Local Government

Council finances in disorder, survey suggests

18/02/2016 - 11:33

A new survey conducted by The MJ has found that 82 per cent of councils are considering implementing additional charges for services and increasing council tax, in order to balance their books.

Councils forecast £23.5bn income from business rates

18/02/2016 - 11:27

Local authorities across England have predicted they will generate a record-breaking £23.5 billion income from business rates next year, as the dev

Starter homes will be out of reach for majority of families, LGA warns

17/02/2016 - 12:15

Starter homes could be out of reach fro the majority of families in England, according to new analysis from the Local Government Association (LGA).

Fire services at risk from funding cuts, PAC warns

17/02/2016 - 12:15

Fire and rescue services could be at risk due to further cuts to funding, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned.

47 per cent of public sector doubt leadership management skills

17/02/2016 - 12:13

47 per cent of public sector workers doubt the management skills of their leadership teams, according to a new report.

Cities must improve technology planning to prevent economic segregation

16/02/2016 - 14:33

A report published by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has called upon councils to improve planning in the technology sector to spur growth and prevent incidences where digital benefits are concentrated to particular areas.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight councils reject ‘metro mayor’ proposal

16/02/2016 - 11:24

As part of their devolution deal, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight councils have announced that they reject the government’s proposal to have a directly elected mayor.

Cities launch bid for ‘Great Western Powerhouse’

15/02/2016 - 12:12

The cities of Bristol, Cardiff and Newport have launched a report calling for the development of a ‘Great Western Powerhouse’.

LGA calls for restaurant chains to publish calorie information

15/02/2016 - 12:11

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on the government to require pub, restaurant and cinema chains to publish the calorie content of their food and drink.

Traffic calming measures spending up 53 per cent

15/02/2016 - 12:10

Spend on traffic calming measures has increased by 53 per cent since 2013, according to research from Churchill Car Insurance.

Early council tax leads developers to leave homes unfinished, FMB warns

12/02/2016 - 15:19

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has cautioned that the changes to council tax charges could create ‘perverse incentives’ which discourage d

Councils given more freedom over bus services

11/02/2016 - 10:32

Under reforms in the Buses Bill, councils will be given more freedom to improve services and make bus travel more passenger friendly.

Public sector ‘unprepared’ for the risks of climate change

11/02/2016 - 10:17

According to new Carbon Trust research, public sector organisations are not adequately prepared to deal with the likely impacts of climate change.

Shrinking number of adult social care staff in councils, report finds

10/02/2016 - 11:50

According to a report published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), the number of causal care staff employed by councils has fallen by 25 per cent over the past five years.