Emergency planning
Council chief calls for reform of emergency flood funds
A council hit by heavy flooding has called for the system of Government support to be overhauled.
Government activates emergency funds for flood-hit councils
Whitehall has activated an emergency fund for councils affected by flooding.
£20m cash boost announced for designated Brexit officers
All councils will need to have a lead officer on Brexit as the government steps up its preparations for a no-deal.
Emergency planning has suffered under budget cuts - mandarin
‘Drastic cuts’ to council budgets have contributed to a lack of resources for emergency planning, a civil servant has warned.
London Resilience Forum warns it is still being left in the dark over Brexit
The London Resilience Forum is still not getting 'any sort of detail or underlying explainations' from the Government of what lies beneath the Brexit planning assumptions it is being asked to work to, its chair has revealed.
Councils are ready to do their best with Brexit
Heather Jameson says that in a breathtakingly brazen attempt to get the blame in early, civil servants have raised concerns about how councils will handle Brexit - but in reality local government is, mostly, at its best in an emergency.
EXCLUSIVE: Brokenshire gets Brexit breakdown from chiefs
Chief executives have told communities secretary James Brokenshire Whitehall needs to be more joined up between departments and in its communications with councils over Brexit.
EXCLUSIVE: Councils warn Whitehall of Brexit risks
Councils this week started to formally inform Whitehall about their Brexit risk assessments amid fears of crime spikes, public demonstrations and food bottlenecks.
Learning from the emergency life cycle
When it comes to emergency response there are ‘no second chances’ says Stephen Baker of SOLACE. The organisation has linked up with the LGA to launch a new guide to learning throughout the life cycle of emergencies
Stronger together
A year on from the Parsons Green train bombing, Kim Dero explains how Hammersmith & Fulham LBC is joining forces with the community to plan ahead for emergencies.
Don’t leave cyber security to chance
When it comes to cyber security, it is time we prepared for the worst before it’s too late, writes William Benson.
Private leaseholders need assurance over Grenfell cladding
Leaseholders are enduring a miserable existence with properties rendered worthless because they have similar cladding to the Grenfell Tower. Paul Wheeler calls on the Government to act.
Countering terror locally
With the announcement of the Government’s CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy following on from other major reviews into policing and safety, Mark Conrad looks at what it all means for local authorities.
Preventing another Grenfell
On the first anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy Lord Porter explains how the Local Government Association is working with the Government to stop this from happening again.
Grenfell: Refurbishment turned fire-resistant building into flammable one
Kensington & Chelsea RLBC has come under pressure once more after a leaked report blamed a low-grade refurbishment for the deadly blaze that killed 71 people.
Councils told to be on guard post-Salisbury
Council bosses have been warned to weigh-up risks of fresh attacks from ‘hostile states’ following the Salisbury poisonings.
Kerslake review praises council response to Manchester bomb attack
Local government’s response to the Manchester Arena bombing was ‘by any measure exceptional’, but key mistakes must be avoided in future, an official review has found.
Fire safety: Tougher action needed on private owners, MPs say
Labour and Conservative MPs have come together to demand the Government does more than just ‘urge’ the private sector to pay for remedial measures to make tower blocks safe from fire.
Push back over major disaster response
The Home Office is battling against the clock to convince regions to take on responsibility for responding to major disasters.
Council HQ caught up in gas leak alert
Staff are returning to work at Westminster City Councils offices in the Strand after being evacuated due to a gas leak in central London.