London Councils
Boroughs in GP estate devolution call
London Councils has called for more devolution to boroughs of decisions on the GP estate.
Sector presses for further action on cladding
Building safety reforms billed as the ‘biggest change for a generation’ do not go far enough to clamp down on potentially dangerous cladding, councils argued this week.
Learning from two different governance systems
With elections looming in 2020, it is a topical moment to think about what we can learn from the combined authority structures and from London's governance system, says John O'Brien. What works best?
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.
A gap that will prove hard to close
Dan Peters investigates the scale of the funding challenge faced by the 32 councils told by the Government to bring their SEND funding deficit back into balance within three years.
EXCLUSIVE: 100% business rates retention could be back on agenda
Full retention of business rates could shoot back up the agenda as part of a long-awaited Government review, The MJ understands.
Repairing a broken system
The voluntary scheme for sharing responsibility for the care of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children is widely seen as failing. What needs to change? Dan Peters reports.
Temporary accommodation spending costs councils £1bn a year
Councils spent £1.1bn on temporary accommodation for homeless households between April 2018 and March 2019, new Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures have shown.
Welfare provision ‘overly centralised’ London council chiefs say
A new report from the cross-party organisation London Councils has criticised the current approach to welfare provision, describing it as ‘overly centralised’.
Ending London’s homeless capital status
On World Homelessness Day, and ahead of next month's London Councils Summit, Cllr Darren Rodwell says boroughs are determined and ambitious about tackling one of the capital’s most pressing challenges.
Pledging to make air pollution a national priority
Ahead of next month's London Councils Summit, Cllr Julian Bell explains how the capital's local government is leading the way by raising awareness of air pollution, and tackling it with innovative projects.
Success starts with the community
Ahead of the London Councils Summit, Cllr Catherine Faulks explains that local government leaders have signed up to developing a pan-London Charter for Business with the aim of better supporting the city's economy while driving inclusive growth.
Patel pledges £20m to 'roll up' County Lines
The home secretary’s announcement of a £20m package to tackle County Lines drugs gangs has received a mixed reaction.
Croydon facing £9m asylum funding shortfall
Croydon LBC is heading for another financial hit this year as a result of a funding shortfall to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC).
London Boroughs adept at SEND, but with some disparity
London’s councils are generally adept at managing pupils with special educational needs (SEND), but there is significant disparity between the performance of some schools, a study has concluded.
Spend 2.5% of UK’s GDP on tackling climate change and air quality, say London’s environment and public health directors
This Sunday, 22 September, is car free day. Stephen Evans and Dr Tamara Djuretic highlight London’s focus on policy solutions such as restricted and emissions-based parking, low emissions zones and better walking and cycling infrastructure.
London in skills devolution call
The capital has called on the Government to further devolve powers over skills funding.
Pilots testing 75% business rates retention to come to an end
Pilots testing 75% business rates retention will come to an end, with no new pilots planned for 2020/21.
Re-engaging business and boroughs
The Charter for Business sets out London boroughs’ commitment to growing the city’s economy for the benefit of all who live there. Cllr Clare Coghill looks at how to enable the dialogue between business and boroughs required to make this happen.
Fixing social care is a crucial mission for all of us
A new analysis by London Councils shows the capital’s adult social care funding situation is ‘simply unsustainable’, with a shortfall of £540m expected by 2025, says Cllr Ray Puddifoot.