Local Government Association
Councils demand extra planning powers
Councils have called on the Government to use its White Paper to give them powers to take action on unbuilt land that has planning permission.
Making the case for a bigger cake
Darryl Eyers explains why four local professional associations have come together alongside the LGA to make a collective case to Government for the right long-term resources
EXCLUSIVE: Councils call for say in devo White Paper
Councils are battling to ‘jointly craft’ the devolution White Paper ahead of its publication later this year.
Finance settlement pulled for new terror law
Tomorrow’s local government finance settlement has been pulled to make way for emergency legislation to end the automatic early release of terrorists.
Treasury could rake in £80m from PWLB rate hike - LGA
The Treasury could benefit from an £80m windfall from controversially increasing the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) interest rate by 1%, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
EXCLUSIVE: Jenrick plans intervention to help northern councils
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick is poised to intervene in the fair funding review to ensure northern councils do not end up worse off, The MJ understands.
EXCLUSIVE: Councils sent back to drawing board on SEND
Councils have been sent back to the drawing board after a quango ripped apart their plans to recover massive special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) deficits.
Jenrick in anti-semitism funding threat
The Local Government Association (LGA) has rebuffed communities secretary Robert Jenrick’s threat to withhold funding from councils that fail to adopt the internationally-agreed definition of anti-semitism.
Seven out of 10 councils overspend on homelessness
Seven out of 10 English councils overspent their homelessness budgets in 2018/19 by a combined total of nearly £115m, Local Government Association (LGA) analysis has found.
LEPs start to buckle after overlap threat
Local enterprise partnerships (LEP) are finally succumbing to a threat by ministers to withhold funding from them if they refuse to remove overlapping boundaries.
Councils under ministerial pressure over winter care funding
Ministers have piled pressure on councils to maintain winter funding for home care packages, hours of care and care home placements as bed blocking increases.
Getting districts ‘match fit’ for the global stage
The District Councils’ Network (DCN) annual conference in Warwick will provide a golden opportunity to shape our post-Brexit future, says Cllr John Fuller.
Pressure on Government grows over schools grant deficits
Pressure is growing on the Department for Education (DfE) to take responsibility for growing dedicated schools grant (DSG) deficits as the number of councils reporting them rises.
Shining a strong light
The Local Government Association is about to launch a review of its peer challenge process. Paul Marinko asks whether the approach is robust enough to meet the demands of a tough financial climate.
EXCLUSIVE: Government prepares for new rate reliefs
The Government has started to prepare the ground for the introduction of new business rate reliefs after its previous efforts were labelled a ‘shambles’.
EXCLUSIVE: Clash over timing of May election counts
Returning officers are on a collision course with police and crime commissioners (PCC) over the timing of counts for the May elections.
Localis hired for fiscal devolution study
The Local Government Association has commissioned research to better understand how greater control of financial and fiscal levers might operate in non-metropolitan areas.
Permitted development pressure on Government grows
Pressure is growing on the Government to conclude its review of homes built under controversial permitted development rights and scrap the rules.
Doubts over March local industrial strategy deadline
The Government’s public commitment that all areas will have a local industrial strategy (LIS) agreed by March has been thrown into doubt.
Boston urged to ‘shout loudly’
The council has been told it should be proud of its achievements following a corporate peer challenge by the Local Government Association.