham chief
7-Dec-2012
Former headteacher to head council. -
Autumn Statement: 'Missed opportunity' on housing
7-Dec-2012
Chancellor shuns calls to lift council borrowing cap. -
Autumn Statement: Roads cash won't fix backlog
7-Dec-2012
£333m available for repairs backlog put at £10bn -
Autumn Statement: Cities get ultrafast connection
6-Dec-2012
LGA calls for quick decision on state aid rules -
Whitehall muddle hampers mutuals
6-Dec-2012
MPs say spread of mutual bodies ‘less than expected’ -
Fraud teams seek end to 'perverse incentives'
6-Dec-2012
Review warns over loss of powers of entry -
Parsons rejects Leicestershire claim
5-Dec-2012
Former leader contests bill for expenses repayment -
Suffolk sharers point to huge saving
5-Dec-2012
Single senior management team to serve two districts -
Cheshire East keeps hold of Ryley
4-Dec-2012
Retirement postponed while permanent chief sought. -
Town crier and Kiss pose problems for Fenland
4-Dec-2012
Complaints include leader’s language at schools event. -
Labour boycott forces new mayor to take three posts
4-Dec-2012
Bristol elected mayor seeks new powers amid turmoil -
Expand community budget pilots, says Travers
3-Dec-2012
Report calls for wider use of pooled budgets. -
Concessionary fares 'timebomb' warning
30-Nov-2012
Transport authorities fear scheme will consume their budgets -
Service in the mix
29 November 2012
With the days of being the sole provider of services long gone, how can councils make mixed service provision work and what are the opportunities and pitfalls that need to be considered to obtain the best outcomes? Mark Smulian reports -
Plans tabled for rail devolution
28-Nov-2012
Councils seek to take over local service franchises -
Mediawatch: When is an election not an election?
22 November 2012
Mark Smulian peruses the national media’s coverage of the police and crime commissioner elections -
Mediawatch: The NAO has its very own brand of Morse code...
1 November 2012
Reporter Mark Smulian reviews the week’s local government media -
Suffolk to shun 'back office generalists'
23-Oct-2012
County to seek multiple providers when BT deal ends -
Swimwear and fabrics boss to head joint venture
22-Oct-2012
Arm’s-length company to take over 1,700 council staff -
MoD obstructing military aid, leaders claim
22-Oct-2012
Ministry uphelpful over armed forces covenant, say leaders -
Councils can 'fix it', says Solace president
18-Oct-2012
Reeves: ‘Celebrate the power of people in our places’ -
Cornwall coup sees bidder quit
18-Oct-2012
CSC pulls out amid shared service chaos. -
'Patchy' data hampered 2010 cuts round
18-Oct-2012
NAO finds mismatches between Treasury and departments -
Multi-year referendums ruled out
18 October 2012
Those who anticipated a tax rise threshold for a referendum of 2.5-3% now find themselves with few options but to toe the central line -
LGC View - An impossible referendum
18 October 2012
Council tax is now a local tax only in the sense that it is collected locally, since it is set with a national maximum -
Conservative party Q&A
18 October 2012
Conservative councillors have been provided with a series of answers to give to hostile questioners to justify the new council tax freeze and the lower local referendum trigger -
Unions seek 'substantial' pay rise
17-Oct-2012
Call to end ‘assault’ on council staff living standards. -
Funding boost for Welsh councils
17-Oct-2012
Education and social services spending protected. -
Two ordered to improve children's services
17-Oct-2012
Intervention threat if objectives missed. -
Pensions data shows soaring redundancies
17-Oct-2012
LGPS employee contributions slump. -
Solace president sees 'opportunity to re-define' sector's role
16-Oct-2012
Reeves calls for ‘boldness and conviction’ -
Cornwall ousts leader in shared service dispute
16-Oct-2012
Rebel former deputy takes over in cliffhanger vote -
Boles - Planning relaxations could stay
16-Oct-2012
Select committee row over home extensions ‘free for all’ -
'Catastrophe' warning over heritage job numbers
15-Oct-2012
Cuts endanger conservation and archaeology, says report. -
Value 'unclear' in new affordable housing regime
15-Oct-2012
MPs question point of switching subsidy from building to benefits. -
'Unlawful' rates may have cost councils money
15-Oct-2012
Auditors slam board for junkets and mismanagement -
Planning committee sacked in supermarket row
12-Oct-2012
Fenland has purge after ‘unsound’ decisions -
Harrow children's cabinet member arrested
12-Oct-2012
Resignation over alleged indecent images of children. -
Beach to take top job at Braintree
12-Oct-2012
‘Tremendous job’ done by predecessor. -
Boroughs' police link under threat
12-Oct-2012
Outer London councils could lose own commanders -
Top appointment and post cut at Middlesbrough
12-Oct-2012
Departments down from three to two -
Planning gain reform pointless, says LGA
12-Oct-2012
Weakening affordable housing demands would not promote housebuilding -
Mediawatch: It's less about trains and more about training...
11 October 2012
Reporter Mark Smulian reviews the week’s media -
Confident Durham 'must improve skill base'
10-Oct-2012
Peer review calls attention to morale and training -
Councils get more Iceland cash back
9-Oct-2012
Almost 75% of investments now returned -
Liverpool stumps up £8.8m in ports dispute
9-Oct-2012
Council settles cruise liner dispute -
Parsons in 'unreserved' apology to Leicestershire
9-Oct-2012
Former leader contrite over expenses reimbursements -
Row over districts in 'amicable divorce'
9-Oct-2012
Opposition councillors accuse new administration of ‘going through the motions’ -
Suspended ex-chief's pension deal avoids £1m legal battle
9-Oct-2012
Wirral says case would ‘not be in the public interest’ -
Vote settles lengthy Southampton dispute
8-Oct-2012
Cut pay levels to be restored -
Boles warned over planning row
8-Oct-2012
Proposal would ‘plunge homes into darkness’ -
Wales warned on 'worst case' cuts
8-Oct-2012
IFS says services could face 52% budget hole -
MPs 'sceptical' on LGA self-employed figures
5-Oct-2012
Tax avoidance ‘staggeringly inappropriate’, says Public Accounts Committee -
Norse bullish on council market
5-Oct-2012
Norfolk’s business arm sees ‘strong order book’ -
Solace heads from red to black
5-Oct-2012
Chiefs’ body confident of return to profit -
Districts in 'amicable divorce'
4-Oct-2012
Shared chief arrangement ended early. -
Scotland 'must improve performance data'
4-Oct-2012
Council information ‘buried in detail’, says Accounts Commission -
40 staff switch as shared services end
3-Oct-2012
Complex solution found after districts disagree -
Benn hails Labour councils' 'difference'
3-Oct-2012
Party points to local government record -
Rise in graduate places
3-Oct-2012
Cohort restored to previous size -
Pay rise likely to help lowest paid
2-Oct-2012
Employers set to seek single negotiating system -
Wirral may insource highways work
2-Oct-2012
Contractor unwilling to renew deal -
Home extension rebellion grows
1-Oct-2012
Councils denounce Pickles over ‘free for all’ -
Labour councils join youth jobs initiative
1-Oct-2012
Byrne launches taskforce for unemployment hotspots -
Minister: planning changes 'not a done deal'
26-Sep-2012
Foster speaks after Lib Dems reject relaxations -
'Abolish Highways Agency', leading Lib Dem says
24-Sep-2012
Hand responsibility for trunk roads to councils, Vernon-Jackson urges -
Councils leading on fair pay, says pressure group
24-Sep-2012
Councils ‘exemplars of moderation’ on senior pay -
Northants takes enterprise award
21-Sep-2012
Support for motor racing boosts local economy. -
Uncertainty over repair to broken shared service
21-Sep-2012
Key peer review still unpublished. -
Councils rebel over planning concession
21-Sep-2012
Two boroughs and Lib Dems set to fight house extensions free-for-all -
Parsons faces further travel probe
20-Sep-2012
Former leader has repaid more than £2,000. -
Brent turmoil over suspension
20-Sep-2012
Director suspended as interim chief is named after controversial departure of predecessor -
Bids open for high streets fund
3-Sep-2012
£1m offered for ‘boundless appreciation’ of town centres -
South West One losses fall
31-Aug-2012
Troubled joint venture has ‘overriding objective’ to break even -
Mayor says council had culture of bypassing rules
31-Aug-2012
Leicester parking row ends but former chief continues legal battle -
Freud names universal credit pilots
31-Aug-2012
Twelve councils chosen to test run benefits shake-up -
Employers back new pension scheme
30-Aug-2012
Vote follows overwhelming union support -
Proposal lifts threat to council tax support plans
30-Aug-2012
Parish calculation problem ‘taken out’ of calculations -
Pickles' fraud claim slammed by LGA
29-Aug-2012
Councils deny savings could match council tax benefit cuts -
NI set for general competence power
29-Aug-2012
But reorganisation funding row unresolved -
'Disparities' found in councillors' allowances
29-Aug-2012
Councils rebut Taxpayers Alliance claims -
Auditors critical of DCLG statistics
29-Aug-2012
Department says councils ‘responding better’ to data demands -
Banks take over Mouchel
28-Aug-2012
‘Business as usual’ promised after complex deal -
Massive savings on offer in adult care
23-Aug-2012
Audit Commission says fewer qualified social workers should be used -
Councils accused of snooping binge
22-Aug-2012
Activists claim excess use of surveillance. -
Academy enthusiasm costs borough dear
22-Aug-2012
Bromley ‘penalised’ for backing Gove reforms -
Hunt attacks Kensington over digital delay
21-Aug-2012
Borough responds, claiming culture secretary ‘behind the times’ -
Homes sell-off plan attacked
20-Aug-2012
Councils and housing associations fear social ‘cleansing’ -
'No more cash' council warns football club
20-Aug-2012
Buyer sought for historic football club. -
Blackburn to continue health joint working
17-Aug-2012
Integration set to survive NHS upheaval -
Lyons fronts local TV bids
17-Aug-2012
DCMS publishes list of bidders for local licenses -
Censure upheld in Israel row
16-Aug-2012
Coleman loses appeal over insulting comments. -
Shapps launches homeless plan
16-Aug-2012
‘No Second Night Out’ programme among those rolled out -
Court jeopardises council funding
15-Aug-2012
Australian councils face loss of federal cash -
North Tyneside takes mass outsource route
15-Aug-2012
Mayor ignores councillors, LGA chair in twin deal -
Pickles spends at the seaside
14-Aug-2012
Five councils amongst winners from £24m first round of Coastal Communities Fund -
Luton settles cash cow row
14-Aug-2012
Airport operator dispute resolved -
Pickles 'seeking wrong solution' to stalled home building
14-Aug-2012
Initiative scaled back after council objections -
Pickles sends in planning 'mediators'
13-Aug-2012
Ten councils named as pilots for intervention -
Kilpatrick to hold Home Office fort
13-Aug-2012
Former county deputy chief to take over from Dame Helen Ghosh -
Pension funds eye infrastructure investment
27-Jul-2012
Treasury guarantee scheme prompts rethink -
So far so good but where now?
26 July 2012
With the first peer challenges of the sector-led improvement drive now complete, LGC analyses the lessons learned -
Auditor vows to publish City of London's 'private' accounts
29-Jun-2012
Maverick questions ‘behind the times’ practices -
Parties and apathy to dominate police polls
29-Jun-2012
LGA survey finds parties key influence, but voters unstirred -
Watchdog says councils tardy on new conduct codes
29-Jun-2012
Warning over standards system’s ‘inherent risks’ -
Youth Contract extension 'tinkering' says LGA
28-Jun-2012
Association claims confusing plethora of nationally run schemes hinders progress. -
Peace breaks out over building standards
27-Jun-2012
Councils and builders plot joint way forward -
Leaders urged to front inward investment drives
27-Jun-2012
LGA report calls for greater council role in economic growth -
Police probe for Parsons
27-Jun-2012
News comes ahead of no confidence vote and further details of chauffeured trips -
Northern Ireland reorganisation challenged
21 June 2012
Councils warn over the £6m transition cost of the province’s local government reorganisation -
Pickles tells councils to follow 'tri-borough' example
18-Jun-2012
£2bn savings available from shared services, he says -
Chiefs say election officers should stay local
18-Jun-2012
Law Commission reviews ‘fragmented’ electoral system. -
Ministers challenge council's court victory
18-Jun-2012
Scottish Government unhappy over school closures. -
Kent chief payoff was £420,000
15-Jun-2012
Leader calls on other councils to scrap chief executive posts. -
Fresh delay for recycling judicial review
15-Jun-2012
Case could affect viability of most collections -
Councils condemn homelessness rise
15-Jun-2012
Steep increase also seen in bed-and-breakfast use -
New boundaries set for NI councils
15-Jun-2012
But councils warn efficiencies cannot cover transition costs -
Election watchdog voices concern as cuts bite
15-Jun-2012
Failure to canvas homes damages performance record of 51 electoral officers -
Councils to share after Manzie departure
14-Jun-2012
Barking & Dagenham turns to Thurrock after sudden resignation. -
Adult social care budgets cut by £890m
14-Jun-2012
Funding reform ‘desperately needed’, warn senior directors -
Merseytravel chair stands down
13-Jun-2012
‘Untenable’ position after colleagues withdraw support -
Birmingham and Manchester join forces
13-Jun-2012
Cities to work together for growth -
Whitehall consultations too brief, says NAO
13-Jun-2012
Auditors criticise civil servants’ ‘poor signposting’ of e-mails to councils -
Councils 'could help' with private rent surge
13-Jun-2012
Reports says young people will be driven into private rental sector -
Council tight-lipped on Manzie status
12-Jun-2012
Barking & Dagenham dismisses ‘speculation’ about chief -
LGA demands control over council tax rules
12-Jun-2012
Poorest ‘will pay’ without flexibility for councils -
Serco snaps up Vertex Public Sector
12-Jun-2012
Outsourcing provider bought in £55.5m deal -
Auditor blasts Wirral's contract policies
11-Jun-2012
Leader pledges to ‘put things right’ but must find new chief -
Top tier signs up to help troubled families
11-Jun-2012
Pickles hails chance to bring ‘lasting change’ -
Tribunal orders Lambeth to restore records
15-May-2012
Ruling says FoI request stands despite deletion of e-mails -
Sharers fall out as chief goes
14-May-2012
Idea of shared workforce with separate managements ‘unworkable’, leader says -
Threat to council taxi powers
11-May-2012
Law Commission says vehicle numbers should be left to market -
Labour retakes crisis-hit Wirral
10 May 2012
Leader-elect pledges to continue improvement journey -
Towns excluded from broadband fund
9-May-2012
Government takes ‘cities only’ approach -
Parsons refused to authorise European expenses disclosure
9-May-2012
Leicestershire leader ‘does not intend’ to sign vital letter -
Mayors should take axe to councillors, says thinktank
1-May-2012
IfG issues advice to any new mayors ahead of this week’s referendums. -
Triborough support shows small decline
23-Apr-2012
Overall support high but falls in Kensington as shared sevice launch nears -
Ombudsman blasts council's 'extreme and most serious' planning failure
23-Apr-2012
Hambleton to pay parishes for ‘losing control’ of airfield -
DCLG statisticians 'signed off' on controversial research
23-Apr-2012
Advisers to Eric Pickles insist consultants’ work approved by officials -
County rapped over child care papers theft
20-Apr-2012
Leicestershire gives undertaking on home working -
‘A front office for government’
19 April 2012
Boasting accessibility, public support and investment, the post office proposes a new deal with councils -
Committee system could now be outdated, councils warned
19 April 2012
Be clearer about objectives, councils told as more than 40 consider switching systems -
Mediawatch - Another tired time bomb metaphor…
19 April 2012
If the TaxPayers’ Alliance had its way, local government staff probably wouldn’t be paid at all, let alone receive pensions -
Post Offices: Lancaster case study
19 April 2012
Lancaster City Council covers a large rural and coastal area whose residents have had to travel to service centres at Lancaster or Morecambe for most cash transactions with the council -
Post Offices: Westminster case study
19 April 2012
Westminster City Council has swapped three one-stop shops for 26 post offices as its main outlets for transactions with residents -
Parsons survives removal motion
18-Apr-2012
Leicestershire leader sees off resignation call -
Local data releases 'not comparable', complains NAO
18-Apr-2012
Spending watchdog questions quality of public performance information -
County leader quits to seek police commissioner role
17-Apr-2012
Maddock resigns from Somerset to vie for Tory nomination -
Officers asked for ideas on central-local links
17-Apr-2012
Codification would ‘bring local authorities back to life’, MPs hear -
Mayors 'should cover metro areas to be effective'
16-Apr-2012
Report urges clear powers and recall system -
Leader retires as committee system re-appears
13-Apr-2012
‘Right time for new team’, says Sutton’s Brennan -
Housing cuts threaten to unwind public health 'victories'
13-Apr-2012
CIEH warns of return to 1980s deprivation levels -
Frater lends a hand to crisis council
12-Apr-2012
Scandal-hit Wirral calls in veteran troubleshooter -
Health changes to put boards into 'eye of the storm'
12-Apr-2012
Thinktank warns local hospital rows will see councillors ‘tested to the limit’ -
Labour proposes schools role for councils
11-Apr-2012
Twigg consults on creation of ‘middle tier’ local school oversight -
'Prevention better than cure' for problem potholes
10-Apr-2012
Planned asset management approach supported for highways maintenance -
Hillan dies after cancer fight
10-Apr-2012
Tributes paid to former Barnet leader -
Thinktank launches probe of academy schools
10-Apr-2012
Commission to study impact of eightfold increase in number of academies -
LGA names procurement 'big winners'
5-Apr-2012
Eight chosen for efficiency demonstration pilots -
Shadow bodies created as reorganisation process starts
4-Apr-2012
Northern Ireland councils maintain objections to lack of finance and involvement -
