Crime
Councils left in dark over youth offending budgets
Funding uncertainty is undermining councils’ efforts to tackle knife crime and County Lines drug dealing, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
Cuts to youth services factor in knife crime rise - MPs
The local areas that have experienced the largest cuts to their youth services budgets have reported some of the highest increases in knife crime, MPs have revealed.
Austerity holding back local government fight against knife crime
‘Inadequate’ Government leadership and funding is hindering local government in tackling knife crime, a former Whitehall tsar has said.
Committing to youth wellbeing
Councils are being ‘forced to divert the limited funding they have left away from preventative work. But with levels of knife crime rising, will the Government put more money into targeted youth services responses? Ann McGauran reports
Pledges focus on what matters most to Londoners
London Councils’ Pledges to Londoners set out the aspirations the 32 boroughs and the City of London have agreed to work on together to improve the lives of all the capital’s residents, says Peter John.
Halting knife crime is a multi-agency endeavour
Rachel Dickinson says much greater investment is needed in children and young people if we are to make a difference to levels of knife crime - and treating serious youth violence as a public health issue makes absolute sense.
EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall warned as Brexit tensions grow
‘Early signs’ of escalating community tensions and hate crime related to Brexit have been reported to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), The MJ has learnt.
Consultation floats new legal duty in violence crackdown
A new legal duty to support a multi-agency approach to preventing and tackling serious violence could be introduced.
Rebuilding lives lost to slavery
Local authorities must do more than meet the ‘bare minimum of the Modern Slavery Act’, writes Paul Gerrard. With councils spending more than £40bn a year, there is leverage that can and should be used for social good
A charter to tackle County Lines
Islington LBC’s first report on the local implementaton of the Charter Against Modern Slavery shows it has led to progress in earlier identification of children at risk of exploitation through County Lines. Ann McGauran reports
Modern slavery referrals rocket
Referrals of potential victims of modern slavery made by councils have soared tenfold in five years, new figures have shown.
Automatic checks used to decide 80% of Settled Status applications
Four out of five of the 150,000 applications for Settled Status so far have been accepted after automatic checks, according to the latest figures.
Crime prevention budgets slashed
Crime prevention budgets have been cut by more than a half since 2010, an analysis from Labour has revealed.
Aiken: Country facing biggest ever exploitation of children
London must take action to avoid losing an entire generation of young people, the leader of Westminster City Council has warned.
‘Lessons have been learned’ after child abuse case, council insists
Kirklees MBC has insisted ‘lessons have been learned’ in the wake of what has been described as a seven-year campaign of rape and abuse in Huddersfield.
New solutions to knife crime
In the run-up to the London Councils Summit next month Cllr Lib Peck looks at the many varied causes and impacts of knife crime in the capital – and assesses the leadership and sharing of best practice required to tackle this growing issue
File on arrested four passed to prosecutors
Police have finally submitted a file of evidence to prosecutors in relation to four local government figures more than a year after they were arrested.
Surrey has 'improved' since Parsons Green bomb
Surrey CC has insisted it has made improvements since the Parsons Green bomber partially exploded a device on a tube train, injuring 51 people.
Police bail extended for council leader and former chiefs
Four local government figures on bail in connection with a fraud probe have been told to return to a police station in three months’ time.
Standards split between officers and councillors
Councillors and officers are divided over the future of the standards regime, with politicians backing the existing approach dismissed as a ‘toothless tiger’ by officials.