William Eichler
Gove criticises social housing landlord after ‘severe maladministration’ finding
Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has criticised England's largest social housing landlord after an investigation found it was guilty of ‘severe maladministration’.
Regulator finds ‘competition concerns’ with Veolia and Suez merger
A merger of the waste management firms Veolia and Suez could lead to a loss of competition and an increase in costs for local authorities, a regulator has warned.
Children’s care services ‘stuck in crisis mode’
Council leaders call for reform of the children’s social care system as spending to provide support to vulnerable children increases by a quarter in five years.
Home Office rejects Grenfell Inquiry safety recommendation
The Government has rejected a recommendation that would require owners of high-rise buildings to prepare emergency evacuation plans for disabled residents.
Council leaders warn of post-Brexit shortage of professional regulators
Local authority leaders have urged the Government to do more to train staff to work in the regulatory system due to an increase in post-Brexit challenges.
Devolve powers to tackle jobs crisis, council leaders urge
Local authority leaders have called on the Government to devolve more powers to councils to free them up to tackle the growing jobs crisis.
Council leaders urge GPs to prescribe leisure centre trips
Council leaders have urged GPs to prescribe obese patients classes at leisure centres after research found it could increase life expectancy by four years.
Queen’s Speech: Mental health laws to be overhauled
Government will reform mental health laws to make it harder to detain people and to stop the disproportionate use of the laws against BAME communities.
Conservatives lose nearly 500 seats in local elections
The results are in for all 200 councils up for election, with the Conservatives losing 11 local authorities.
Bristol votes to abolish elected mayor
Bristol voters have decided to abolish the city’s directly elected mayor following a referendum.
MPs voice ‘concerns’ over lack of funding for Ukrainian refugees
MPs have joined council leaders in calling on Government to provide councils with funding to support Ukrainian refugees arriving via the family visa scheme.
Former Haringey leader takes legal action against Ombudsman
Former leader of Haringey LBC, Joseph Ejiofor, has issued legal proceedings to challenge the Local Government Ombudsman’s decision to name him in a report.
England’s poorest areas hardest hit by austerity
Residents living in England’s most deprived areas were hit hardest by the largest local authority spending cuts during a decade of austerity, a think-tank has found.
Councils need support to protect refugees from exploitation, say experts
The Government has been urged to take ‘urgent measures’ to support councils in their response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis in order to tackle exploitation.
York councillors vote to strip Prince Andrew of honorary freedom
York councillors yesterday unanimously voted to remove Prince Andrew’s honorary freedom of the city.
Discharging patients into care homes was 'unlawful,' High Court rules
The High Court today ruled the Government’s policy of discharging patients from hospitals to care homes at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was unlawful.
Highways improvement comes top of pre-elections poll
Half of Britons believe the improvement of roads and pavements should be prioritised, according to a new poll ahead of the local elections.
Glasgow strikes suspended as equal pay deal reached
Public sector unions yesterday suspended all equal pay strikes after a deal was struck with Glasgow City Council to settle the long-running dispute.
Councils to be banned from charging for disposal of DIY waste
The Government has proposed banning local authorities from charging for the disposal of DIY waste from households.
Cost of living crisis risks leaving levelling up ‘dead on arrival’
The Government’s levelling up agenda could be undermined by a deepening North-South divide exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, a think tank has warned.