Sykes takes lead in Doncaster intervention
4-Apr-2012
Ex-Worcestershire chief arrives as political upheaval looms -
Programme seeks work for jobless young
3-Apr-2012
Councils press for wider Youth Contract role -
Courts to blame for worst adoption delays
2-Apr-2012
Ofsted undermines Gove’s attack on councils -
Nottingham first with workplace parking levy
2-Apr-2012
Council gains transport funds after facing down business objections -
Housing and procurement top local government frauds
30-Mar-2012
Councils lose £2.2bn to crooks -
Scandal council leader attacks 'mystical' officer group
30-Mar-2012
Wirral leader questions senior staff competence and openness -
'We listened over sustainability', says planning minister
30-Mar-2012
Clark urges councils to adopt local plans ‘as soon as possible’ -
Legislation threatened to force creation of local councils
30-Mar-2012
Cabinet Office looks for ‘significant shift’ of power to neighbourhoods -
LEPs get 'arbitrary' Growing Places increase
29-Mar-2012
Extra £270m spread evenly, not by development potential -
Northampton mulls joining LGSS
29-Mar-2012
Company poised for second new partner this year -
Riots panel calls for 'forgotten families' programme
28-Mar-2012
Jobs and ‘character building’ at root of solutions -
National policy imposed on plan-less councils
27-Mar-2012
Holders of local plans get a year to meet National Planning Policy Framework -
Bus bonanza for transport authorities
27-Mar-2012
Money switched from operators to councils, new funding competition launched -
Fear over scale of election fraud misplaced, says commission
26-Mar-2012
Report finds no widespread cases of impropriety in 2011 -
Police review complaint against Parsons
26-Mar-2012
Opposition seeks to oust Leicestershire leader -
Budget 2012: Councils stripped of health and safety control
23-Mar-2012
HSE to direct all inspection and enforcement -
Budget 2012: Threat to tax consultants at source
23-Mar-2012
Councils liable for tax, NI, and question mark remains over pensions -
Budget 2012: TfL could grab share of business rates
22-Mar-2012
Money would support sustainable transport -
Budget 2012: Alarm over housing reform threat
22-Mar-2012
Budget warns of ‘action’ against increased public debt -
LGA trying to renegotiate deal
22 March 2012
Cost cut sought as staff numbers shrink. -
Budget 2012: Broadband and rail head infrastructure list
21-Mar-2012
Planning to bend to growth objectives -
‘Co-op' council inquiry launched
21-Mar-2012
Call for evidence on mutuals, social enterprises -
Budget 2012: First 'city deal' gives Manchester tax back
21-Mar-2012
Councils to share in tax generated by growth -
Parsons' chauffeured car goes amid expenses row
20-Mar-2012
Leader says he’ll ‘walk, get the bus, or use the train’ -
Four rapped over FoI sloth
20-Mar-2012
Commissioner demands quicker response times -
Pickles warns over 'right to challenge' abuse
20-Mar-2012
Communities secretary on lookout for firms posing as community groups -
LGA tries to renegotiate outsource deal
20-Mar-2012
Cost cut sought as staff numbers shrink. -
Youth unemployment strategy panned
19-Mar-2012
‘Excessive bureaucracy’ hindering drive to tackle ‘Neets’ -
Call for certainty in care costs
19-Mar-2012
Elderly should not have to sell homes to fund care -
Farrar to be Bath chief
19-Mar-2012
More than 50 sought top post -
Call to hand DWP's work to councils
16-Mar-2012
LGA told of approach to Treasury to break up Department for Work and Pensions. -
Scottish councils to oversee national service performance
16-Mar-2012
Agreement with government on local oversight of national providers. -
Southwark standards row over regeneration disclosure
16-Mar-2012
Opposition leader claims confidential information was already public -
Snow and cuts leave roads full of holes
15-Mar-2012
Survey finds better asset planning ‘could save cash and fill potholes’ -
Gove 'shines light' with adoption scorecards
14-Mar-2012
LGA attacks return to micro-management of councils by Whitehall -
Scandal probe urges review of monitoring officer roles
13-Mar-2012
Alleged Gloucestershire Freemasonic conspiracy rejected -
Scepticism greets 're-booted' Right to Buy
13-Mar-2012
Doubts over Shapps’ ‘one-for-one’ replacement claim -
Lib Dems clash over elected mayors
12-Mar-2012
‘Effectiveness’ verses ‘dictatorship’ arguments at party conference meeting -
Accounts debacle leads to sharing
12-Mar-2012
‘Naive’ to expect easy solution to accounting problems, Brentwood told -
Broadband planning stage complete
9-Mar-2012
But Hunt warns Tyneside pair against complacency -
Amber light for local control of rail
9-Mar-2012
Groups of councils could take over rural and commuter lines, says Greening -
Members and officers clash over standards codes choice
8 March 2012
Conflict called a “dog’s breakfast”, as groups plan to circulate their own advice -
United local view vital for role share
8 March 2012
Mutual trust between political leaders and equal attention to individual councils said to be vital in making a success of shared chiefs -
Baker calls councils to satnav summit
7-Mar-2012
Bid to keep lorries from lanes -
Call to link officers' pay to engagement
7-Mar-2012
Thinktank urges councils to work with local ‘change makers’ -
Partner council 'not consulted' in shared chief row
7-Mar-2012
Tension as Hambleton sends chief on garden leave without asking Richmondshire -
Sharing damned as costly failure
7-Mar-2012
Councils give perspective on NAO report -
Metropolitan councils seek control over trains
6-Mar-2012
Transport authorities want to become local rail franchisers -
Protests as councils face upfront costs of reform
6-Mar-2012
Efficiencies dispute hits Northern Ireland transition -
Council pension funds 'should invest in infrastructure'
6-Mar-2012
Think tank says returns would exceed equities -
Audit mutual plan scrapped after contract snub
5-Mar-2012
Commission procurement awards leave staff-owned firm unviable. -
Kemp to contest Liverpool mayoralty
5-Mar-2012
Critic of mayors says he knows how to avoid ‘accretion of power’ -
Builders urge government to 'stand firm' on planning
2-Mar-2012
Figures show permissions at lowest level for five years -
Districts to share cross-county
2-Mar-2012
Cherwell and South Northamptonshire in shared services deal -
Roe poised to lead Westminster
2-Mar-2012
Tories pick new leader after parking furore -
Town hall jobs shed faster than Whitehall
2-Mar-2012
Office for National Statistics shows four-fold difference -
Coughlin takes senior LGA role
2-Mar-2012
Reading chief becomes first executive director. -
Cotswold whistleblower probe cost £70,000
2-Mar-2012
Peer calls case ‘wasteful persecution’ -
Bolton ruling likely to set precedent for disclosure of business interests
1 March 2012
Senior officers may be required to publish their personal shareholdings and other financial interests -
Role for councils in older people’s dignity drive
29-Feb-2012
Report’s authors “deeply saddened” by reports highlighting undignified care of older people in hospitals and homes -
Cockell warns on public health priorities
28-Feb-2012
Residents must be convinced of case for dropping some services -
Directors reject care fees claims
28-Feb-2012
Rising home fees ‘not councils’ fault’ -
Council seeks public inquiry into adult services abuses
27-Feb-2012
New Wirral administration to appoint staff ombudsman and probe departures -
Insurers attack 'foolish' councils on floods
27-Feb-2012
LGA accuses industry of shunning high risk areas -
Unison warns over car package cuts
27-Feb-2012
Fears spread that councils will cut mileage and allowances -
Nuclear council sets 0% tax
27-Feb-2012
Sedgemoor confident energy firm will pay huge planning bill -
Adoption to be key for 'outstanding' rating
27-Feb-2012
Ofsted announces changes to rating criteria -
Council told to publish Dr Who letters
24-Feb-2012
‘Bewildered’ tribunal says Cardiff has enough time for time lord correspondence -
Union threatens industrial action on pay freeze
24-Feb-2012
GMB to ballot members unless dispute is referred to ACAS -
Minister concedes concessionary fares review
23-Feb-2012
Rural counties say financing is unsustainable -
Back offices most vulnerable as finance chiefs wield axes
23-Feb-2012
Cipfa survey finds fears for medium term budgets -
Gove promises less cautious adoption system
23-Feb-2012
Taking children into care ‘not a sign of failure’ -
‘Let us keep our £600m business rate bonus,' treasurer urges
23 February 2012
Rallying call to councils as survey findings spark fears of Treasury cash grab -
Families progress stymied by semantics
23 February 2012
Councils under pressure as definition delays hinder flagship programme plans -
Councils to pilot universal credit
23 February 2012
Welfare minister writes to the LGA inviting proposals -
Leader savages 'failing' shared service operation
22-Feb-2012
Somerset ‘looking at all options’ over Southwest One -
Scrutiny spending ebbs away
22-Feb-2012
Function should not be ‘soft target’ for cuts, says CfPS. -
Pickles asked to explain planning row remarks
21-Feb-2012
Blackburn queries whether parliamentary answer was correct -
Councils share Iceland payout
20-Feb-2012
First instalment secured from collapsed bank -
Troubled families coordinators wanted 'as soon as possible'
20-Feb-2012
DCLG tells councils not to divert funding into operational roles -
Manchester councils look to buy airport
20-Feb-2012
Hunt on for purchase opportunity and private investment -
Leading Tory defends tax arrangements
17-Feb-2012
Cost fears as Treasury probe into self-employed status of civil servants is extended to local authorities -
Suffolk districts choose Gallin as joint chief
17-Feb-2012
External appointment after incumbents stand aside -
'Cherry-picking' accusation hits Wandsworth
17-Feb-2012
Opposition claims only favourable indicators are in transparency exercise -
County faces £9.5m bill for interest in building dispute
17-Feb-2012
No start date in sight for Cambridgeshire busway court case -
Moody's acts on council credit ratings
16-Feb-2012
Six follow UK government into ‘negative outlook’ -
Suppliers join in criticism of welfare deadline
16 February 2012
More firms join Capita in questioning council tax benefit changes -
Whitehall leads ‘private’ delegation over clean land rules
16 February 2012
Councils could lose powers to insist sites are cleaned before development -
Sedgemoor goes nuclear over planning cost
15-Feb-2012
Council tax setting adjourned over £2m claim -
Unfrozen Wales gets 2.1% council tax rise
15-Feb-2012
Increase set at ‘bare minimum’, says WLGA -
London wins in transport spend ahead of mayoral poll
14-Feb-2012
Local transport outside capuital is biggest loser, analysis says -
Labour ousted at scandal-hit council
14-Feb-2012
Talks in progress at Wirral on all-party cabinet -
Scotland's council funding set
13-Feb-2012
Tax freeze agreed as part of deal -
Plymouth's Keel quits
10-Feb-2012
Chief to leave after performance turnaround -
Lansley admits to care funding issue
10-Feb-2012
Solace hears health secretary will ‘bite the bullet’ on reform -
Thinktank slams Pickles for obstructing localism
10-Feb-2012
Tax freeze and weekly bin collections symptoms of interventionism, says Reform -
Vote change marred by financial doubts
10-Feb-2012
New plan to populate electoral registers but doubts remain -
Government insists public health ringfence must stay
10-Feb-2012
MPs’ call to scrap spending control rejected -
Pest control cuts pose public health risk
9 February 2012
‘Perfect storm’ of diseases predicted as councils face resource and skills shortfall -
Sector launches 'clarity' campaign
9 February 2012
Bid to increase community understanding of public sector funding and service delivery -
Bristol City Council 1999-2002: a council with no leadership
9 February 2012
Bristol City Council’s short-lived experiment with doing without a chief executive was brought to an end by, among other factors, a ‘weak’ rating in the first round of Audit Commission comprehensive performance assessments in 2002. -
North Tyneside 1992-2002: It did not work over time
9 February 2012
For 10 years, North Tyneside MBC did without a chief executive, the longest example known of this management approach. -
Northumberland 1989-1992
9 February 2012
The former Northumberland CC did without a chief executive from 1989 to 1992, when county treasurer Ken Morris was given the additional post of managing director. -
Power of entry in doubt after Lords' vote
8-Feb-2012
Confusion over trading standards exemption -
Intervention at council could be reduced
8-Feb-2012
Minister offers Anglesey more freedom if progress is maintained -
Central powers over public health directors extended
8-Feb-2012
News of extra guidance comes alongside individual funding allocations -
Academies' freedom leads to slacker cash control
7-Feb-2012
Top civil servant tells MPs to ‘avoid replicating local education authorities’ -
Council loses case over tighter care rules
6-Feb-2012
Adass declares adult care system ‘broken’ -
London seeks massive rail devolution
6-Feb-2012
Mayor would remove train companies from suburban network. -
Salt stocks hold up in big freeze
6-Feb-2012
Extra supplies keep roads clear after previous years’ blockages. -
Slow progress at intervention councils
6-Feb-2012
Wales auditors’ concern over Blaenau Gwent and Anglesey. -
Dispute over London efficiency scheme
6-Feb-2012
Tories want residual funds shared out -
Value of early years education questioned
3-Feb-2012
Spending watchdog unable to find link cash and quality -
HRA reform winners and losers named
2-Feb-2012
Council told how they will exit centralised housing finance sytem. -
Small but ‘significant’ shift to committees
2 February 2012
Number of single- and upper-tier councils cite ‘transparency’ and ‘speed’ as they switch systems -
Case study - Kingston-upon-Thames RBC
2 February 2012
How one London borough is already operating a committee system -
Shapps issues Growing Places and New Homes Bonus figures
1-Feb-2012
Small increase over expectations for LEPs -
Lord's threat to officers' power of entry
1-Feb-2012
Trading standards could lose power to raid without warrants -
Local transport spending set for devolution
1-Feb-2012
Greening offers to end Whitehall approval of major projects -
Broadband roll-out 'could damage roads'
1-Feb-2012
Call for duty on industry to work with highways officers on ‘microtrenching’ -
Shapps rules out housing finance changes
31-Jan-2012
More borrowing would ‘endanger deficit redcution’ -
MPs sceptical councils can meet demand for flood cash
31-Jan-2012
Spending watchdog condemns confused flood hazard responsibilities. -
Auditors tell council to drop 'informal' management style
30-Jan-2012
Special inspection follows row over Pembrokeshire’s child safeguarding. -
Age UK warns of £500m social care funding gap
30-Jan-2012
LGA says councils risk loss of trust -
Shared service operation records large loss
30-Jan-2012
Extra borrowing costs for district as a result of losses -
Salford votes for elected mayor
27-Jan-2012
But turmoil in Liverpool as Clegg denies ‘city deal’ requires a mayor -
Minister postpones council election
27-Jan-2012
Anger on Anglesey over poll delay -
LGA called in after care scandal
27-Jan-2012
Wirrall report finds whistleblowers feared reprisals -
Jobs fear as environmental contractor folds
27-Jan-2012
Administration for Fountains hits Norwich hardest. -
Social care savings lag as health gives too little support
24-Jan-2012
MPs say government wrong on impact of spending review -
Censure for councillor who helped to expose fraud
23-Jan-2012
Lib Dems call on council chief to go -
Public health budget and indicators revealed
23-Jan-2012
Lansley leaves gaps over cash allocation and policy detail. -
Staff asked to agree end of overtime
23-Jan-2012
Harrow to ballot directly, after union dispute ends talks -
District seats on health boards rejected
20-Jan-2012
Lansley tells environmental health he won’t set ‘prescriptive framework.’ -
Nottinghamshire set to restore committees
20-Jan-2012
Cabinet system faces axe -
Two-tier system 'may not survive'
19 January 2012
Discussion paper queries future of two-tier system -
Dual oversight role proposed
19 January 2012
Commissioners performing similar role to councils would cause confusion and waste money says Solihull chief -
Council accounts qualified for sixth year running
18-Jan-2012
Shetland in dispute over status of multi-million pound charity -
Parliament 'needs local accountable officers' for pooled budgets
17-Jan-2012
Warning that departmental and professional barriers will stunt progress. -
DH urges councils to support commissioning
16-Jan-2012
Policy paper promises list of potential functions -
Business urges more economic development powers for councils
16-Jan-2012
Civic leadership needs to match European standard. -
Beecham slams LGA over voter registration
13-Jan-2012
Former chair says association should have backed compulsion -
Minister tries to reopen NI reorganisation dispute
13-Jan-2012
Attwood calls for 15 councils despite executive commitment to create 11 -
Herts councils finance London Underground extension
13-Jan-2012
Order sought to build rail link for Watford -
Far apart on green belt building
13-Jan-2012
Nottinghamshire and Basildon in long-distance row over pension fund’s land purchase -
'Billions of savings' through behaviour change
12-Jan-2012
Impower report urges councils to work with residents to cut demand for services -
Dozen to capitalise equal pay costs
11-Jan-2012
But Birmingham challenges court ruling on claim time limits -
Lock wins leg of Leicester legal battle
9-Jan-2012
Ousted chief executive secures judicial review -
'Fewer jobs' in Somerset's £20m change plan
13-Oct-2011
Managers’ prompt sheet says some services ‘may stop’ -
County launches independent probe after jailing
13-Oct-2011
Gloucestershire leader vows to get Water Park claims ‘out in the open’. -
MPs call for delay to change in benefit control
13 October 2011
Protection for elderly, vulnerable will exacerbate cuts for claimants -
Outsourcing 'best option' for local audits
12-Oct-2011
Report rubbishes other options for future of Audit Commission in-house practice -
Birmingham gains top credit ratings
12-Oct-2011
City’s financial status matches that of USA -
Council powers over buses rejected
