Chris Mahony
Capital borrowing falls by a fifth in two years, data reveals
Councils’ prudential borrowing for capital expenditure has fallen 22% in two years, official data confirmed.
Employers put forward flat rate rise in council staff pay
Employers have offered a flat rate pay rise of £1,925 to all staff.
Bradford faces £34m overspend after children's services 'assumptions'
An ‘incorrect assumption from an internal document’ contributed to Bradford City Council’s children’s services budget facing a potential £34m overspend this year.
Kent calls for urgent response to Dover chaos
Kent CC and its local partners have called for an urgent national response to the chaos and delays approaching the Port of Dover after distributing water and food to those affected through the weekend.
Sandwell refuse workers call halt to strike
Refuse workers in Sandwell MBC have called off a planned strike due to start next week after accepting a 9% pay increase and securing additional annual leave.
EXCLUSIVE: Employers warn against local pay deals
Councils have been warned against undermining the ‘fundamental integrity’ of national talks by agreeing local deals as pressure grows on pay.
Government urged to scale up levelling up
The Government is focusing on the right issues as part of its levelling up agenda but needs to dramatically scale up investment and effort, according to the Institute for Government (IfG) think-tank.
Inflation crisis hitting North worse than London, think-tank finds
Poorly-insulated homes and inadequate public transport mean the inflation crisis is hitting cities in the North, Midlands and Wales harder than London and the South-East, a report has warned.
Early intervention cuts trigger crisis interventions
Councils, young people and families are trapped in a ‘vicious cycle’ due to the halving of investment in early intervention over the last decade, the largest children’s charities have warned.
Management upheaval at Tandridge
Tandridge DC officers undergoing a management restructure to generate savings for this year face another one just months later.
Ministers savaged as Grenfell Inquiry draws to close
Lawyers representing the bereaved, survivors and residents have used their final submissions to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to savage former ministers.
Council chiefs asked about resignations after child deaths
MPs investigating the failure to prevent the deaths of two children have asked the chief executives of the councils involved whether they had considered resigning.
Councillors quitting 'increasingly toxic' environment
Death threats, stalking and spitting are leading to councillors quitting an ‘increasingly toxic’ political environment.
LGA finance warning kicks off conference
More councils could be tipped into financial crisis while others face emergency in-year cuts due to soaring inflation and living wage increases, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned today.
Auditors praise department for evaluation
The National Audit Office (NAO) has praised the Department for Education’s (DfE) approach in evaluating the local authority children’s social care projects it funds.
Commissioners to oversee strategic decisions at Nottingham
Commissioners are to oversee strategic decisions at Nottingham City Council amid fears of ‘further serious issues’ on the scale that led to a section 114.
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.
Rising wage bill could lead to service cuts
Government pledges on the National Living Wage (NLW) could cost councils at least £400m over the next two years and force further service cuts, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
Call for council to publish legal report into chief's 'political' tweet
Opposition Conservative councillors have called on Tameside MBC to publish a top lawyer’s report commissioned after then-chief executive Steven Pleasant posted a ‘political’ tweet.
Levelling up 'biased towards larger towns and cities'
Rural areas risk losing out on the Government’s levelling up initiative because the programme’s metrics are biased towards larger towns and cities, a report based on council-commissioned research has claimed.