Martin Ford
Croydon appoints new Section 151 officer
Jane West has pledged to help ‘rebuild trust’ and ‘restore the reputation’ of the authority.
Sheffield councillors to decide on action against chief
A committee of councillors will be convened in Sheffield to decide whether action will be taken against the city council’s chief executive.
Energy prices to hit Slough recovery
Slough Council’s financial recovery could be hit by soaring energy costs, officers have warned.
Wrexham faces £2.3m budget gap
Savings across most services have been outstripped by overspends in social care.
Lambeth development firm in £8m loss
A housebuilding firm formed by Lambeth LBC has recorded losses of more than £8m.
Council-backed energy firm collapses
Together Energy has announced today it has ceased trading, exposing Labour-led Warrington Council to heavy financial losses.
Council defends chief following court settlement
North Northamptonshire has defended a former council chief executive after settling a claim of abuse of process.
Ofsted finds 'no improvement' at St Helens
Children’s services at St Helens MBC have not improved despite an injection of increased funding, Ofsted has concluded.
Fifty councils fail to hit housing targets
A ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ is imposed upon any local authority that fails to deliver at least 75% of its target number of housing over the past three years.
LGA plea for funding certainty
A call for more certainty over future finances for the sector has been made by the Local Government Association (LGA).
Councils in £1.7m ‘amicable separation’
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has asked neighbouring Dorset for £1.7m to leave a joint services partnership.
Liverpool auditor seeks corruption investigation
Calls have been made for further investigations into the extent of alleged bribery and corruption at Liverpool City Council.
Tax reforms offer solutions to finance flaws - report
Changes to the current system could resolve issues around sufficiency and unfairness, and support local economies, according to new research commissioned by the Local Government Association.
Finance reforms to be unveiled in spring
Proposals to overhaul the local government finance system will be published in the spring, a minister has confirmed.
Councils turn to reorganisation after ‘running out of ideas’
Local government minister Kemi Badenoch has questioned the reasoning behind some authorities’ reorganisation bids.
Scotland to ease cross-border placements
Holyrood has proposed removing legal hurdles for cross-border placements of children by English councils.
Third commissioner to join Slough
Essex CC chief executive Gavin Jones has been appointed as assistant commissioner following a request from lead commissioner Max Caller.
Complaints procedures 'marginalised' by councils
Local government ombudsman Michael King has raised concerns about how councils handle complaints.
Wirral faces £27m budget gap
The council said it was time to ‘make the changes that have been put off for too many years’ following heavy criticism from external reviews of its finances.
Fund planners to solve housing crisis - Lords
Peers have said council planning departments must be better resourced to prevent an ‘emerging crisis’.
