Mark Conrad
Welfare support has 'collapsed' for many
One in six top-tier councils are not providing vital welfare services devolved to them just as the sector’s budget cuts hit hard.
The day the music died
Fans of the Brum-based reggae stars UB40 once complained that the bass vibration at one gig was so loud it was ‘altering heart rhythms’.
Auditors launch governance and accountability inquiry
Whitehall’s watchdog has launched an investigation into local government governance and accountability that will be delivered to MPs next year.
Liverpool latest to deliver Universal Credit warning
Thousands of residents in Liverpool will be forced into a ‘downward spiral of debt and destitution’ after the rollout of Universal Credit (UC), senior figures in the city have warned.
Brum to implement bin strike deal
Beleaguered Birmingham City Council is finally expected to implement the deal that ended an acrimonious bin strike – four months behind schedule.
Fresh calls for Right to Buy suspension
A housing body has renewed calls for ministers to suspend the Right to Buy (RTB) programme amid further evidence that councils cannot replace stock quickly enough.
Tackling the threat of terror together
Mark Conrad recently attended Prevent Strategy Channel Panel training and witnessed the wide range of dilemmas facing frontline staff tackling radicalisation and terror threats.
Council leader faces opposition to chief executive choice
Lancashire CC’s leader is seeking to push through his preferred candidate for chief executive in the face of criticism from the Labour opposition.
Unions in Brexit funding plea
Councils should not bear the financial burden of registering 120,000 children who qualify for UK citizenship after Brexit, Britain’s trade union movement has warned.
Frontline staff 'still wary of Prevent'
Frontline local authority staff are still wary of Prevent strategy training amid fears they could be viewed as extensions of the security services, practitioners have told The MJ.
COSLA backs school libraries plan
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) has endorsed a new school libraries strategy.
Councillors welcome delay to Labour democracy review
Councillors have welcomed a Labour Party decision to postpone the local government side of its democracy review amid concerns that some proposals were ‘completely unworkable’.
Councils urged to clamp down on radical speakers
Councils will be expected to ensure venues and resources they own do not provide a platform for extremists, a new Prevent strategy toolkit issued by the Home Office has urged.
Auditors warn councils over debt chasing
Funding pressures in local government could mean councils are pursuing debt repayments ‘too quickly and too aggressively,’ a report by national auditors suggested today.
Councils reveal emergency savings plans
Two more councils have announced emergency savings plans as counties struggle to balance their books.
Javid intensifies child sexual abuse response
Home secretary Sajid Javid has said he will not tolerate ‘no-go areas’ or ‘cultural sensitivities’ as he intensifies the UK’s response to child sexual abuse.
Council £6m investment to boost income
West Lindsey DC’s property investments have reached £14m with the purchase of a £6m site in Gainsborough – the authority’s biggest deal to date.
EXCLUSIVE: Crunch time for municipal bonds
The struggling Municipal Bonds Agency has pleaded for councils to ‘pull behind us’ amid warnings it could run out of money before issuing a bond.
£1bn housing scheme fails to invest
The housing sector’s changing ‘regulatory and funding backdrop’ has been blamed for the failure of a £1bn scheme to invest in a single project.
Council accounts held up by LOBO challenge
Auditors have delayed a full opinion on Weymouth and Portland BC’s finances pending the outcome of a High Court challenge against Barclays.