Reorganisation
Councils to take legal advice after reorganisation review block
Two Buckinghamshire district councils are to take legal advice after their attempts to judicially review the reorganisation process was blocked.
'Much more to do' to improve quality of Northamptonshire CC services
There is ‘much more to do’ to improve the quality of Northamptonshire CC’s services, two Government-appointed commissioners have told Whitehall.
Cost of Dorset redundancies to be recovered in 20 months
Nine proposed senior officer redundancies made as part of the creation of new unitary Dorset Council will pay for themselves in 20 months, it has been announced.
Berry encourages more councils to back east Lancashire unitary
Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry has suggested east Lancashire unitary plans would stand a better chance of succeeding if they were backed by every council.
Reorganisation pause after costs escalate
The leader of Northamptonshire CC has expressed his alarm at the ‘ever-increasing’ costs of local government reorganisation, which could put the 2019/20 budget at risk.
Lancashire lukewarm to unitary bid
Lancashire CC’s leader has given a lukewarm response to plans for a new unitary council.
Dorset to harmonise council tax
The new unitary Dorset Council has announced details of its harmonised council tax scheme.
Tory leader accuses Government of meddling
The leader of Wycombe DC has claimed Government meddling is making creating a single unitary for Buckinghamshire harder to achieve.
Gwynne could reverse Northamptonshire reorganisation
Shadow local government secretary Andrew Gwynne has suggested a Labour Government could reverse reorganisation in Northamptonshire if his party won a snap General Election.
Dorset’s achievement in a world transformed
Andrew Flockhart shows how officers and members throughout Dorset worked together – despite a host of challenges – to be ready for the transformation on 1 April from nine councils to two unitary authorities
Creating a new political dynamic in Dorset
The first chief executive of the new unitary Dorset Council Matt Prosser talks to Heather Jameson about the process of bringing three ‘very different’ local authorities together to form one sustainable council for the future.
Making the most of our assets
Incoming chief executive of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Graham Farrant thinks his new job to deliver a ‘really modern leading local authority’ is the best one available in local government right now, as Ann McGauran reports
Buckinghamshire districts threaten legal action over unitary plan
Two Buckinghamshire districts have written to the Government warning they could launch legal proceedings over plans to create a single county unitary.
Buckinghamshire faces ticking clock to get unitary over the line
Buckinghamshire’s planned unitary council faces a tight schedule to get up and running as it faces continuing opposition from the districts.
Cabinet minister calls for rural devolution
Liz Truss has called for rural counties to get the same devolved powers as metro mayors.
Northamptonshire reorganisation 'driven by politicians' - Lord Porter
The proposed unitarisation of Northamptonshire has been questioned by Local Government Association (LGA) chair, Lord Porter.
Corby calls for delay on Northants reorganisation
Corby BC has called for the creation of new unitary authorities to be pushed back, claiming there is not enough time to reorganise Northamptonshire’s public services.
Nottinghamshire CC abandons reorganisation plan
Nottinghamshire CC has dropped its reorganisation plans, which the leadership had hoped would save the authority millions of pounds each year.
When two become one
Amid high profile reorganisation battles, Suffolk Coastal and Waveney DCs have calmly and quietly merged to become the first ‘super district’. Heather Jameson talks to East Suffolk chief executive Stephen Baker about the journey
EXCLUSIVE: The Bucks stops here
Local government secretary James Brokenshire will only invite new unitary proposals in the case of another Northamptonshire CC-type collapse, The MJ understands.