11-Oct-2011
Competition Commission says measures would only ‘address symptoms’ of problems. -
First figures on 'local' productivity given
11-Oct-2011
Coast and rural areas foot new table -
Adonis calls for Greater Manchester mayor
1-Sep-2011
Thinktank head suggests conurbation-wide post -
Planning reforms 'to worsen congestion'
31-Aug-2011
Research warns of surge of out-of-town business parks. -
Crisis meeting as Edinburgh loses tram funds
31-Aug-2011
Swinney objects to shorter line vote -
Union row leaves Plymouth deal in limbo
30-Aug-2011
Confusion reigns two days before start date -
Orkney plans senior officer cull
30-Aug-2011
Chief executive claims strong public support -
RDA land and buildings transferred
30-Aug-2011
Homes & Communities Agency to work with local partners on disposals -
Trafford chief stands down
26-Aug-2011
Trafford MBC chief executive Janet Callender has quit on grounds of ill-health -
Opposition pact shortens Edinburgh's tramline
26-Aug-2011
Line to stop short of city centre after Labour and Tories united in opposition to reject prudential borrowing plans -
Media comments spark ministers' attack on council
26-Aug-2011
Pembrokeshire CC leader hits back over ministers’ ire on children’s report -
Ministers consult on housing receipts freedom
26-Aug-2011
Rules on selling homes could be swept away -
Planning permissions plummet further
26-Aug-2011
Home Builders Federation’s latest figures show second lowest number of planning permissions granted in a quarter in the last five years -
LGA chair says Heseltine is wrong
25-Aug-2011
Sir Merrick Cockell attacks Lord Heseltine’s claims that local leaders were invisible in wake of riots -
Pioneering billboard case costs £260,000
22-Jul-2011
Legal action that could have won councils substantial payouts from operators of unauthorised advertising hoardings backfires -
Kent election fee arrangement was 'unlawful'
5-Jul-2011
Former chief executive “surprised” over new council opinion -
DCLG fire fiasco 'wasted £469m'
1-Jul-2011
Auditors castigate civil servants over Fire Control failure -
Regulation service set to lose independence
1-Jul-2011
Minister says LBRO should join business department -
Hanham dilutes local referendum power
1-Jul-2011
Councils given ways to refuse Localism Bill referendum calls -
Commission rejects 'top down' Scottish reorganisation
30-Jun-2011
Warning that council services will ‘buckle under strain’ without more partnership working -
Welsh councils 'deluded' if they shun collaboration
30-Jun-2011
Education minister requires joint work to boost school standards -
District gets court to quash county plan
29-Jun-2011
Barrow says Cumbria failed to consult on extraction site -
Ministers shift on police commissioner tax power
29-Jun-2011
Two-thirds majority of councillors can now block their council tax proposals -
LGA seeks council control of all public bus subsidy
29-Jun-2011
Millions of pounds should be channelled through town halls, not Whitehall -
Poll reveals slump in view of councils' value
28-Jun-2011
Public favourable overall but concerned about efficiency and good value -
A different way of working
16 June 2011
Relations between councils and government in Scotland appear more constructive than south of the border -
Report highlights shortcomings in Somerset outsourcing contract
9 June 2011
Long-delayed report found insufficient procurement savings -
Southwest One review called for renegotiation
6-Jun-2011
Long-delayed report found insufficient procurement savings -
Suffolk extends controversial chief's leave
3-Jun-2011
Andrea Hill to wait three weeks for expenses probe -
Sex charges for former leader Lord
2-Jun-2011
Ex-Worcestershire leader is charged -
Cornwall slams Telegraph over currency errors
1-Jun-2011
Newspaper counted yens and rupees as pounds hugely inflating ‘wild spending’ claims -
Parsons makes pitch to districts
1-Jun-2011
David Parsons offers more power for districts in LGA if he becomes chair -
Random inspections to follow care abuse exposure
1-Jun-2011
Four arrested after BBC’s care abuse exposure as Care Quality Commission and South Gloucestershire Council come under fire -
Sceptical councils told to plan road maintenance
26-May-2011
Audit Commission says ‘worst first’ wastes money -
One-third cut for Scots inspections
26-May-2011
Six bodies agree risk-based plan for councils -
Released children face lack of support
26-May-2011
Better planning needed for looked after children leaving custody -
EHOs lay claim to public health director jobs
25-May-2011
Appointees should not be directors of social services -
Standards board member accused over FoI releases
25-May-2011
Kirklees leader doctored disclosures, newspaper claims -
Databases opened to aid vote registers
23-May-2011
Pilots to see wrongly included and excluded names -
Development framework draft alarms planners
23-May-2011
Row likely over views of sustainability -
Byles quits PfS to lead social infrastructure venture
20-May-2011
Partnership for Schools chief sets up social enterprise -
Local future proposed for rail franchises
20-May-2011
Councils could get their hands on train sets -
Birmingham loses care judicial review
20-May-2011
Judge says disability legislation must be followed -
Former leader's trial moved
19-May-2011
Cumbria’s case to be tried outside county -
Clark rebuts fears of planning permission 'sales'
19-May-2011
Minister says planners misunderstood Bill clause -
Councils condemn £20m nuclear compensation package
19-May-2011
Hinkley Point community benefits offer ‘insufficient’ -
Leap forward for children’s services role
19 May 2011
Councils on tight deadline in sector-led improvement scheme consultation -
Councils warned over IT systems variety
19 May 2011
The public will face a confusing range of service outlets unless the right technology is used to integrate new providers -
Babergh councillors try to halt districts' merger
18-May-2011
Residents warned on costs of joining with Mid Suffolk -
Tower Hamlets seeks city status
17-May-2011
Mayor wants to promote London’s East End -
Planners slam 'cash for development' move
17-May-2011
Legal change would put cash before communities, says RTPI -
Elected mayor proposes to scrap chief executive job
17-May-2011
Top job under threat in Leicester -
New NI minister to grapple with council reform
16-May-2011
Alex Attwood faces call for more local powers -
Johnson blasts Tory's 'extravagant' expenses
16-May-2011
Fire authority chair Brian Coleman criticised over cost of travel claims -
Parsons calls for 'middle England common sense' in LGA chair bid
16-May-2011
Tory contender would end chief executive search and seek rapprochement with government -
Ombudsman calls for £25,000 payout from council
13-May-2011
Torbay criticised for bankrupting suicidal man -
Buses test case to challenge subsidy cuts
13-May-2011
Case set to decide on Transport Act 1985 duties -
Councils urged to seek snow men - and women
13-May-2011
MPs call for volunteers to clear snow-bound streets -
Councils welcome call for role in bus networks
12-May-2011
Competition regulator condemns local bus monopolies -
Students warn on careless recycling messages
11-May-2011
Recycling promotions should not ‘get down’ with the young -
Crime pays for Havering
11-May-2011
Council to get share of £513,000 after proceeds of crime hearing. -
Good scrutiny shortlist named
11-May-2011
The Centre for Public Scrutiny unveils its annual awards shortlist -
Council staff join 'digital champions' initiative
11-May-2011
Government aims to spread internet use among disadvantaged adults -
PFI procurement needs upskilling
5 May 2011
Public sector contract mangers need better skills and should have incentives to get best value from contractors. -
Rats warning if council duties go
4-May-2011
Environmental health officers fear results of cull of statutory duties -
County seeks finance for would-be rural bus drivers
4-May-2011
Cambridgeshire looks for way forward after subsidies end -
Councils warn of 'unintended consequences' of reform
3-May-2011
Scottish councils object to reforms aired during election tussle -
London charities to get more council money after court ruling
29-Apr-2011
Voluntary sector gets extra cash following judicial review. -
Council seeks future for doomed airport
29-Apr-2011
Plymouth faces loss of air links -
Tesco withdraws council recycling sites
28-Apr-2011
Retailer under fire over collection point switch -
Savings revealed as chief waives privacy rights
28-Apr-2011
Anglesey sets salary as it seeks permanent chief -
NAO warns on high costs of private finance
28-Apr-2011
Lack of procurement skills see public money wasted, says National Audit Office -
Ministers own up to factual errors
27-Apr-2011
Two local government ministers have had to correct statements made to parliament in one day. -
Auditors warn Haringey over slack use of consultants
27-Apr-2011
Deloitte finds half of appointments had no business case -
Warrington slammed for destroying planning records
27-Apr-2011
Ombudsman finds “extraordinary and inexcusable maladministration” over lost data -
Urgent Rochdale meeting over vote fraud claims
26-Apr-2011
Council summons parties in bid to enforce rules -
Councils urged to take long-term housing view
26-Apr-2011
Councils not sufficiently involved with imminent affordable rent homes and fixed term tenancies in their areas, Chartered Institute of Housing claims -
Councils seek halt to new power lines
26-Apr-2011
Two counties call for radical changes to electricity transmission to avoid construction of new pylons in the countryside -
Call for benefit experiment in 'most deprived town'
20-Apr-2011
Two councils want eligibility for housing benefit tied to the condition of homes -
'Lord' has party haunt closed by council
20-Apr-2011
Westminster City Council wins lengthy planning battle against self-described lord over celebrity-party mansion -
Cross-party support for business rate competition
13-Apr-2011
ComRes poll shows a majority of councillors from all three parties support Pickles’ proposals -
Poll finds doubt over New Homes Bonus
11-Apr-2011
Property firm’s poll finds councillors, the industry and the public sceptical about the bonus’ impact on development. -
Audit probe says sharers should declare interests
8-Apr-2011
Councils that share services should require declarations of interest where either is affected -
Anglesey faces threat of enforced merger
24 March 2011
First council to be taken over by commissioners unlikely to survive without radical change, interim managing director claims -
Chiefs' union hits out at allegations against Davies
24 March 2011
New suspension of Conwy CBC chief Byron Davies condemned by ALACE -
London five set to share
22-Mar-2011
South London boroughs say days of individual service provision are gone -
Commissioners start work on troubled island
22-Mar-2011
Officials sent in to take over Isle of Anglesey CC hold first meeting -
Marathon probe clears cabinet member
22-Mar-2011
Bournemouth BC cabinet member cleared after probes lasting 15 months. -
Union slams chief's fresh suspension
22-Mar-2011
Alace condemns new suspension of Conwy CBC chief Byron Davies -
Impasse leads to stopgap chief
21-Mar-2011
North Tyneside Council appoints part-time interim chief executive after councillors fail to agree full-time appointment -
Outsource leaves council 'too small', says Unison
21-Mar-2011
Chief executive denies outsourcing of waste function will destabilise authority -
Adan to lead merging districts
21-Mar-2011
Chief executive named for two districts hoping to merge -
Top jobs go in Manchester cuts
18-Mar-2011
Manchester City Council expects to save nearly £1.4m by a cull of top posts. -
Two jailed over Christmas fraud
18-Mar-2011
Brothers jailed after Dorset CC trading standards prosecution over fake Christmas theme park -
No winners, only losers
10 March 2011
The coalition may be localist, but it’s point man on local government relations has waged war on councils -
Let in the bloggers, says Neill
24-Feb-2011
Council should let bloggers and internet broadcasters into their meetings, ministers have said. -
Unaudited parishes 'should lose spending rights'
24-Feb-2011
Parish councils that fail to file proper accounts should lose their right to receive and spend public money. -
Ad deal leads to paper launch
24 February 2011
Thurrock LBC helps launch new local newspaper after tendering out its entire advertising spend -
Auditors head for troubled Anglesey
24 February 2011
Crisis report due next week -
Pickles sets £100,000 'as the place to start'
24 February 2011
A headhunter warns that requirement for councils to vote on salaries over £100,000 could prevent appointments being made -
Waste firm gains choice of planning permissions
23-Feb-2011
A waste company has gained two planning permissions for an incinerator site after a government ruling. -
Call to define police 'front line'
23-Feb-2011
The Home Office should define the ‘front line’ in policing before it uses the concept to drive cuts -
Errant island councillors 'wreaking havoc'
22-Feb-2011
Isle of Anglesey Council faces takeover or enforced merger unless councillors behave -
Charges laid in Cotswold park probe
22-Feb-2011
Fraud charges have been laid against the former chief executive of a body that has enmeshed Cotswold DC in controversy. -
Council in trouble over seven inches of land
22-Feb-2011
Barnsley MBC is criticised by an ombudsman for trying to charge a resident £7,000 for a triangle of land just seven inches wide -
Smith to lead sharing districts
21-Feb-2011
Harborough DC chief executive Sue Smith moves to lead two districts as a shared chief -
Urban areas scoop homes bonus
21-Feb-2011
Northern cities and London boroughs stand to gain the highest amounts from the New Homes Bonus. -
Survey finds peril for bus subsidies
21-Feb-2011
Financial support for bus routes is set to fall in more than half of English councils, a transport officers’ survey has found. -
Jailed auditor's failings caused 'disrepute'
18-Feb-2011
Wales’ disgraced former auditor-general said to have brought his office into disrepute and acted inappropriately as a manager. -
Liverpool parties unite over cuts
18-Feb-2011
Cross-party support for budget that cuts £91m next year -
Scottish council roads worsen, say auditors
17-Feb-2011
Condition of Scotland’s roads deteriorated sharply even before council spending cuts -
Commission finds few vote frauds
17-Feb-2011
One person convicted of malpractice in last May’s elections -
Chief blasts councillors on crisis island
17-Feb-2011
Isle of Anglesey CC faces “more stringent” government intervention after astonishing attack on councillors by interim chief executive -
Homes bonus 'would break law'
17-Feb-2011
The New Homes Bonus would be unlawful, an environmental campaign group claims -
Hertfordshire trio set to share
16-Feb-2011
Three councils in Hertfordshire could come together to share services if business cases show sufficient savings. -
Manchester cuts row at prime minister's questions
16-Feb-2011
Cameron attacks Manchester City Council for making “politically-driven” cuts -
Anger over council votes on senior pay
16-Feb-2011
Full councils must vote on any officer salaries that exceed £100,000 a year, communities secretary Eric Pickles rules -
Alarm over Wales power grab
16-Feb-2011
Fears ministers could unilaterally reorganise councils due to late legislative changes -
Welsh councils' joy as assembly defies Home Office
15-Feb-2011
Police reform proposals thrown out in Wales -
MP says council hit by Ghurka arrivals
15-Feb-2011
Defence minister Gerald Howarth warns influx of former Ghurkha soldiers causing “deep concern” to Rushmoor BC -
Spending cuts could send graduates south
15-Feb-2011
Cuts in public spending could lead to a ‘brain drain’ out of northern England and the Midlands -
Improved Thurrock sheds board
14-Feb-2011
Thurrock Council winds up improvement board three years after being found to be not improving adequately -
Councils told to publish third sector payments
4-Feb-2011
Decentralisation minister Greg Clark tells councils to publish spending on voluntary and community sector -
Thinktank calls for fees freedom
4-Feb-2011
Councils should be free to profit from planning, licensing, parking and building control fees, thinktank says -
Highways outsourcing ends in Cumbria
4-Feb-2011
Cumbria CC is to bring its highway maintenance service back in-house after deciding this would save money -
Hammond backs transport schemes after savings found
4-Feb-2011
Nine local transport projects have been given the go-ahead after the councils involved found savings of £45.5m. -
Look back in wonder - with the benefit of hindsight
16 December 2010
The LGC team is taking a break at the end of a momentous year in local government. Until we’re back, re-live the highlights with our special look back on 2010 - the year the money ran out. -
April 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - April -
August 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - August -
December 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - December -
February 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - February -
January 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - January -
July 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - July -
June 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - June -
March 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - March -
May 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - May -
November 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - November -
October 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - October -
September 2010
16 December 2010
LGC’s review of 2010 - September -
Wales boundary review abandoned
10-Dec-2010
Controversial restructuring deferred after accusations work going too slowly -
Eden chief to retire
10-Dec-2010
Eden DC chief Executive Kevin Douglas is to retire at the end of March 2011. -
Call for LEPs to gain council powers
9-Dec-2010
Local enterprise partnerships will need powers over council policies, MPs claim -
Watson denies Audit Commission allegations
9-Dec-2010
Former Audit Commission board member Jenny Watson rejects anonymous allegations about her departure -
Energy efficiency 'slow' in Scotland
9-Dec-2010
