Councillors
Councils bring back joint chief executive role
Two local authorities have reinstated the position of joint chief executive after sector peers said it would ‘drive the councils into the future’.
Tory leader accuses Government of meddling
The leader of Wycombe DC has claimed Government meddling is making creating a single unitary for Buckinghamshire harder to achieve.
Campaigners press for audit legislation review
Campaigners have pressed for review of the five-year-old Local Audit and Accountability Act to ensure it works ‘in the interest of local citizens’.
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.
Bringing politics into the 21st century
In a round table hosted by Gatenby Sanderson, district council leaders considered the question: ‘The 21st century councillor – what skills do modern members need to equip them for the challenges ahead?’
Call for power to ban councillors
Council standards boards should have the power to ban councillors for up to six months without allowances, the Committee on Standards in Public Life has recommended.
Projected overspend more than triples
The projected overspend facing Highland Council’s care, learning and housing department more than trebled to £3m in the third quarter, councillors will be told.
Council faces independent inquiry call
King’s Lynn & West Norfolk BC’s is facing calls for an independent inquiry into its partnership with one of the UK’s largest not-for-profit enterprise agencies.
Brum threatens legal action against union
Birmingham City Council has threatened trade union Unite with the prospect of a court order as industrial action by refuse workers continues.
Tees Valley mayor seeks backing for £40m airport bid
The Mayor of Tees Valley has launched a campaign to garner support for his proposed £40m purchase of Durham Tees Valley Airport.
CIPFA expands focus to councillors
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is to broaden its support to councillors as the focus on financial risks heightens.
New Years Honours for Rotherham
Rotherham MBC commissioner Mary Ney and director of children’s services Ian Thomas have both been recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s honours.
Clancy escapes legal action over waste dispute
Birmingham City Council’s former leader will not face legal action for his part in the authority’s waste dispute.
Squeezed Somerset reins in overspend
Under-pressure Somerset CC has reduced its projected overspend in 2018/19 from £3.2m to £2.4m, senior councillors will hear next week.
Transformation savings at risk
The transformation programme underpinning Surrey CC’s return to financial sustainability has ‘a medium to high risk of slippage,’ the troubled county’s auditors will warn councillors today.
Building handover after council loan deadline missed
A state-of-the-art commercial workspace will be handed over to a council after one of the UK’s largest not-for-profit enterprise agencies missed the deadline for repaying a £2.75m loan.
EXCLUSIVE: The Bucks stops here
Local government secretary James Brokenshire will only invite new unitary proposals in the case of another Northamptonshire CC-type collapse, The MJ understands.
Gwynne: There's been no end to austerity
Opposition politicians have hit out at the Government’s record on funding the sector at the County Councils’ Network conference today.
Government plea after 'devastating' cyber attack
Copeland BC faces having to slash its general reserves to just over the minimum acceptable level unless the Government helps after a ‘devastating’ £2m cyber-attack.
Burns faces possible redundancy
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s immediate past president, Andy Burns, is facing possible redundancy from his day job.