Mark Conrad
EXCLUSIVE: New core funding model mooted for LRFs
Whitehall officials are considering a rollout of core funding for local resilience forums (LRFs) as part of a revised national strategy to be published in March.
Scottish ministers defend Budget impact on councils
Scottish Government ministers have defended the impact of country’s Budget on councils amid warnings town halls face soaring costs.
Committee urges ministers to review high street role
MPs have urged ministers to review the role of high streets in their COVID-19 recovery strategy amid fears councils could lose further income through reforms.
Government hauls in auditors after 'flying blind' accusation
Ministers have today convened an emergency meeting with local government audit firms amid fears Whitehall is ‘flying blind’ over council finances.
Government launches MRP crackdown
Councils will be prevented from using capital receipts to replace minimum revenue provision (MRP) under plans to improve local government debt management, Whitehall officials have revealed.
Call for fresh powers from ombudsman
England’s local government ombudsman today demands wide-ranging new powers to investigate complaints across town halls, social care and education amid concern current regimes are outdated.
Swansea condemns cinema over COVID rule break
Swansea City & CC has condemned a cinema that defied a Welsh Government order to close after it refused to implement COVID pass requirements.
LGA warning over soaring care costs
Soaring adult and children’s care costs mean councils could ‘soon fail to support everyone they need to,’ town halls have warned.
Johnson survives social care rebellion
Prime Minister Boris Johnson last night survived a sizable rebellion against his social care funding plan.
Councils warned after harrowing child protection case
Councils must better assess risks to vulnerable children posed by new adults entering family homes, a report by Warwickshire’s safeguarding children board has warned.
Gove warned of climate change floods risk
Local government secretary Michael Gove was today urged to align UK housing policy with climate change.
Police investigate children's homes after suspensions
Police are investigating the closure of two Doncaster-based children’s homes suspended by Ofsted amid safeguarding concerns, The MJ has learned.
Somerset MP urges county to up SEN spend
A Somerset MP has urged the county council to find £2.4m from existing coffers to settle a two-year dispute over SEN funding.
MPs reject call for army vet checks
Parliament has rejected calls for a duty on local public bodies to ask service users whether they are military veterans when accessing services.
Labour’s Liverpool review will ‘shake the tree’
The Labour Party has kick-started its inquiry into failings at Liverpool City Council.
Home secretary urges councils to house asylum seekers
Home secretary Priti Patel has urged local authorities to identify further accommodation to house asylum seekers following the closure of a controversial temporary site in Wales.
Unions reject Scots pay offer
Trade unions in Scotland have formally rejected employers’ pay offer of an £800 lower-rate pay rise for 2021, dismissing the sum as an unacceptably poor response to staff efforts during COVID-19.
Boarding home closures prompt council response
Councils have been called on to help accommodate children with special educational needs after two boarding homes had their registrations suspended following critical inspections.
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked report reveals council capacity fears
Local resilience forums (LRFs) dealt well with severe challenges over winter but Whitehall remains concerned fresh emergencies could place unmanageable strain on town halls, a report leaked to The MJ has found.
Pandemic hits LGA's graduate programme
The coronavirus pandemic undermined Smith Square’s plan to expand its National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP), councillors have heard.