Accounts Commission for Scotland pans public sector over energy use -
Ombudsman 'needs discipline powers'
9 December 2010
Chiefs seek reassurance that inappropriate councillor behaviour will be tackled -
Policing the councillors
9 December 2010
Bathwater and babies, nuts and sledgehammers. For a decade there has been no consensus on how councillors’ conduct should be policed. -
Union challenges council's commissioning plan
9 December 2010
Selby DC’s plan to turn itself into a commissioning council employing only 14 people is legally flawed, according to Unison -
Suffolk mulls job cuts before massive outsourcing
8-Dec-2010
County council plans to shed nearly 1,500 jobs even before its proposed divestment of services starts -
Lincoln counts cost of snow-hit market
8-Dec-2010
A huge bill faces City of Lincoln Council after heavy snowfalls forced it to cancel the city’s Christmas market -
'Infuriating' delays hit Cambridgeshire's £116m busway
7-Dec-2010
One of the country’s largest local authority construction projects is mired in a dispute over defects -
Devolution to NI councils revived
7-Dec-2010
Local government reform and devolution in Northern Ireland could be back on track after being halted by political disputes last summer -
Salt 'crisis' if freeze persists
7-Dec-2010
Expert tells councils to look abroad for supplies -
Trading standards 'test' for Whitehall devolution
7-Dec-2010
LGA could take over management of national and regional trading standards enforcement -
Ex-leader faces fraud charges
6-Dec-2010
Former Eden leader charged with fraud by Cumbria CC’s trading standards department -
Haringey and Waltham Forest look to combine services
3-Dec-2010
Two London boroughs agree to share services in bid to find savings -
'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 -
Vote officers 'must learn from queue errors'
2-Dec-2010
Acting returning officers in four places where queues developed outside general election polling stations failed to meet standards for skills and knowledge -
Council considers cutting staff to 14
2 December 2010
District explores setting up operationally independent ‘service delivery vehicle’ -
Bill to allow three to leave HRA early
2 December 2010
Bill to allow three councils to leave the housing revenue account system to be tabled -
MPs report on commissioners
2 December 2010
Elected mayors should not double up as police and crime commissioners, MPs say -
Councils shun food safety ratings
1-Dec-2010
Only 18 councils have signed up for a scheme designed to end the proliferation of local rating systems for food hygiene -
LGA tells Pickles to ease front-loading
1-Dec-2010
Urgent measures to lessen damage from front-loaded cuts put to communities secretary -
MPs reject police commissioner mayors
1-Dec-2010
Elected mayors should not double up as police and crime commissioners, MPs find -
Suffolk outsource plan 'would destabilise economy'
30-Nov-2010
Suffolk CC’s plan to turn itself into a ‘commissioning hub’ with few directly employed staff could destabilise the county’s economy, report warns -
Sussex neighbours set to share
30-Nov-2010
Two neighbouring districts in East Sussex are set to name each other as preferred partners to share services -
Turmoil as fourth cabinet member leaves Cheshire East
29-Nov-2010
A cabinet member at Cheshire East Council has been sacked over allegations about his conduct towards senior officers and councillors -
MP calls for trio to find path out of HRA
26-Nov-2010
Bill to allow three councils to leave the housing revenue account system to be tabled -
Prominent councillors among 53 new peers
19-Nov-2010
Richmond-upon-Thames LBC leader Nick True and former Liverpool City Council leader Mike Storey, pictured, are elevated -
Preston cautious over go-ahead for controversial complex
19-Nov-2010
Preston City Council has urged caution over media reports that the Government will approve a controversial retail, leisure and residential development in the city centre -
Supreme Court win 'protects value of council land'
19-Nov-2010
A council has won a Supreme Court battle against a developer over land valued at £5m. -
Welsh councils learn scale of cuts
18-Nov-2010
Local government revenue grant funding in Wales is set to fall by 1.7% next year, the Welsh Assembly Government draft budget has shown -
LEPs to have 'no formal powers' over skills
17-Nov-2010
Councils and new Local Enterprise Partnerships will only have an influencing role when further education colleges plan their provision -
May ditches 'Harman's equalities law'
17-Nov-2010
Harriet Harman’s legal duty on public bodies to recognise socio-economic inequaity will be scrapped, home secretary Theresa May says. -
Leader confident over no-confidence vote
17-Nov-2010
Hull City Council leader Carl Minns has survived a no confidence motion over what the Labour opposition called “the disarray surrounding finances “ -
Energy scheme quietly changed into a tax
28 October 2010
Councils will lose millions as proceeds from carbon efficiency fund is now to go to the Treasury -
Local government faces up to a very different future
28 October 2010
Local government is struggling with possibly the biggest financial hit it has ever taken, following the government’s spending review. Chief executives and local political leaders must try to make sense of what councils will look like in the future, what they will do and, not least, what they will no longer do -
Waste projects to lose PFI credits
28 October 2010
Decision to strip private finance initiative credits from seven waste projects causes havoc at the affected councils -
Job cuts scythe through DCLG
22-Oct-2010
The Department for Communities and Local Government is to lose 40% of its jobs, including half its most senior posts. -
Transport ringfence riles councils
22-Oct-2010
New fund for local sustainable transport projects protected -
Report says road salt stocks should double
22-Oct-2010
Highway authorities should lay in double the present guideline levels of salt to deal with severe winter weather -
Seven waste projects lose PFI credits
21-Oct-2010
Defra claims EU targets can be met without projects -
Plug pulled on CABE's funds
21-Oct-2010
Building design quango considering future model -
Huge bills as carbon stealth tax hits councils
21-Oct-2010
Bills could run to hundreds of thousands of pounds after the government changed the carbon reduction commitment into a straight tax on carbon use -
Row over standards after porn case
21 October 2010
A row between Bournemouth’s chief executive and standards committee chair highlights the complexity of issues facing councils following the abolition of the standards regime -
LGA asked to consider filling standards void
21 October 2010
A new standards regime for both councillors and officers could emerge from the Local Government Association to fill the void left by the demise of Standards for England. -
Investment in social housing to halve
20-Oct-2010
Sector to lose £4.5bn but chancellor insistes 150,000 homes will be delivered -
Transport grants cut in number
20-Oct-2010
Transport grant streams to councils cut from just under 30 to only four -
Link council funds to sharing, says CBI
20-Oct-2010
Councils’ funding should be partly tied to their progress in sharing services, the CBI claims -
LGA call to end councils' subsidy to newspapers
19-Oct-2010
Council could save enough money to build 2,180 homes or employ 3,000 care workers if the requirement to advertise planning notices in local newspapers was scrapped -
'Halving' of social housing spend condemned
19-Oct-2010
Housing associations sound alarm after learning funding will be halved -
Busways proceed as Cambridgeshire damages hit £8m
18-Oct-2010
Council consortia press ahead with busway projects as Cambridgeshire’s problems mount -
Call for city regions to take over rail
18-Oct-2010
City regions should gain control of their local rail networks, the Passenger Transport Executive Group claims -
Wales auditor to reform 'flawed' governance
16-Oct-2010
The Wales Audit Office has flawed governance arrangements that “lack the necessary checks and balances that would need to exist in well-run private or public sector organisations”, the country’s new auditor-general has said -
Poll finds public would shun local volunteering
14-Oct-2010
Poll for Local Government Association delivers blow against government’s ‘Big Society’ idea -
West Sussex quizzed over chief's pay-off
14-Oct-2010
Questions surround controversial departure of chief executive Mark Hammond -
London Lib Dems halt mayoral selection
14-Oct-2010
Party to invite fresh applicants in a year’s time -
LGA to oppose planning proposals
14 October 2010
Report calls for local development orders to replace national processes -
Business group urges social housing competition
13-Oct-2010
Councils should open management of their housing to competition from the private sector, the CBI has said -
LAAs and national indicators go
13-Oct-2010
Local area agreements have been scrapped by the government -
NHS chief urges flexibility for care spending
13-Oct-2010
The National Health Service and local government must both be flexible in meeting demands for health and social care as spending cuts bite -
'Fragile' local economies at risk from transport cuts
12-Oct-2010
England’s conurbations should not lose vital transport funds in next week’s spending review the Passenger Transport Executive Group has warned. -
North Yorkshire trio to share
12-Oct-2010
Three North Yorkshire districts are to develop long-term collaboration, with two of them making an immediate start by sharing IT and planning. -
Councils' aborted regeneration project 'was feasible'
12-Oct-2010
A pioneering regeneration project could have gone ahead had the DWP not taken more than a year to decide on a £10m clawback demand -
Top post delay for shared service
16 September 2010
Fear of public criticism postpones the appointment of a managing director for two councils’ back-office shared service venture -
LGA starts ‘early warning’ system for failing councils
9 September 2010
The LGA is to begin work on a project to identify failing councils as part of its efforts to persuade ministers to allow the sector to regulate itself -
Chiefs to join place-based productivity programme
9 September 2010
Eight chief executives including Durham CC’s George Garlick and a senior civil servant are to seek new ways of working -
West Sussex warned after sudden departure of chief
9 September 2010
Chief executives’ association angry over ‘arbitary’ dismissal of chief executive Mark Hammond -
Commission 'helps councils to help themselves'
8-Sep-2010
Staff and councillors must understand that a council’s money is everyone’s business, the Audit Commission has said in its Strategic Financial Management in Councils paper. -
Survey finds councillors back David Miliband
7-Sep-2010
David Miliband has secured the highest share of support among Labour councillors to be their party’s next leader, according to research for the BBC -
Bowles set to stay at 'last chance saloon' council
7-Sep-2010
The £1,160-a-day troubleshooter David Bowles has agreed in principle to stay another year to help Isle of Anglesey Council through its recovery programme -
European councils hail integrated funds plan
6-Sep-2010
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) welcomes proposals to integrate European Union funds used by councils for regeneration, cohesion and agriculture. -
Senior teams merger 'to save £250,000'
6-Sep-2010
Two Suffolk districts are set to merge their senior management teams as prelude to sharing most services. -
Cuts to hit Wales hardest, WLGA warns
6-Sep-2010
Welsh councils face having to do “less with less” because spending cuts will hit them harder than the rest of the UK -
Davies to lead commission's auditors to independence
6-Sep-2010
The Audit Commission names Gareth Davies as managing director of its audit practice ahead of its expected change into an employee-owned business -
Labour chooses Tower Hamlets mayoral candidate
6-Sep-2010
Controversial former council leader Lutfur Rahman has been chosen as Labour’s candidates for next month’s mayoral election at Tower Hamlets LBC -
Chiefs' union slams 'outrageous' West Sussex
6-Sep-2010
West Sussex CC leader Louise Goldsmith (Con) has been accused of “outrageous” and “arbitrary” behaviour towards chief executive Mark Hammond -
Union blasts chiefs' 'obscene' pay levels
3-Sep-2010
Research claims 129 chiefs paid more than £150,000 per year in 2009/10 -
Stricken county to cut jobs and end projects
3-Sep-2010
Somerset CC faces a financial crisis that will see 1,500 jobs go and the abandonment of almost all building projects -
Strike ballot at Kirklees
3-Sep-2010
Unison members ballot on protest at “three unilateral changes to terms and conditions” -
Guidance for 'good slap' council officer
3-Sep-2010
A Brent LBC programme officer has been given ‘guidance’ after posting on Twitter that some domestic servants need “a good slap” -
Bruce to be Edinburgh chief
3-Sep-2010
City of Edinburgh Council choses Sue Bruce as its new chief executive -
Sandwell chief Fraser quits
2-Sep-2010
Sandwell MBC chief executive Allison Fraser leaves the council after four years -
Newcastle leader replaced
2-Sep-2010
David Faulkner has been elected as Newcastle City Council’s new leader, replacing John Shipley, who has become a Liberal Democrat peer -
District loses second leader in a year
1-Sep-2010
East Hampshire DC loses its second leader in less than a year. -
Growth area council set to slash house building
1-Sep-2010
Council at the heart of growth area to slash its targets for house building by more than half -
EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs challenge 'ageist' tax bombshell
1-Sep-2010
A huge potential tax hike for higher earners in local government could see the government face a legal challenge over age discrimination -
Axe attack on staff - on the wrong council
31-Aug-2010
Staff at Lincoln City Council were terrified by a man wielding an axe in its customer services area. -
Councils freed to control their byelaws
31-Aug-2010
Leather straps, fried fish and dead horses will be among subjects on which councils will be free to pass or revoke byelaws -
Year's delay likely for Cambridgeshire's troubled busway
27-Aug-2010
A pioneering council transport system is set to open more than a year late amid furious disputes over uncorrected defects -
Pornographic images cost council £17,000
27-Aug-2010
Bournemouth BC spent more than £17,000 on investigating complaints that former leader Stephen MacLoughlin accessed adult pornographic images on his council-provided laptop -
Finance chiefs absent from Scotland's top teams
26-Aug-2010
One-third of Scotland’s councils exclude finance chiefs from their senior leadership team, putting their governance standards at risk, the Accounts Commission has warned. -
NI councils protest over extra budget cut
26-Aug-2010
Angry Northern Ireland councillors and senior officers have protested to the devolved administration over cuts suddenly imposed on their budgets for this financial year. -
Councillor charged with firearms offences
26-Aug-2010
A Tendring DC councillor under police investigation over financial allegations has been charged with firearms offences -
Landfill capacity 'to run out by 2018'
8-Jul-2010
Britain will run out of landfill space in less than eight years time unless recycling is increased, council leaders have warned. -
'Catastrophic' council cuts threaten historic buildings
8-Jul-2010
Catastrophic disrepair threatens listed buildings as a result of council spending cuts, English Heritage has warned. -
Shapps urges end to costly consultations
8-Jul-2010
Consultations on whether councils should switch to elected mayors should be done as cheaply as possible pending the abolition of this requirement, local government minister Grant Shapps has told councils -
Barking delays chief replacement and considers NHS merger
8 July 2010
Barking & Dagenham LBC will not seek a new chief executive until September while it investigates merging management teams with its local primary care trust. -
We need top talent, argues Wandsworth over chief’s pay
8 July 2010
A flagship Conservative council defies the government’s strictures against high public sector salaries and will pay its new chief executive some 40% more than the PM -
Contractor blamed for Cambridgeshire's busway woes
7-Jul-2010
An “increasingly intransigent” contractor is being blamed by Cambridgeshire CC for the lengthy delay to the opening of the world’s longest dedicated busway. -
Councils seek to maintain BSF work
7-Jul-2010
Councils hit be the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme have said they will try to keep the work going -
Two Tories quit over e-mails
7-Jul-2010
Tory Kensington & Chelsea members resign after police called in over e-mails -
Eaton rebuffs Pickles over 'headline chasing'
6-Jul-2010
Local Government Association chairman Dame Margaret Eaton hits back at communities secretary Eric Pickles’ attack on “council non-jobs” -
David Miliband admits Labour ignored local government
6-Jul-2010
Leadership contender would invite Labour local government leader in shadow cabinet if elected -
Court ousts one-third of Exeter and Norwich councillors
6-Jul-2010
Norwich and Exeter City Councils in disarray after High Court ruling -
Leader authorised £80,000 in 'secret' bonuses
5-Jul-2010
Senior staff at Hampshire CC share in unpublished bonuses authorised by leader Ken Thornber (Con) -
Council in chaos as LGA arrives in town
5-Jul-2010
Bournemouth BC is in turmoil and leaderless as the town gets ready to welcome the Local Government Association conference tomorrow. -
Email leak mars consultant's departure
5-Jul-2010
A consultant who turned round Craven DC’s finances leaves as e-mails between her and the council leader are leaked -
Suspend transport plan work, directors urge
2-Jul-2010
Transport and planning directors want suspension of third round of local transport plans -
Life expectancy gap widens for most deprived areas, auditors find
2-Jul-2010
Government efforts to reduce health inequalities fail to make an impact -
Getting the message across as cuts bite
1 July 2010
