Chris Mahony
How critical is the census?
With the next census due to take place next year, just how crucial is it to local authorities’ abilities to plan services? Chris Mahony examines the issues.
Contract changes prompt strike threat
Unison members in Tower Hamlets LBC are to strike in protest at contract changes the union claims are being forced on workers.
City region deal to be signed
The Stirling and Clackmannanshire city region deal will be signed by council leaders and representatives of the UK and Scottish governments today.
Local belonging figures drop
The proportion of people who feel like they belong to their local area has dipped, research from the Office for National Statistics has suggested.
EXCLUSIVE: Rutland named strongest performer in adult social care index
Rutland CC has been named the strongest performer in adult social care using refined productivity metrics.
Social care 'tipping point in nine years'
Failings by councils and government mean the crisis in social care and specialist housing for older people will reach a tipping point in nine years, law firm Irwin Mitchell has warned.
EXCLUSIVE: Growth boards plan for non-mayor areas
County councils have suggested ministers should establish growth boards to coordinate economic development in areas that do not have elected mayors or combined authorities.
Further moves to bring troubled housing company in-house
The termination of a housing management contract spanning four local authorities in Kent has moved a step closer.
The sound of silence
Local agencies are often ‘woefully ill-equipped’ to stop child sexual abuse in the family environment, says a new joint report from four inspectorates including Ofsted. Why is multi-agency performance still so poor – and what needs to happen next? Chris Mahony reports.
Universal credit pushed back again
The Department for Work and Pensions has again shifted the date for full implementation of Universal Credit.
Ministers must heed local productivity gaps
Ministerial efforts to reduce the regional productivity gap must recognise the imbalances at local level within regions, government advisers have warned.
Local agencies 'woefully ill-equipped' to stop child abuse
Children are being left at risk because local agencies – including social care – are often ‘woefully ill-equipped’ to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse in families, four inspectorates have warned.
Serious case review urges focus on home education
A serious case review has urged Government advisers to assess home education policies after a boy ‘disappeared from view’ for 14 months.
Jenrick in anti-semitism funding threat
The Local Government Association (LGA) has rebuffed communities secretary Robert Jenrick’s threat to withhold funding from councils that fail to adopt the internationally-agreed definition of anti-semitism.
Funding is solution to social care recruitment crisis - migration committee
The ‘very real problems’ facing social care employers should be addressed through sustainable funding rather than tinkering with immigration rules, the Government’s Migration Advisory Committee has warned.
Seven out of 10 councils overspend on homelessness
Seven out of 10 English councils overspent their homelessness budgets in 2018/19 by a combined total of nearly £115m, Local Government Association (LGA) analysis has found.
Second Yorkshire LEP succumbs to Government overlap pressure
A second Yorkshire local enterprise partnership (LEP) has bowed to government demands and agreed to reshape its geographical remit to remove overlapping boundaries.
Ofsted highlights 'serious and widespread failures' at council
Children in Middlesbrough are being left at risk for too long because of failures in practice and leadership, Ofsted has warned.
Serious case review launched after double murder verdict
A serious case review has been launched after a woman and her partner were sentenced for murdering her two teenage sons.
LGA loans more cash to commercial arm
Smith Square lent its commercial arm £2m at the start of the year and last month provided further funding, it has emerged.
