Whitehall
Levelling Up Fund to feature rapid bid process
The £4bn cross-departmental Levelling Up Fund will feature a rapid bid process, with all projects having to be completed before the next General Election, The MJ understands.
LGA code of conduct 'unlikely to gain traction'
The Local Government Association’s model code of conduct is ‘unlikely to gain any traction across the sector’ because of the lack of sanctions breaches attract, council chief executives have warned Whitehall.
Calls to vaccinate election workers grow
Pressure is growing for key election workers to be prioritised in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout after the Government confirmed polls will take place in May.
Grant fraud to soar
Grant fraud is expected to soar because of the amount of COVID-19 funding channelled through local government, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
MHCLG to open Wolverhampton base
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is to open a second headquarters in the Black Country as part of plans to shift civil servants away from the capital.
Government 'open' to receiving Oxfordshire merger proposal
The Government is ‘open’ to receiving a proposal for a merger of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse DCs, the already closely integrated Lib Dem-led councils have been told.
EXCLUSIVE: Pressure mounts over SEND grant deficit
Councils are facing renewed pressure from the Department for Education (DfE) to make cuts to bring their massive special educational needs deficits into line.
DCN bid for place on chief executives' network rejected
Senior Whitehall officials have knocked back a District Councils’ Network (DCN) bid to win a place on the influential nine-strong group of local authority chief executives, The MJ understands.
EXCLUSIVE: Pressure mounts on Jenrick over audit
Whitehall officials are putting communities secretary Robert Jenrick under pressure to change course after he failed to implement a key recommendation of the Redmond Review, The MJ understands.
Unions prepare to submit 'substantial' pay claim
Trade unions are preparing to ask central government to fund a ‘substantial’ pay rise for council workers in 2021/22, The MJ understands.
Government 'understands' virtual meetings call
Sector representatives have been told their arguments for allowing virtual meetings to continue have been ‘well-made and are understood’ by the Government.
Government confirms May election date
The Government has officially confirmed local elections will go ahead on May 6.
Opinion split over election date
Concerned council chief executives have continued to express safety fears about holding elections in May despite regional returning officers telling ministers it can be done.
Councils submit latest financial data
Councils have submitted their ninth data return on the pandemic-related pressures facing their finances.
McArdle drafted in to help Croydon
The lead commissioner at Northamptonshire CC, Tony McArdle, has been appointed to chair Section 114-hit Croydon LBC’s government improvement panel.
Fresh calls for standards code sanctions
Fresh calls for meaningful sanctions on badly behaving councillors were made this week after the Local Government Association (LGA) unanimously approved a model code of conduct.
Filling in the gaps
The Government has launched an independent inquiry into children’s social care in England, amid calls for a cross-Government commission into the impact of COVID-19 on the young. What do sector experts hope could be achieved? Ann McGauran reports.
Walkley steps down from Homes England
Homes England chief executive Nick Walkley has announced he will step down at the end of next month.
Councils told to return millions in business grants to Whitehall
Councils are being ordered to return millions of pounds in business grants to Whitehall even with firms shuttered in the middle of a national lockdown.
Councils complain about vaccine diversion
Frustrated council leaders have urged the Government to restore their expected coronavirus vaccine allocations after restricted supplies caused delays to the rollout.