Communications officers anticipate significant falls in their budgets at a time when they will be hard pressed to maintain their authority’s reputation -
London boroughs encouraged to resist mayoral power grab
28-Jun-2010
London Councils is urged to oppose attempts by Boris Johnson to secure powers it feels should belong with boroughs -
Shetland to 'borrow' chief as audit hearings begin
28-Jun-2010
Embattled Shetland Islands Council offers its interim chief executive job to the chief at Orkney Islands Council -
Hundreds of government websites face axe
25-Jun-2010
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude to scrap hundreds of “unnecessary and expensive” website -
NI councils seek powers after reform collapses
24-Jun-2010
Northern Ireland councils expect to gain extra powers despite the collapse of local government reform in the province earlier this month. -
Ireland calls in help for planning probe
24-Jun-2010
Experts from the UK could probe controversial planning decisions by six councils in the Republic of Ireland -
Auditors rap Edinburgh over 'misleading' release
23-Jun-2010
Auditors find that a misleading press release suggested a local tourism body would take over the debts of a company on the brink of insolvency -
Labour in running to claim 200 seats
22 April 2010
Labour could be set to win scores of seats from the Conservatives at next month’s local elections -
'Offensive' urges candidates to back localism
15 April 2010
A ‘war room’ is set up by by the LGA to urge parliamentary candidates to support devolution, Total Place and an end to intrusive inspection. -
A new era for libraries
15 April 2010
Councils know how important it is to listen to the needs of local people and provide the services they want to use -
Eight key localists on the election frontline
15 April 2010
LGC looks at eight influential local government people from across the political spectrum who are representing their parties in the general election -
Councillors snub elected board policy
8 April 2010
Liberal Democrat councillors are confident they will overturn the party’s manifesto promise of creating partly elected local police and health boards - separate from councils - within months. -
'Local income tax must wait'
8 April 2010
Julia Goldsworthy signals a softening stance on flagship finance policy as the prospect of a hung Parliament looms -
Auditor finds procurement tale 'unconvincing'
1-Apr-2010
A procurement exercise is said to have left East Riding of Yorkshire Council open to allegations of malpractice -
RIEPS given three weeks to submit procurement plans
31-Mar-2010
Council improvement chiefs question the value of a government initiative to drive down procurement costs after being given only three weeks to draw up plans -
'Prevent' scheme 'worsened community alienation'
30-Mar-2010
The Prevent programme has stigmatised and alienated people and involved councils in work they are ill-equipped to do, a parliamentary report says -
Manchester city region gets Stockport backing
29-Mar-2010
The Greater Manchester city region goes ahead after the last wavering council, Stockport MBC, comes on board -
Police probe into Conwy chief
29-Mar-2010
Conwy’s chief executive is relieved of his duties following a complaint about him to the police -
Retained housing 'delivers value to communities'
25-Mar-2010
Councils that retain ownership and management of their homes are delivering additional value to their communities, new research has claimed. -
Final go-ahead for new unitaries
24-Mar-2010
Exeter and Norwich City Councils are given the final go-ahead to become unitary authorities -
Regeneration borrowing powers to be piloted
24-Mar-2010
The Budget confirms plans for accelerated development zones to be piloted next year -
Cycling showcase towns get on their bikes
23-Mar-2010
Cycling England has recorded significant increases in the use of bicycles in its six ‘demonstration towns’. -
Tory abstentions let unitaries through
23-Mar-2010
The House of Lords backs legislation to create unitary city councils for Exeter and Norwich after Conservative peers abstain -
Council plans health shared services venture
23-Mar-2010
Herefordshire Council plans a major joint venture with local health bodies to provide shared back office services -
Call for housing checks in AC inspections
23-Mar-2010
Councils should be guided by the Audit Commission on how to assess housing conditions and checked during inspections, a parliamentary report says -
DCLG rapped over decent homes costs
18-Mar-2010
Councils that kept direct ownership of their housing did better from the decent homes programme than those with arm’s-length management organisations, say MPs -
Devon and Norfolk resist call to share
18 March 2010
Councils in Devon and Norfolk have been told to save money through countywide shared services - even though Exeter and Norwich city councils will be loose as unitaries -
Is a free-for-all the way forward?
18 March 2010
What price would people accept new homes at the end of their garden, or on an open space, or at a higher density on a brownfield site? -
'Rookie consultant' to probe council fish project
16-Mar-2010
A would-be consultant is being sought to review the collapse of a controversial project in which a council teamed up with fish scientists -
West Dunbartonshire: 'no improvement'
11-Mar-2010
West Dunbartonshire fails to make improvements identified by auditors as immediate priorities nearly four years ago -
New unitaries offered Whitehall champions
10-Mar-2010
Devon and Norfolk councils will be offered Whitehall ‘champions’ to try to ensure economies of scale when Exeter and Norwich city councils become unitaries -
Cameron calls emergency debate on unitaries
9-Mar-2010
David Cameron calls an emergency debate after a House of Lords committee slams the decision to create unitary councils for Exeter and Norwich -
Lords slam Denham over unitary plans
8-Mar-2010
An influential House of Lords committee slams the decision to create unitary councils for Exeter and Norwich -
Tracking rogue traders online
4 March 2010
Trading standards professionals have invaluable skills fighting scams that will now be put to excellent use in cyber teams -
Transport fund and road pricing link broken
2-Mar-2010
The much-criticised link between transport infrastructure grants and road pricing has been broken by transport minister Sadiq Khan. -
MPs lambast failed Tube PPP deal
2-Mar-2010
MPs on the Public Accounts Committee slam the disastrous public private partnership used to upgrade parts of London Underground -
Legal indemnity for ex-leader and chief
1-Mar-2010
Troubled West Lindsey DC issues indemnities worth £10,000 for legal cost to its former leader and chief executive -
High-rise recycling success
25 February 2010
Councils could increase recycling rates if they put more focus on high-rise and multi-occupancy homes -
Tory planning proposals reaction
23-Feb-2010
Reaction to the Conservatives’ planning proposals is welcoming about localism but sceptical that they can deliver enough homes. -
Tories' cash incentives for localised planning
22-Feb-2010
The Conservatives want to replace the present planning system with one based on rewarding local areas that accept new development -
Political row has just begun
18 February 2010
Does the ghost of Governor Elbridge Gerry haunt communities and local government secretary John Denham? -
Leader referred to Standards Board
16-Feb-2010
Four councillors are referred to the Standards Board for England after complaints by their chief executive and an opposition group -
Troubleshooter Roots heads for crisis council
15-Feb-2010
Local government troubleshooter Bill Roots is to interview West Somerset DC councillors and officers as they grapple with a financial crisis -
MPs condemn failure to invest in local rail
15-Feb-2010
Too little is being done to connect growing communities by rail, say MPs who want ministers to back more local lines -
Regeneration company 'poor value'
12-Feb-2010
Audit Commission inspectors find that Boston BC’s ill-fated regeneration company squandered money -
Regulation returns on the buses
11 February 2010
A groundbreaking agreement will ensure cleaner, safer streets, better air quality and a sustainable bus network for the future -
Taking a different view of waste
4 February 2010
Will market forces assume more importance as waste comes to be seen as a resource rather than a nuisance? -
A shift in attitudes is necessary
4 February 2010
Representatives of each Total Place pilot met in January to compare notes on the changes needed to make a success of their ideas -
Case Study: Birmingham
4 February 2010
Rigorous analysis of programmes that seek to prevent rather than cure problems is needed to ensure that they get the funds they need, Birmingham’s Total Place pilot will report. -
Charnwood signs partnership with Capita
3-Feb-2010
Charnwood BC signs up with Capita more than a year after the collapse of a pioneering shared services deal with Rushcliffe BC -
Call to rethink Dungeness nuclear site
3-Feb-2010
Shepway DC protests to the government against the exclusion of Dungeness from the list of possible sites for new nuclear power stations -
Surrey cabinet accepts auditors' strictures
2-Feb-2010
Surrey CC’s cabinet is due to accept a highly critical annual audit letter, which qualified its conclusion in value for money -
Former council leader suspended
25-Jan-2010
Isle of Wight council’s former leader Andy Sutton is suspended from the council for six months for his role in a planning row -
Shaking up councils' salt supplies
14 January 2010
There are few salt suppliers and councils that have run low face considerable difficulty in laying hands on more: what can they do? -
Bolton and Bury agree strategic alliance
4-Dec-2009
Neighbours Bolton and Bury MBCs agree a strategic alliance to try to save money by sharing costs and services -
Leader quits over planning allegation
3-Dec-2009
West Lindsey DC leader Bernard Theobald resigns over allegations about a planning application in which he was involved -
Legal action threat over unitary payoffs
3-Dec-2009
Former staff of five councils face legal action after they were handed excessive severance payments -
BBC beefs up local reporting
1-Dec-2009
The BBC boosts its reporting of local politics with the appointment of up to 40 specialist journalists -
Wirral leader slams libraries inquiry
1-Dec-2009
Wirral MBC leader Steve Foulkes makes a furious response to an inspector’s criticism of plans to close 11 libraries -
Fresh setback for Merseyside's tram
30-Nov-2009
Merseyside council leaders withhold funds from the ill-starred Merseytram scheme -
LGA freezes or cuts subscriptions
30-Nov-2009
Councils’ subscriptions to the Local Government Association will be cut or frozen for 2010-11 -
Somerset to review controversial outsourcing
30-Nov-2009
Somerset CC is to appoint an independent reviewer to examine its contract with the controversial Southwest One outsourcing partnership -
Financial turmoil hits Waveney and fish researchers
27-Nov-2009
A troubled council and a government agency responsible for fish both face turmoil because of a dispute over benefit payments -
North Yorks council to explore sharing
27-Nov-2009
A troubled council agrees a concordat with two neighbours to seek savings from sharing people and services -
Spelman condemns council newspapers
26-Nov-2009
A Conservative government would review the local authority publicity code to try to stop councils producing newspapers that are seen as unfair competitors to commercial publications. -
Barrow cleared over 'catalogue of damage'
26-Nov-2009
Suffolk Coastal DC abused the legal process when it prosecuted Westminster City Council leader Colin Barrow for work he did on a listed building -
Operators and council agree on bus powers
26-Nov-2009
Bus operators and councils have agreed ways to implement new powers over bus services outside London -
Roads to sustainability
26 November 2009
People’s concern about carbon emissions is, it seems, strong until it has an impact on the use of their own cars -
Stockholm shows how it can be done
25-Nov-2009
An eco-friendly Swedish suburb is growing out of former industrial land -
Ashfield agrees pay-off over 'push up' taunts
24-Nov-2009
Ashfield DC agrees a pay-off to its deputy chief executive over taunts and “improper questions” during a recruitment process -
Boundary dispute caused by 'classroom error'
24-Nov-2009
A prominent council leader accuses Wales’ boundary commissioners of failing to grasp a mathematical concept taught at key stage three in schools -
Westminster's top 10 reform wishlist
23-Nov-2009
Westminster City Council calls for a set of reforms to give councils powers over everything from police budgets to streetworks -
Four close to victory in tight by-election
20-Nov-2009
Any one of four candidates at a council by-election could have won the seat if a small number of votes had been different. -
Council lawyers 'ignoring mediation'
20-Nov-2009
Council lawyers are said to be ignoring the possibilities of mediation even though it could save money and avoid potentially damaging publicity in judicial review cases -
Call for communities to share in savings
19-Nov-2009
The Young Foundation thinktank calls for communities to gain a share of savings they achieve on public service bills -
Beecham to step down in 2010
19-Nov-2009
Sir Jeremy Beecham is to stand down in July as leader of the Labour group of the Local Government Association -
4,200 local government jobs threatened in October
2-Nov-2009
More than 4,200 council jobs were placed in jeopardy in October as councils unveiled plans to save money by shedding staff -
Cornwall savings 'dubious and unconfirmed'
29-Oct-2009
Cornwall Council says that savings expected as part of the county’s unitary reorganisation were based on “dubious and unconfirmed” work -
Joint management expected to double
29 October 2009
The number of councils with a joint management structure and shared chief executives could be set to double -
A different type of leader
29 October 2009
The sharing of chief executives in local government has been a radical change achieved without Whitehall involvement -
Climate change begins at home
29 October 2009
The Audit Commission turns its attention to councils’ performance in energy efficiency -
Sharing chief executives - In practice
29 October 2009
Stephen Baker was chief executive of Suffolk Coastal DC when he was asked to take on responsibility for its neighbour Waveney DC -
Councillors defend council newspapers
28-Oct-2009
Three councillors have told MPs that council newspapers do not damage local newspapers - and play a wide role -
County cries foul over job cuts report
28-Oct-2009
Lincolnshire CC says it has been the victim of a misleading leak after a local newspaper said 800 council jobs could go -
Denham to free councils from byelaw hurdle
27-Oct-2009
Councils are to be allowed to make or revoke byelaws without government permission -
Devon plans to shed 500 jobs
27-Oct-2009
Devon County Council is set to shed 500 jobs over the next two years in a move planned to help shave £20m off its budget -
Lib Dems unconvinced over elected mayors
27-Oct-2009
Liberal Democrats appear unconvinced by the Centre For Cities’ call for elected mayors -
Councillor disqualified over bullying
23-Oct-2009
A councillor is disqualified for three years for bullying an officer over a planning application submitted by his son -
Call for meeting over missing chief
23-Oct-2009
Councillors in Stoke-on-Trent have called for a special council meeting to discuss the absence of interim chief executive Chris Harman. -
Senior staff get post-restructuring pay boost
23-Oct-2009
Gwynedd Council approves a £41,000 boost for senior staff pay -
Councils face IT switch headache
19-Oct-2009
A group of councils face potential legal action and costly changes to their IT systems after an outsourcer’s decision to ditch their current software package -
Community engagement is needed
15 October 2009
Councils know their communities are crucial to reducing carbon emissions but few practical steps have been taken to engage them on the issue -
Case Study: Brent's green civic centre
13-Oct-2009
Brent LBC hopes to become the owner of the first UK council building to gain an ‘outstanding’ rating for sustainability -
County looks to £45m spending cutback
13-Oct-2009
Worcestershire CC prepares to identify £45m of spending cuts after warning its revenue budget could fall by 15% by 2014 -
Comms contract referred to district auditor
12-Oct-2009
East Riding of Yorkshire Council refers a contract award to its district auditor after complaints that the council leader had an interest -
District warns over financial "black hole"
25-Sep-2009
Eden DC warns local residents that it faces a £6.6m loss unless they support plans for a Sainsbury development -
Notts pulls support for tram
25-Sep-2009
Nottinghamshire CC withdraw backing for Nottingham tram system phase two -
Hillingdon ponders taking ALMO in-house
25-Sep-2009
Hillingdon LBC set to become first council to take its housing arm’s-length management organisation back under direct control -
Bromsgrove and Redditch to share managers
21-Sep-2009
Bromsgrove DC and Redditch BC have agreed to create a shared management team led by Kevin Dicks and to move to shared services -
Southampton art sale despite protests
18-Sep-2009
Southampton City Council is to press ahead with plans to sell valuable artworks to help pay for a new £15m cultural quarter despite protests -
Former county council leader disqualified
18-Sep-2009
Former Suffolk CC leader Jane Hore is disqualified from becoming a councillor for a year after voting twice at a council meeting -
Kirklees cuts look to 'different organisation'
18-Sep-2009
Kirklees MC plans a 20% spending cut over five years - which its human resources director says will leave it “a very different organisation” -
Scottish council wins tax refund
18-Sep-2009
Angus Council wins a £860,000 landfill tax refund following a long running dispute with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs -
Troubleshooters start work on Anglesey
18-Sep-2009
Six troubleshooters start work at the troubled Isle of Anglesey Council after Wales’ local government minister named them to the Anglesey Recovery Board -
Scrutiny - a budding profession?
