Wales
Welsh councils to get new powers over second homes
Welsh councils will be given new powers to limit the number of second homes in their communities under plans revealed by the First Minister Mark Drakeford.
EXCLUSIVE: Home Office asylum dispersal plans delayed
The Home Office’s plans to order all regions of England, Scotland and Wales to take a share of asylum seekers have been hit by delays.
Census concerns mount ahead of publication date
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has attempted to ease local government anxiety over the accuracy of the first data from the 2021 census due out next week.
Burnham attacks Whitehall bidding culture
Central Government wastes more money than local government because of the bidding culture, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has claimed.
Davies elected to lead Labour in local government
The leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Shaun Davies, has been elected to head up the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Labour group.
Welsh auditors: NHS waiting lists could take seven years to clear
It could be seven years before Wales sees its NHS waiting lists come back down to pre-pandemic levels, Welsh Auditors have claimed.
Equal pay challenge warning
‘Huge equal pay challenges in many areas’ could be sparked if employers are forced to retrospectively delete pay points, chief executives have been warned.
Inflation 'biggest worry' for pension schemes
Inflation is the biggest worry for six out of 10 local government pension scheme (LGPS) professionals in England and Wales, new research has found.
Conservatives lose their lone Welsh council
In Wales, the Conservatives lost their only council at the local elections, with Labour the clear election night winners.
Scottish census extended amid low completion rate
The Scottish Government has extended the deadline for census returns by four weeks in a bid to boost a completion rate of just 77%.
All regions told to take asylum seekers
All regions of England, Scotland and Wales will be expected to take a share of asylum seekers under a new system of ‘full dispersal,’ the Government has told councils.
Government unveils £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund
The Scottish and Welsh Governments say they have been short-changed by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Town halls must find more cash for wages
Councils have been warned they will have to find more in their budgets to fund the sector’s increasing wage bill.
Merthyr Tydfil improvement board ends
Independent oversight of Merthyr Tydfil CBC has come to an end following improvements to its governance and sustainability.
Auditor blames backlog on staff 'capacity'
External auditors have blamed ‘staff capacity’ at Isle of Anglesey CC for a three-year backlog of work.
Former chief takes boundary commission role
Beverley Smith has been appointed chair of the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales.
Wrexham faces £2.3m budget gap
Savings across most services have been outstripped by overspends in social care.
Levelling up funding failing to focus on social issues, finds research
Government levelling up funding is failing to focus on social issues and misses targetting crucial problems, according to new research.
Welsh councils win £750m funding boost
The Welsh Government has included a £743m increase in funding for councils in its latest budget.
Watchdog calls for regional partnership boards to improve accountability
The accountability of regional partnership boards (RPBs) should be improved, according to Audit Wales.