Trading
Time is money
Ahead of new procurement rules due to be introduced next year, Terry Corby highlights the key findings of new research revealing how long it takes each local authority to pay its suppliers.
Councils plan for Kier exit
Councils have been making plans after Kier decided to exit the waste industry.
Mursell to leave Kier
Kier has announced that chief executive Haydn Mursell will leave the business ‘with immediate effect’.
Building handover after council loan deadline missed
A state-of-the-art commercial workspace will be handed over to a council after one of the UK’s largest not-for-profit enterprise agencies missed the deadline for repaying a £2.75m loan.
Roberts to take over from Straw
Phil Roberts will succeed Jack Straw as chief executive of Swansea City & CC in May.
Ethical trading disputes could land authorities with hefty costs
Councils facing legal disputes over decisions to cease trading and investment with countries on ethical grounds could face huge costs.
Lewis suggests changes to Sunday trading plans
Councils will be able to ‘draw a red line’ around town centres to ensure high street shops benefit from changes to Sunday trading laws, a minister has claimed.
Nottingham bids to become UK's most China-friendly city
Nottingham has signed a five-year deal with Ningbo in its bid to become the UK’s ‘most China-friendly city’.
Footfall fever
Diary doesn’t want to come across as a frightful snob, but we could not help raise an eyebrow when we received an email from Carlisle City Council about a deal to bring a major retailer into a shopping centre.
EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs use poll to plea for fresh fiscal powers
Local government needs fiscal devolution and more powers to secure a financially sustainable future, council chiefs have told us in an exclusive survey.
Pension fund investment regulations could be 'disastrous'
Forcing pension funds to follow UK foreign policy when making investment decisions could be ‘disastrous,’ according to the chair of the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum.
Authority-owned firms offer greater cash benefits
New figures have revealed the multi-million pound benefits local authority-owned trading companies can bring despite their lack of popularity among councils.
Councils’ reserves to set up building firm
Newcastle City Council is to set up its own trading company as three local authorities in Suffolk discuss going into the building business.
Let’s make a fair trade
Delivering adult social care services through a trading company is the most effective way to make savings while protecting the most vulnerable members of the community, says Danielle Procter.
Authorities set to trim law firm fees
Local government spending on law firms and barristers has fallen by 10% in the last year, according to new research by Thomson Reuters.
Unions back bin collection switch
Liverpool workers have backed plans to transfer bin collection services to a council-owned company.
Sunday trading devolution plans unveiled
Councils would be given the power to extend Sunday opening hours to boost the local economy by £1.4bn a year under new plans that have been unveiled.
Essex CC calls for its own LEP
Essex CC has called for the creation of its own local enterprise partnership (LEP) covering the county.
Summer Budget: Government will be 'bold' in building Northern Powerhouse
Chancellor George Osborne has pledged to ‘put the power into the Northern Powerhouse’ as he announced further devolution to Greater Manchester.
Councils to be handed Sunday trading hours powers
Local authorities in England are to be handed powers to change Sunday trading laws in tomorrow’s Budget, according to Treasury sources.