27 August 2009
With the scope of council scrutiny set to expand, LGC charts the progress of this rapidly developing local government discipline. -
Declarations of independence
13 August 2009
Public disillusion has led to a rise in Independents and small parties - LGC asks whether these groups can run effective councils? -
Boston berated over performance
6 August 2009
Boston BC is blasted by auditors for lack of both financial and managerial capacity days after losing its chief executive and several senior officers -
Buchanan 'sought revenge' on Jones
6 August 2009
A tribunal rules that a former deputy leader of Somerset CC sought revenge on chief executive Alan Jones by making unfounded allegations including drunkenness, molestation and bullying -
Alastair Robertson: the middle man
6 August 2009
The retiring head of the chief executives’ trades union on why his members should be wary of the knife in the back -
Problems for council after IT switch
6 August 2009
Discrepancies are found in the revenues and benefits accounts of the former Blyth Valley Borough Council -
Departures at independent-run council
30 July 2009
Independent-run Boston BC loses its chief executive, two senior staff and its deputy leader -
Jobs hits by concessionary fares
30 July 2009
A district has to make some 45 staff redundant to help meet a huge budget shortfall caused by the concessionary bus fares scheme -
Gallagher quits Boston council
23-Jul-2009
Boston BC chief executive Mick Gallagher is leaving his post after three years in office -
Foreign affairs for local councils
23 July 2009
LGC assesses how councils’ overseas partnerships can be a source of new ideas -
Intervention at troubled council
23 July 2009
Ministers are to intervene at strife-torn Isle of Anglesey CC after a damning audit report found it was “not being properly run” -
Somerset chief talks about departure
23 July 2009
Somerset CC chief executive Alan Jones speaks to LGC over his resignation following victory in a bitter battle with the council’s former deputy leader -
LGA warning over fares switch
22-Jul-2009
Shifting responsibility for concessionary bus fares from district to county levels will still leave many councils massively out of pocket -
Recovery board imposed on Welsh council
22-Jul-2009
A recovery board is imposed on Isle of Anglesey Council by Wales’ local government minister Brian Gibbons -
Buchanan disqualified
16-Jul-2009
Paul Buchanan receives two year ban from being a councillor -
Thurrock told to get a grip
16 July 2009
Thurrock BC councillors and officers told to improve some of the worst working relationships in local government -
No services means struggling post offices, say MPs
16 July 2009
Councils are quick to complain about post office closures but slow to help branches remain viable by channelling services through them. -
Welsh government steps in at Anglesey
15-Jul-2009
Wales’ government announces intervention in Isle of Anglesey CC -
Somerset denies outsourcing inquiry
9 July 2009
Somerset CC rejects MP’s claim that new administration has launched urgent inquiry into its controversial Southwest One outsourcing programme -
Troubled council keeps finance in-house
9 July 2009
Plans for a troubled council to share its finance service sink after it opts to keep the work in-house -
A matter of mind
2 July 2009
The fallout from the Cheltenham BC legal case against Christine Laird could be more than just a hefty bill -
Retiring chief exec blames councillors
2 July 2009
A Scottish chief executive takes early retirement citing councillors’ conduct as one of the reasons -
Whistle-blower councillor is suspended
2 July 2009
A councillor who revealed confidential details of a chief executive’s pay-off is suspended for three months -
Complaint over nuclear training site
25 June 2009
A Somerset district is reported to the Audit Commission by environmental campaigners for donating a site to train nuclear engineers -
New conference, new councils, new secretary
25 June 2009
This year’s LGA conference: Denham’s first big speech; Cameron and Cable - and the recession -
South-west faces indefinite planning delay
18 June 2009
South-west councils face an indefinite delay to the region’s spatial strategy after other authorities successfully challenge their region’s strategy in the High Court -
Council set to bail out Games
4 June 2009
Leicester City Council is set to use 15% of its reserves to bail out the Special Olympics -
Districts suffer LAA delay
4 June 2009
District councils cannot take a full role in scrutinising local area agreement partners because the government has dragged its feet on issuing the regulations -
Claws out for a chief executive
28 May 2009
An MP, a chief exec, a councillor, the chief constable, a pop singer and a talking cat. LGC unravels an extraordinary clash of personalities -
Concern at adult training regulator
28 May 2009
Councils may have to deal with a bloated quango for adult training instead of the expected light-tough regulator, warns the Local Government Association. -
Troubled council cuts posts
28 May 2009
Troubled Craven DC is slashing its senior posts and seeking a partner to deliver financial services. -
Council wins key Green Belt case
26-May-2009
A district council wins a key legal case over new homes in the Green Belt proposed by regional planners. -
Investment fund for Welsh public sector
21-May-2009
Welsh public sector bodies are to benefit from a £60m invest-to-save fund announced at the Wales Audit Office conference. -
Councils set for booze-busting powers
21 May 2009
Powers to ban troublesome alcohol promotions could be given to councils. -
Police authority capped
21 May 2009
A group of councils faces a costly rebilling exercise after John Healey caps the county’s police authority. -
Tales of the unexpected
21 May 2009
Departing mayor Martin Winter thinks he could write a thriller about the political machinations in Doncaster. -
Call for more time for road safety schemes
14-May-2009
Highways departments should be allowed more time to develop road safety schemes, an inquiry by the National Audit Office had said. -
Blears defines regeneration
12-May-2009
A new definition of ‘regeneration’ has been laid down by communities and local government secretary Hazel Blears - who says it will help focus resources on places in greatest need. -
Council denounces threats to staff
7-May-2009
Belfast City Council and local government trade unions have issued a joint denunciation of intimidation against council staff. -
Kemp defends embattled Somerset chief
7-May-2009
David Cameron has been urged to disown Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger for conducting a campaign against Somerset County Council chief executive Alan Jones. -
Levelling the playing fields
7-May-2009
When the government issues a 1,000-word press release with contributions from five ministers, it signals a big political campaign in progress. -
Council furore at ‘smear campaign’
27 April 2009
Somerset County Council’s leader has accused a Conservative MP of running a smear campaign against its chief executive Alan Jones. -
Council in dispute over £9m bill
27 April 2009
A troubled district council has a month to try to prove it does not owe the government nearly £9m. -
Demanding power: a rare chance
23-Apr-2009
A wide range of ideas is emerging from councils and their residents about how, if at all, they should use the Sustainable Communities Act 2008. -
Council accused over cancelled event
21-Apr-2009
Organisers of a dance music festival have accused North Ayrshire Council of scuppering the event by a sudden demand for half its profits. -
Transport cash: 'Cut congestion link'
17-Apr-2009
The Centre for Cities thinktank has called on the government to drop the link between transport funding and congestion charging. -
Police called in over row on Anglesey
16-Apr-2009
Police have been called in by a whistleblower over the breakdown in relations between Isle of Anglesey County Council’s managing director and senior councillors. -
Mobility - if you are good enough
16-Apr-2009
The Conservatives’ housing green paper has been received with warmth by the Chartered Institute of Housing and the charity Shelter - and alarm by trades bodies for house builders and housing associations. -
Recession spells double trouble
16-Apr-2009
The downturn is hitting even areas with skills shortages and, in those services that escape the axe, staff face greatly increased workloads. -
HCA 'exceeded year one targets'
14-Apr-2009
The Homes and Communities Agency claims it has exceeded targets for rented homes, clearing brownfield land and creating employment space in its first year. -
Concessions: Sink or swim for budgets
9-Apr-2009
Free swimming has started, a year after free bus travel began. Both concessions command wide support but some councils face ruinous bills. -
Tories want to reward good tenants
7-Apr-2009
Equity shares would be offered to social housing tenants as a reward for good behaviour under plans in the Conservatives' housing green paper. -
Call for equality despite downturn
2-Apr-2009
Public sector bodies should not use the economic downturn as a reason to go soft on equality of opportunity, a thinktank has urged. -
Aberdeen's helicopter deaths condolences
2-Apr-2009
Aberdeenshire Council provost Bill Howatson has expressed the council’s condolences to the families of the victims of yesterday’s helicopter crash. -
Welsh members and officers row
2-Apr-2009
Two north Wales councils have become engulfed by feuds between senior councillors and officers. -
New National Park created
31-Mar-2009
The South Downs National Park has been given the go-ahead after almost a decade of planning inquiries and some 60 years after it was first proposed. -
Wirral faces library challenge
31-Mar-2009
Wirral MBC faces a judicial review brought by one of its councillors over plans to close almost half its libraries. -
Unison intent on pay rise
24-Mar-2009
Unison has warned that the fall to zero of the retail price index will not prevent it from seeking a pay rise for its local government members for 2009/10. -
'Green towns' call
23-Mar-2009
Public money could be used to simultaneously tackle both climate change and the recession. -
IPC hunt for 35 planning experts
17-Mar-2009
Some 35 planning experts will be sought for the new Infrastructure Planning Commission, its chair-designate Sir Michael Pitt told a confirmation hearing by MPs yesterday. -
Essex boss accuses Unison of scaremongering
16-Mar-2009
Essex CC leader Lord Hanningfield (Con) has accused Unison of scaremongering in its opposition to the county’s service outsourcing plans. -
Planners back ruling on retail
12-Mar-2009
Planners have welcomed a legal ruling that means they will not be expected to judge whether a retailer’s local market share is too high. -
'Corruption' arrests shake Stoke
12-Mar-2009
Stoke-on-Trent City Council faces government intervention following the arrests of its elected mayor and a leading councillor. -
Unitary bid: ‘last-minute change’
12-Mar-2009
Norfolk County Council has claimed that Norwich City Council changed the financial basis of its unitary status bid at the eleventh hour. -
Recycling scheme launches legal bid
10-Mar-2009
Electronic waste recycling scheme Repic has launched a judicial review against the government over what it claims are unfair terms in materials reclamation. -
Troubled council faces intervention
10-Mar-2009
Stoke-on-Trent City Council faces government intervention following the arrests of its elected mayor and a leading councillor. -
Strategy director takes IDeA helm
9-Mar-2009
Paul Roberts is to head the Improvement & Development Agency, moving up to the managing director post from his present job as strategy director. -
Strategy director takes IDeA helm
9-Mar-2009
Paul Roberts is to head the Improvement & Development Agency, moving up to the managing director post from his present job as strategy director. -
Petition against workplace parking fees
5-Mar-2009
Almost 6,000 people are reported to have signed a petition against workplace parking levies on the British Chambers of Commerce website. -
Setting new standards
5-Mar-2009
Standards Board chair Robert Chilton and chief executive Glenys Stacey tell Mark Smulian how the body is turning over a new leaf. -
Greener can be cheaper
15-Jan-2009
Councils face mounting pressures to slash costs and reduce their emissions - but the two aims can be compatible. -
02. February: Concordat
18-Dec-2008
A House of Lords ruling that removed the six-year limit on adults suing over sex abuse while in care as children left councils open to a bill put by lawyers at£100m. -
A look back at 2008
17-Dec-2008
At the beginning of 2008, recession was something long forgotten and Iceland’s interest rates were like a defective cash dispenser spouting out money. So what happened next? -
Welsh councils' dismay at settlement
12-Dec-2008
The grant settlement in Wales for next year - up by 2.9% to£3.9bn - has dismayed local councils. -
Taxpayers accuse councils over PR
12-Dec-2008
Local councils have been criticised for doubling their spending on publicity over the past decade. -
Regulatory work ‘consistent’
11-Dec-2008
Two-thirds of businesses are satisfied with councils’ regulatory work, despite this process facing a radical upheaval to deal with complaints about inconsistent regulation. -
The Queen's Speech - in detail
11-Dec-2008
A Private Eye cover from 1964 showed the Queen with a speech bubble that said: “And I hope you realise I didn’t write this crap.” -
Craven’s financial failings exposed
11-Dec-2008
A crisis meeting is to be held at Craven District Council over allegations of errors, lack of financial expertise and the collapse of its budgeting monitoring. -
Health and safety probes urged
11-Dec-2008
Questions about suppliers’ health and safety records should form part of councils’ tender processes, the Health & Safety Executive’s chair has urged. -
McGarry quits East Staffordshire
11-Dec-2008
East Staffordshire Borough Council has lost chief executive Jeanette McGarry after just seven months in office. -
01. January: Ambition
9-Dec-2008
The year opened with communities and local government secretary Hazel Blears declaring 2008 “a year of ambition”. -
03. March: Cohesion
9-Dec-2008
Councils with large numbers of Muslim residents objected to government pressure to adopt a performance indicator on ‘building resilience to violent extremism’, for fear that it would damage their community cohesion work and create mistrust. -
04. April: Boris v Ken
9-Dec-2008
Things went quiet for the pre-election purdah period, but in London a high-profile battle raged between incumbent mayor Ken Livingstone and his Tory rival Boris Johnson, aided by a flood of press stories that accused Mr Livingstone of impropriety. -
05. May: Elections
9-Dec-2008
Boris Johnson won in London and persuaded LGA chair Sir Simon Milton to work for him as a deputy mayor, causing a dispute as to whether a councillor can take such a role. -
06. June: White Paper
9-Dec-2008
The long-expected local government white paper was reported to have lost its promised emphasis on councils tackling regeneration and worklessness. -
07. July: Milton moves on
9-Dec-2008
Sir Simon Milton angered other parties on the LGA by saying that he thought private firms should run schools. -
08. August: Tributes
9-Dec-2008
Lord Bruce-Lockhart, former chair of the LGA, died less than a year into his post as chairman of English Heritage, with tributes paid across the political spectrum. -
09. September: Eaton's crown
9-Dec-2008
Bradford City MDC councillor Margaret Eaton became LGA chair after winning a five-way contest in the Tory group by a margin that might make the North Koreans blush. -
10. October: Iceland
9-Dec-2008
“My money’s gone to Iceland” was the cry around town halls as the collapse of its banks led to almost 900m of council assets being frozen. -
11. November: Baby P
9-Dec-2008
The conviction of three people over the death of Baby P put pressure on Haringey LBC with a report on its handling of the case leading to the resignations of leader George Meehan (Lab) and cabinet member Liz Santry (Lab). -
12. December: Iceland chill
9-Dec-2008
Winter saw the financial climate get bleaker, though John Healey prevented councils’ Icelandic liabilities from being passed on to taxpayers. -
Uttlesford’s double-edged sword
4-Dec-2008
The presence of Stansted Airport is a double-edged sword for Uttlesford. -
City council to plug big pension gap
4-Dec-2008
A£17m hole has opened in a pension fund for outsourced Norwich City Council staff, which the council has blamed on the stock market collapse. -
Thurrock Council appoints interim chief
4-Dec-2008
Thurrock Borough Council has named Mike Rowan as interim chief executive. -
Council's financial culture slammed
4-Dec-2008
Northamptonshire CC has introduced a more rigorous system for vetting its budget following damning criticisms of the authority’s culture in a report by troubleshooter Bill Roots. -
Council's crisis management
4-Dec-2008
Iceland’s banking collapse and the recession have exacerbated Uttlesford’s financial crisis, but new chief John Mitchell is confident of recovery. -
Review supports six-year job budget
4-Dec-2008
Six-year budgets should be given to councils that agree plans with the government to combat worklessness and low skills. -
Eastbourne to sell off local buses
1-Dec-2008
The world's oldest municipal bus company could be passing out of local government control. -
