Politics
'Radical shake-up' for planning
The Scottish Government has hailed a ‘radical shake-up’ after the passing of the Planning Bill yesterday.
Civil service chief calls for more cross-Whitehall working
Whitehall chief Sir Mark Sedwill has called for more cross-boundary working among civil servants to tackle social issues like knife crime, troubled families and mental health.
Call for Liverpool intervention after mayoral review frustration
Liverpool City Council’s Lib Dem leader has called for the Government to intervene after he claimed the authority blocked his attempts to review the elected mayor position.
LGA's own leadership race is underway
The Local Government Association’s very own leadership election is underway with three Conservative candidates throwing their hats into the ring to become the next chairman.
Recognition for council pair in Queen's Birthday Honours
The leader and former chief executive of a district council have both received awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Council hits back after MP calls for abolition
Telford & Wrekin Council has said calls from an MP for its abolition are an ‘insult to democracy and residents’.
Call for leader to quit after 'repeated failures'
Shadow local government secretary Andrew Gwynne has called for Northamptonshire CC leader, Matt Golby, to quit after ‘repeated failures’ in the council’s children’s services.
EXCLUSIVE: NAO to wade into fair funding review
The National Audit Office (NAO) is gearing up to scrutinise the Government’s divisive fair funding review, The MJ can reveal.
Porter in top up cash call
Councils will need a cash top up if the political turmoil forces the new Prime Minister to delay plans for a three-year Spending Review, Local Government Association (LGA) chairman Lord Porter has warned.
Whiteman calls for fair funding review delay
The fair funding review should be delayed until after the Spending Review, finance expert Rob Whiteman has suggested.
Call for councils to be at centre of new second chamber
A former first minister (FM) has called for ‘disempowered’ local authorities to be put at the centre of a new second chamber in Scotland.
Government sidesteps homelessness emergency call
The Mayor of Greater Manchester has called on the Government to declare a ‘homelessness emergency’.
EXCLUSIVE: Sunak to rule on default tier split
Ministers been asked to set out a ‘national default position’ on the distribution of business rates between county and district councils after 75% retention, The MJ has learnt.
Conservatives struggle at the polls as Lib Dems gain
The two main political parties have made big loses in the local elections, with the Lib Dems, Greens and independents the real winners of the night.
EXCLUSIVE: Ministers to step in after tier split talks collapse
Ministers are expected to be called on to intervene in the thorny issue of business rates tier splits after talks ended with no agreement, The MJ understands.
Minister in plea for cross-party care consensus
Care minster Caroline Dinenage has said she 'would dearly like there to be cross-party consensus' on funding for social care.
Further delay to devolution drive
The Government’s repeatedly-delayed devolution framework will not be published until after Brexit, minister Jake Berry has admitted.
Labour to tighten control over Enfield group
The Labour Party will tighten its control over the local Enfield group following a months-long investigation into internal party processes.
EXCLUSIVE: Fresh deadline for overlapping LEPs
Minister Jake Berry has laid down a fresh deadline for local enterprise partnerships (LEP) to remove overlapping boundaries in a desperate attempt to break the deadlock.
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.