News
Council leaders insist waste reforms must be ‘fully funded’
Local authority leaders have welcomed plans to ‘overhaul’ the waste system, but cautioned Whitehall that any reforms need to be fully funded.
Cook boils over about 'crippling' uncertainty
Stockton-on-Tees BC’s leader, Cllr Bob Cook, has damned the ‘crippling’ uncertainty surrounding how local government will be funded in future.
Amey facing £200m Birmingham divorce bill
Amey may have to pay more than £200m to extricate itself from its troubled 25-year PFI contract with Birmingham City Council after years of legal difficulties, according to national newspaper reports.
Councils back out of voter ID trials
Three councils have withdrawn from the Government’s controversial voter ID trials.
EXCLUSIVE: Down to the core
Six out of 10 senior council figures admit their authority is now only delivering a basic core offer of service, The MJ and LGiU think-tank’s annual local government finance survey has revealed.
Spelthorne calls end to commercial investments
Spelthorne BC has announced an end to its controversial policy of commercial property investments.
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Opinion
Hammond must not take the sector for granted
Chancellor Philip Hammond must ensure local government does not face a crisis similar to those in the prison service and justice system, says Michael Burton
A 'one bid per council' approach to high streets cash holds back collaboration
Allen Graham understands that bids for the Government's planned £675m future high streets fund will be restricted to one per authority - with no mechanism for districts to collaborate by linking bids.
Compromise may be required on fair funding
For the fair funding review to be successful compromise may be necessary, says Richard Flinton - and a (largely) united front will give a better shot at securing a system that can stand the test of time.
Don't ignore the work of the districts on social prescribing
When announcing new social prescribers the Government ignored the progress being made in district councils and has created a parallel competing bureaucracy, says Cllr John Fuller.
Councils caught in the middle
Bob Neill says nailing down a robust framework to strengthen scrutiny is an essential part of the management and delivery of academies – and we still haven’t adequately filled the guardian role local authorities carry out for maintained schools
Councils are often best placed to invest in commercial assets
James Cogavin says that while some councils are grabbing the headlines for the size of their investments, councils all across the country are making sensible commitments in their local areas which will benefit their communities.
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Best Practice
Glasgow City Region advances at pace
The £1.13bn Glasgow City Region City Deal is one of the largest and most advanced in the UK. Kevin Rush outlines the progress being made and how the City Deal is stimulating further growth and investment.
Analysis
Mind the gap
The MJ/LGiU survey exposes the growing gap between the public’s expectations and councils’ ability to deliver – with nearly two-thirds of respondents (61%) providing only ‘a little bit more’ than their statutory obligations.
Private sector
Falkirk to develop pioneering poverty project
A tool to help tackle poverty is being developed by Falkirk Council and IT firm thinkWhere.
Outsourcers back new recycling funding model
Outsourcing giants have backed moves to force manufacturers to pay the costs of recycling their products.
Liverpool housing plans killed by legal challenge
A deal between Liverpool City Council and Redrow Homes to build luxury properties on the fringes of a park is 'dead’ after a legal challenge, mayor Joe Anderson has admitted.