Legal delay over Norfolk unitary plan
28-Nov-2008
The unitary reorganisation of Norfolk faces delay after a high court judge expressed concern about the time devoted to consultation by the Boundary Committee for England. -
Planning and transport acts become law
27-Nov-2008
The new planning and local transport acts have both gained royal assent. -
Big unitaries 'will save more'
27-Nov-2008
Large unitary councils are the most likely model to deliver savings, an appraisal for the Boundary Committee for England has found. -
Councils' bus costs beyond inflation
27-Nov-2008
Keeping essential bus services on the roads will cost councils an extra 7.3% from next April. -
Nobody is at home
27-Nov-2008
As the recession bites, an increase in empty homes is blighting areas. How can they be brought back into use? -
LGA concern over planning indicator
25-Nov-2008
Planners will be forced to give the go-ahead to unsuitable developments or risk scoring poorly on a new performance indicator, the Local Government Association fears. -
LGA fishes for extra swimming cash
20-Nov-2008
Councils stand to gain an extra£8m towards the national free swimming programme if a Local Government Association initiative succeeds. -
Thurrock chief quits amid row
20-Nov-2008
Thurrock Council has lost its second chief executive in two years following a dispute with its Conservative administration. -
N Somerset denies waste claim
20-Nov-2008
North Somerset Council has dismissed its auditor’s claims that it failed to pursue compensation in a waste management dispute. -
Cash crisis grips city council
20-Nov-2008
Financial meltdown threatens Worcester City Council after a consultant’s report confirmed it must save almost a fifth of its budget. -
Gateway homes plan threatened
13-Nov-2008
The country’s largest regeneration project is in jeopardy after London mayor Boris Johnson cancelled an extension to the Docklands Light Railway. -
Boundary figures dismissed in Norfolk
13-Nov-2008
Five Norfolk district finance directors have refused to endorse the figures on which the Boundary Committee for England backed the proposed county unitary’s affordability. -
Somerset set to report Tory MP
13-Nov-2008
Somerset CC is set to report a Conservative MP to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over his attacks on chief executive Alan Jones and other senior staff. -
Engagement white paper panned
13-Nov-2008
Government efforts to revive local democracy will fail because they are too timid, according to political scientists. -
End of lifelong tenancies played down
10-Nov-2008
Claims in The Times newspaper that council house residents face the end of lifelong tenancies have been played down by the government. -
Councils warn over POCA contract
10-Nov-2008
Council leaders are warning that the government will “rip the heart out of local areas” if the Post Office loses the contract for administering the benefits card scheme. -
Districts launch anti-unitary campaign
7-Nov-2008
A group of Norfolk districts has launched a campaign against their replacement by a unitary county council. -
Cornwall unitary election postponed
7-Nov-2008
Local government minister John Healey has announced he 'is currently minded' to defer the elections to the new unitary council in Cornwall until October 2009. -
The rise of credit unions
6-Nov-2008
Credit unions are little like the original building societies, which lent only to members based on the assets they had collectively contributed. -
Councils' outsourcing deal dropped
6-Nov-2008
The future of a pioneering cross-county outsourcing deal looks in doubt after contractor Liberata failed to meet conditions laid down by Charnwood and Rushcliffe BCs. -
Debt advice, priceless
6-Nov-2008
As the economic downturn continues, indebted residents plagued by financial crises are relying on their council for help. -
Patients at risk from faulty scales
4-Nov-2008
Hospital patients have been endangered by the use of inaccurate weighing equipment, a probe by council officers has found. -
Crunch leaves Edinburgh£30m short
30-Oct-2008
Edinburgh City Council has warned that it must rewrite its 10-year capital spending programme - a month after it was agreed - as the credit crunch hit its finances. -
Essex proposes local model for POs
30-Oct-2008
Handing the Post Office’s national branch network to local government would maintain much needed grassroots services, according to a new report. -
Bus fare funding switch warning
30-Oct-2008
County and district councils have warned the government not to alter the concessionary bus fare system without thinking through the consequences for council budgets. -
Craven loses£20m after homes protest
30-Oct-2008
Craven DC faces losing£20m in infrastructure investment after anti-new homes protesters forced it to pull out of Leeds city region’s growth plans. -
Obscenity claim denied in Somerset row
30-Oct-2008
Conservative frontbencher Bob Neill MP has intervened to have comments removed from a fellow MP’s website alleging a barrage of obscenities from Somerset CC chief executive Alan Jones. -
Councils to share chief execs
23-Oct-2008
West Oxfordshire and Cotswold DCs are to share chief executives, initially for six months. -
Turning over a new leaf
23-Oct-2008
The next chapter to be written for libraries could see them become multi-purpose facilities. -
Rewriting libraries
23-Oct-2008
Libraries are being transformed with Walsall, Suffolk and Sutton leading the way. -
MP fuels feud with Jones
23-Oct-2008
Somerset CC’s chief executive has denied an MP’s allegations that he is moonlighting by giving lectures. -
Westminster to probe Icelandic loss
16-Oct-2008
Westminster City Council is to launch an independent review of how it came to hold£17m in two collapsed Icelandic banks. -
Unsung act that could herald true devolution
16-Oct-2008
It is hard to think what common factor could have brought together the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Soil Association, the Muslim Council of Britain and the Women’s Institute. -
Role of libraries to be rewritten
16-Oct-2008
The traditional public library faces radical change as a result of a review launched by culture secretary Andy Burnham. -
Districts freed from bus role
16-Oct-2008
The government is poised to hand the troubled concessionary bus fares programme from district councils to counties from 2011. -
Assembly blasted over budget deal
15-Oct-2008
Councils in Wales have been treated as a “Cinderella” public service in next year’s budget, the Welsh Local Government Association has claimed. -
Signed, sealed and delivered
15-Oct-2008
The first council-run post office has opened in Essex, proving that standing up for the rights of communities can make a difference. -
Review of library services launched
10-Oct-2008
Culture secretary Andy Burnham has launched a review of council library services to make libraries centres for more informal learning - particularly through electronic links. -
Council loses Stansted flights battle
9-Oct-2008
Government backing for plans to expand Stansted airport is a defeat for a small neighbouring local authority. -
National code of conduct proposed
9-Oct-2008
Officers could face disciplinary action under a national code of conduct as the government makes its third attempt to extend a statutory standards regime. -
Southwest One deal endorsed
3-Oct-2008
The Audit Commission has endorsed the controversial Southwest One outsourcing deal, which has created a partnership between Somerset CC, Taunton Deane BC, Avon & Somerset Police and IBM. -
Welsh performance improves
2-Oct-2008
Welsh councils have improved their performance despite worsening finances, according to the country’s Local Government Data Unit. -
Councils condemn ITV news changes
30-Sep-2008
Borders councils have condemned media regulator Ofcom for allowing ITV to slash its regional news coverage. -
Cornwall names Lavery as chief exec
26-Sep-2008
The new unitary Cornwall Council has named Kevin Lavery as its chief executive. -
Latest road casualty figures fall
25-Sep-2008
Road casualty rates have fallen over the past year, in two cases more rapidly than set in a government target. -
Local voices
25-Sep-2008
“There is no problem that needs this change. It will cost money but there will be no voice for this part of Suffolk if this happens.”Chris Punt(Conservative councillor) -
The Waveney problem
25-Sep-2008
Waveney’s fight against dismemberment has not been helped by an eye-watering set of inspection and audit reports. -
Councils go to court over boundaries
24-Sep-2008
Three Norfolk districts have won court permission to take the Boundary Committee for England to judicial review over its proposed unitary council for the county. -
Refugee ruling 'not a major problem'
24-Sep-2008
The government’s decision to adopt clauses in UN Convention on the Rights of the Child should not pose acute problems for local authorities, according to one industry expert. -
Big VAT rebate possible after ruling
23-Sep-2008
A rash of disputes over whether councils must charge VAT on services is expected after a court ruling in a tortuous case that could net councils£1bn. -
Site purchase forced by planning error
23-Sep-2008
Tower Hamlets LBC has been forced to buy a building site after it mistakenly gave planning permission for a block of flats next to a complex of gas holders. -
Boundary Committee's proposals
23-Sep-2008
NorfolkPreferred option -
Suffolk no more
23-Sep-2008
The Boundary Commission’s plans to eradicate Lowestoft from its county of Suffolk have riled locals. -
Carney is new Sefton chief executive
22-Sep-2008
Sefton Council has appointed Margaret Carney as its new chief executive. -
Transport targets could be missed
18-Sep-2008
The Department of Transport looks likely to miss its target for increased bus and light rail use after annual statistics again showed that only London has had a consistently large increase in ridership. -
Two-tier pathfinders
18-Sep-2008
Pathfinders are the weapon of choice against the unitary onslaught. -
LibDem pay cut idea 'barking mad'
18-Sep-2008
Richard Kemp, leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the LGA, has denounced his party's plans to slash senior public sector salaries as “barking mad and probably illegal”. -
Pathfinders in Dorset
18-Sep-2008
There was a history of successful collaboration in the county, not least in the Dorset For You website, which combines all but two of its councils. -
Councillors 'ignored' over police proposal
18-Sep-2008
Liberal Democrat councillors have narrowly failed in their bid to stop their party backing directly elected police boards. -
Pathfinders in Buckinghamshire
18-Sep-2008
The most advanced project is for sharing back-office services, including human resources, finance, information technology and administration. -
Pathfinders in Hertfordshire
18-Sep-2008
Watford BC and Three Rivers DC are establishing a shared back-office programme for human resources, information technology, finance and revenues and benefits, which other councils may join. -
Pathfinders in Lincolnshire
18-Sep-2008
Legal Services Lincolnshire is operational, where the law departments of all but two councils have been pooled and savings of more than£1m are expected over four years. -
Road tolls: hazards ahead
11-Sep-2008
It's the£2.5bn giveaway that comes with something so politically toxic that few councils wish to touch it. -
Hazards ahead for road tolls
11-Sep-2008
It's the£2.5bn giveaway that comes with something so politically toxic that few councils wish to touch it. -
Hazards ahead for road tolls
11-Sep-2008
It is the£2.5bn giveaway that comes with something so politically toxic that few councils wish to touch it. -
Cornwall council faces chaotic start
11-Sep-2008
Cornwall’s new unitary council could start life either under an unelected executive or face two costly sets of elections, local government minister John Healey has been warned. -
Concern over regional rail changes
9-Sep-2008
The South West Regional Assembly has protested against proposed changes to rail improvements, which it said would damage the region’s economy. -
Joint chief for Oxfordshire districts
4-Sep-2008
Two councils under different political control have appointed a joint chief executive in what they claim is the first case of two incumbents competing for the job. -
LibDems: Let councils borrow to buy
29-Aug-2008
The Liberal Democrats would allow councils to borrow money to buy unsold homes from builders to help meet the demand for affordable housing. -
Eco-town plan collapses
29-Aug-2008
The government's eco-town programme has suffered a blow after a project in Cambridgeshire collapsed because developer Tesco pulled out. -
Cross-county outsource deal agreed
28-Aug-2008
Two East Midland districts are close to setting up what they claim is the first cross-county shared services outsourcing. -
Trouble in paradise
26-Aug-2008
Government plans for direct elections to national parks has shocked authorities and local government alike. -
Commission told: 'use local media’
21-Aug-2008
The Audit Commission should hold wide-ranging briefings to explain its assessment of council performance, a thinktank has urged in a controversial report on regeneration policy. -
Hidden treasures
21-Aug-2008
From bananas to piranhas, local authorities’ inventories contain all sorts of weird and wonderful possessions a more conventional assets like buildings and land. -
Norfolk unitary advice overturned
21-Aug-2008
The Boundary Committee for England overturned its own officers’ advice when it opted for a single Norfolk unitary council. -
Close lap dancing loophole -LGA
15-Aug-2008
A loophole in the licensing laws means councils are unable to act on residents’ concerns about lap-dancing clubs, according to the Local Government Association. -
Legal action threat over fake blog
14-Aug-2008
A county chief executive is considering legal action after failing to get a spoof blog and an insulting film removed from the internet. -
Workforce merger halted
14-Aug-2008
An attempt by two councils to merge their workforces is in disarray after a last-minute report revealed nearly a third of staff stand to lose thousands of pounds. -
Staff and cash plague Herefordshire
14-Aug-2008
A flagship joint health and local government project has run into trouble over recruitment and IT wrangles. -
Councils tear up devolution plans
7-Aug-2008
The new councils in Northumberland and Durham have torn up the original plans for local devolution, which formed a key part of their successful unitary bids. -
‘No reply’ sparks Plymouth probe
6-Aug-2008
Plymouth City Council has launched a probe into why letters from the Post Office about its branch closure programme went unanswered for four months. -
£53m town hall suspended
6-Aug-2008
A£53m council regeneration project has fallen victim to the uncertainty caused by local government reorganisation. -
Park elections threaten local role
6-Aug-2008
A proposal for direct elections to England’s national parks has triggered yet more fury over the continued challenge to local government’s unique democratic mandate. -
Just the ticket
6-Aug-2008
Parking and enforcement are high on residents’ hate list. -
First wave of sea change cash
1-Aug-2008
The first three coastal councils to gain money from the government's Sea Change programme will share£10m support for regeneration projects. -
Smith cautioned over police polls
31-Jul-2008
Direct elections for policing representatives would lead to 'blame-shifting and buck-passing', home secretary Jacqui Smith has been warned by the Local Government Association. -
Norfolk fights unitary move
30-Jul-2008
Norfolk districts are set to take the Boundary Committee for England to court after an ill-tempered meeting with its chair Max Caller failed to answer their concerns about reorganisation. -
Labour jettisons elected mayor move
30-Jul-2008
The Labour Party has thrown out a bid to force elected mayors on councils. -
Cockell bows out of LGA race
30-Jul-2008
London Councils leader Merrick Cockell has ruled himself out of the race to become Local Government Association chairman. -
Conspiracy claim at tribunal
30-Jul-2008
A cabal of senior officers conspired to oust Swale BC’s chief executive Mark Bilsborough, an employment tribunal has been told. -
'Extremism' warning over policing
30-Jul-2008
Direct elections to police authorities could unleash extreme or reckless political agendas into British policing, a new paper has warned. -
'Extremism' warning over policing
30-Jul-2008
Direct elections to police authorities could unleash extreme or reckless political agendas into British policing, a new paper has warned. -
Uttlesford interim gets top job
25-Jul-2008
Troubled Uttlesford DC has promoted John Mitchell to chief executive after four months of acting up on an interim basis. -
YouTube search for council chief exec
24-Jul-2008
South Norfolk Council has tried to beat the job market’s normal midsummer lethargy by using YouTube to reach potential applicants for its chief executive post. -
Capita sees turnover grow 20%
24-Jul-2008
Outsourcing giant Capita had a 20% increase in turnover in the first half of this year, against the same period in 2007. -
Police green paper opposed
23-Jul-2008
Labour local government leaders have blasted home secretary Jacqui Smith’s plan for directly elected local crime and policing representatives. -
Redrawing the map
23-Jul-2008
Reorganisation isn’t just about saving money, says Boundary Committee chair Max Caller. -
Call for elected police reps
17-Jul-2008
The policing green paper has recommended the creation of directly elected crime and policing representatives for each area. -
Anti-unitary evidence demanded
16-Jul-2008
Petitions against proposed unitary councils in Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk will cut little ice with the Boundary Committee for England despite the government’s new enthusiasm for this means of airing public grievances. -
Four chief positions filled
16-Jul-2008
A new unitary council is among a clutch of authorities to announce new chief executives this week. -
Voters reject bid for Bury mayor
9-Jul-2008
Voters at Bury MBC have thrown out a bid to have an elected mayor amid acrimony over the cost of the referendum and the motives of its supporters. -
Birmingham shortlists firms to build library
4-Jul-2008
Birmingham City Council has shortlisted three construction firms to build its£193m Library of Birmingham project, due to open in 2013. -
Bury rejects elected mayor
4-Jul-2008
Voters in Bury MBC have rejected a call for an elected mayor. In a referendum yesterday they voted against the idea by 15,425 to 10,338 on an 18.5% turnout. -
Garlick is named chief of County Durham
3-Jul-2008
George Garlick has been named chief executive of the new County Durham unitary council. -
Mothersole takes charge at Sheffield
3-Jul-2008
John Mothersole has been appointed chief executive of Sheffield City Council, after spending three months doing the job on an interim basis. -
Housing PFI of£1.8bn unveiled
3-Jul-2008
The government has launched the sixth round of the housing private finance initiative. -
Key areas facing skills gap
2-Jul-2008
More than three-quarters of councils lack workforce strategies strong enough to help them recruit and retain the staff they need, the Audit Commission has warned. -
Survey undermined by missing road data
2-Jul-2008
Technical officers have vowed to recapture control of England’s annual Road Condition Survey from the Department for Transport (DfT) after accusing it of suppressing vital data. -
Shillings talk, for art's sake
2-Jul-2008
Theatrical techniques and Shakespeare tales will be employed at the LGA conference, according to Toulmin Smith. -
Theme park food fails to meet standards
2-Jul-2008
Children taken to theme parks, museums and other attractions this summer can expect a diet of excessive salt, fat and sugar, environmental health and trading standards officers have found. -
The LGA's family affairs
2-Jul-2008
The many bodies of the LGA are being reorganised into two groups in a bid to boost councils’ future performance. -
Councils stripped of planning power
26-Jun-2008
Decisions on major infrastructure projects will be stripped from councils and given to an appointed commission after the collapse last night of a threatened rebellion against the government’s Planning Bill. -
Notts locked in row over RDA cash
25-Jun-2008
A row has broken out between two councils over control of economic development funds that they are to take over from the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA). -
Powerless on power
25-Jun-2008
Toulmin Smith imagines what Mistress Blear's speech to the Local Government Association conference might be. -
Councils should take lead in flood relief
25-Jun-2008
Councils should take the lead in coordinating flood relief work, Sir Michael Pitt has said in his review of last summer’s flooding. -
Coen announces LGA shake-up
20-Jun-2008
The Local Government Association’s executive has agreed plans to reshape the organisation into membership and services wings. -
VAT windfall hopes raised
18-Jun-2008
Councils are closer to learning if they will win a£1bn VAT windfall after a crucial decision in a legal dispute over off-street car park charges. -
LGA vote over shake-up
13-Jun-2008
The Local Government Association is due to vote next Thursday on proposals to reconfigure the organisation. -
MPs urge review of road pricing role
12-Jun-2008
The government should rethink its requirement that councils can only get money from the£2.5bn transport innovation fund by adopting road pricing, a parliamentary report has said. -
Joint-working plan opposed
11-Jun-2008
Welsh ministers have been urged to drop a proposal to force unwilling councils to collaborate on service delivery. -
Section 106 squeeze
11-Jun-2008
Affordable housing relies on s106 deals. Now, as the credit crunch bites, local government is feeling the pain. -
Toulmin Smith on the call of the conferences.
11-Jun-2008
Clank, clank, clank! The conference season is here. -
Welsh minister wants to force councils to collaborate
9-Jun-2008
Wales’ social justice and local government minister Brian Gibbons wants powers to force councils to collaborate. -
Aberdeen called to account
4-Jun-2008
Auditors have told Aberdeen City Council to appoint an outside expert to oversee its finances after public hearings last month revealed the council’s reserves were nearly exhausted. -
Fight against obesity to link with Olympics
4-Jun-2008
Over 90 councils plan to wage war on obesity in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games by using the event to offer free or cheap access to local sports facilities. -
Waveney issues cry for help
4-Jun-2008
TroubledWaveneyDChas warned ministers they might have to take over the council unless it can negotiate with -
Counting the cost of criticism
4-Jun-2008
LGC probes the Taxpayers’ Alliance. -
Toulmin Smith on planning pains
4-Jun-2008
LGC's Toulmin Smith believes the planning process offers a lot of pain for not much gain. -
Empty homes success
3-Jun-2008
A groundbreaking council initiative to bring empty property back into use on the east Kent coast has exceeded its targets. -
Leicester and Bradford under fire
3-Jun-2008
Auditors have warned Leicester City Council to tackle its lack of senior management capacity. -
MPs call for targeted post office protection
2-Jun-2008
Profitable post office branches and those that serve as a village’s only shop should be protected against the closure programme, MPs have said. -
Business regulator warned off interfering
28-May-2008
The government’s new regulation quango has been warned to stay within its legal powers and not interfere with councils’ responsibilities. -
Regenerating seaside economies
28-May-2008
The credit crunch and environmental pressures could boost seaside towns - with proper marketing and investment. -
Toulmin Smith ponders the point of righting the righted.
28-May-2008
Petitions are splendid things. They have many uses, such as scrap paper and firelighters, and it is gratifying that Mistress Blears wants the public to provide us with more. -
Scots councils push for statutory protection
27-May-2008
Scotland’s council leaders are considering whether to seek statutory protection for local government. -
Bid to clear Law’s name fails
21-May-2008
A district auditor has rejected attempts by the chief executives’ trade union to remove criticism of Doncaster MBC’s former managing director Susan Law from his report. -
Navigating through change
21-May-2008
Maintaining service standards and dealing with staff changes are the main challenges of unitary reorganisation. -
Post office role predicted
14-May-2008
Providing Post Office services could become an integral part of councils’ work, Essex CC leader Lord Hanningfield (Con) has forecasted. -
Turning down the heat
14-May-2008
As energy prices soar councils can reduce consumption or become more savvy buyers to reduce their costs. -
A new beginning for councillors
7-May-2008
Once the initial shock has passed, those who have lost their seats can console themselves with the fact there is life after political death. -
Labour decimated in South Wales
2-May-2008
Labour has taken a pounding in its south Wales heartland, where, with most results now in, it has lost control of every local authority declared except Neath Port Talbot Council. -
Swale sacking probed
30-Apr-2008
The chief executives’ trade union is to press the Audit Commission to investigate Swale BC after it sacked Mark Bilsborough following an epic 16-month dispute. -
Swale to sack chief executive
24-Apr-2008
Swale BC is to sack chief executive Mark Bilsborough, 16 months after he was first sent on gardening leave. -
Industry defends accused firms
24-Apr-2008
The construction industry has pleaded with councils not to shun the 112 firms accused by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) of price fixing in public sector tenders. -
Boston Independents: taking over the council
23-Apr-2008
Boston’s chief executive was prepared for a result that left him with inexperienced councillors. -
BBC must reveal top salaries, says WLGA
18-Apr-2008
The Welsh Local Government Association has called on the BBC to publish its top managers’ salaries after it criticised payments to council chief executives. -
Closure confrontation looms
16-Apr-2008
A top-level meeting next week will try to thrash out a consistent response from the Post Office as councils battle wholesale branch closures. -
Helen Bailey interview
16-Apr-2008
Helen Bailey has seen off a ‘poor’ CPA score, the controversy surrounding her appointment at Islington and the Standards Board. No wonder she is ready for a new challenge. -
Order to publish PFI details
9-Apr-2008
A council has been forced by the information commissioner to publish near complete details of its private finance initiative waste contract. -
Suffolk's division could be restored
9-Apr-2008
Two counties abolished 34 years ago could be resurrected under one option for Suffolk’s unitary reorganisation. -
Late passes hit free bus travel
9-Apr-2008
Councils were forced to take emergency measures to make the new concessionary bus fares scheme operational after contractors failed to deliver passes to all eligible passengers. -
Battle of the dragons
9-Apr-2008
Despite their national coalition links, Labour and Plaid Cymru will go head to head in the local polls in May. -
High Court rejects Bedfordshire challenge
4-Apr-2008
The High Court has thrown out Bedfordshire CC’s bid for a judicial review of the unitary reorganisation in the county, which will see the council abolished. -
Quango sparks concordat row
2-Apr-2008
A new quango risks breaching the central/local concordat, council regulators have warned. -
Building control officers
2-Apr-2008
Often portrayed as jobsworths out to pick holes in residents' loft conversions, councils' building control officers are actually responsible for overseeing cutting-edge projects. -
New parking enforcement powers
31-Mar-2008
Powers have come into force that allow councils to issue parking tickets by post and from CCTV evidence. -
Duckworth for Newham job
26-Mar-2008
Newham LBC has ended its year-long search for a chief executive by appointing Joe Duckworth, who holds the top job at Isle of Wight Council. -
Radical vote reform demand
26-Mar-2008
Labour was alone in defending postal voting on demand after a judge blasted the system for having “made wholesale electoral fraud both easy and profitable”. -
The weird and wonderful world of licensing
26-Mar-2008
From regulating the possession of exotic pets to overseeing the sale of alcohol, licensing officers play a vital role. -
Slough councillor goes in election court ruling
19-Mar-2008
An election court has unseated Slough BC Conservative councillor Eshaq Khan after a judge found him guilty of personation and corrupt practices. -
Northern towns and cities need to improve transport links
18-Mar-2008
Poor transport links have condemned northern towns to fail to capitalise on the booming economies of the region’s cities, the Centre for Cities think tank said. -
Salmond's Trump golf resort action 'cavalier'
14-Mar-2008
Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond was “cavalier” and showed “exceptionally poor judgement” when he met representatives of Donald Trump after the American entrepreneur’s application for a golf development had been controversially rejected by Aberdeenshire Council . -
Officers served more strawberries
12-Mar-2008
Senior Northamptonshire CC staff have been warned they should quit the council unless they “make sure [they] know the taste of strawberry”. -
Lib Dem compromise over councillors on health boards
10-Mar-2008
The Liberal Democrats would give councillors one-third of the seats on elected boards set up to oversee health at local level. -
Road pricing rejected by West Midlands leaders
6-Mar-2008
West Midlands council leaders have rejected road pricing for the region, despite this step making their councils ineligible for the£200m a year transport innovation fund (TIF). -
Welsh council tax increases by average 3.8%
6-Mar-2008
Council tax in Wales will rise by an average of 3.8% next year, figures from the Welsh Local Government Association show today. This would take the Band D average rate to£860.50. -
Stop, look and listen
6-Mar-2008
Tufty the Squirrel may no longer be teaching us about road safety, but his good work continues through council road safety departments. -
'Community empowerment' white paper announced
5-Mar-2008
Communities and local government secretary Hazel Blears has launched a consultation on how to give citizens greater control over local services, ahead of the expected publication next summer of a white paper on empowerment. -
South-coast councils quit regional assembly
3-Mar-2008
Two south coast councils have quit the South East England Regional Assembly in a largely symbolic protest at what they said has been its failure to secure enough government investment in infrastructure to cope with increased house building rates. -
Sharing a chief executive
27-Feb-2008
It may sound like a challenge, but sharing a chief executive can cut costs and help councils share best practice. -
Stamped out
20-Feb-2008
The Post Office’s programme of branch closures has sparked fury across the country. LGC investigates how councils are battling to reverse the tide. -
Post office powers sought
12-Feb-2008
Closures spark demand for local scrutiny and budget control -
Locating localism
12-Feb-2008
A phenomenon has emerged in local government independent, issue-based political groups. -
Scottish budget confirmed
7-Feb-2008
Most of Scotland’s councils are expected to fall in with the Scottish government’s policy of freezing council tax next year. -
Masked protest in South Tyneside council chamber
6-Feb-2008
Masked protestors attended a South Tyneside MBC meeting last week, which saw leader Paul Waggott (Lab) move a motion of no confidence in himself. -
Cheltenham pilots web alert service
6-Feb-2008
Cheltenham BC is the first council to sign up with a website that puts constituents in touch with their councillor. -
Councils must stop graduates from flying south for the jobs
29-Jan-2008
Graduates boost economies, but many university towns and cities lose them to London and the south-east. How can this be prevented? -
Worthing/Adur controversy over split costs
29-Jan-2008
Two Conservative councils have sparked controversy by agreeing to split the costs of their shared senior management evenly, despite one being far larger than the other. -
Northants chief honoured in 'fruity' song
25-Jan-2008
Northamptonshire CC chief executive Katherine Kerswell has been honoured in song after she likened the county council to a strawberry during an address to staff on YouTube. -
Merseytram project revival at risk
23-Jan-2008
Chief executive admits tryign to stop critical report's publication. -
Ken’s new train set
22-Jan-2008
By taking over the London Overground, mayor Ken Livingstone is steaming ahead with his plan to bring all public transport in the capital under his control. But can other councils outside of London connect with rail service providers? -
Highways robbery?
22-Jan-2008
The use of borrowing permissions in this year’s local transport capital settlement has angered departments. -
Lib Dems square up to Clegg over boards
15-Jan-2008
Leader’s plans hit by local opposition -
Land pressure grows
15-Jan-2008
South-west told to build more homes -
New Lib Dem leader promises to devolve power
14-Jan-2008
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has urged his party to produce a ‘charter of freedoms and responsibilities for local government’. -
Inspectors call for huge increase in south-west housing
11-Jan-2008
Some south-west councils will have to find space for double the number of new homes they expected, under revised figures issued by planning inspectors who have examined the regional assembly’s earlier proposals. -
Councils share best practice abroad
8-Jan-2008
The Commonwealth Local Government Forum has twinned UK councils with those abroad. -
Petitioners’ power threatens cohesion
8-Jan-2008
Blears defends plan for local input -
Will the concordat lead councils to Wonderland?
8-Jan-2008
Has the Local Government Association entered Wonderland after the signing of the central/local concordat? -
Durham's chief finally takes helm at Cambridgeshire
3-Jan-2008
Durham CC chief executive Mark Lloyd is to become chief executive at Cambridgeshire CC, two months after he withdrew from the post following a dispute with the then leader Shona Johnstone. -
Social care performance ratings announced
29-Nov-2007
Social care’s performance has improved for the fifth year running despite ongoing concern over budgets a report shows. -
Shaping up
23-Sep-2007
The massive diversity of economic issues in the Midlands and south-west makes focusing on regeneration harder than in other areas of England
