William Eichler
Worcestershire's children’s services showing ‘tangible’ signs of progress, inspectors say
Worcestershire CC's children’s services are showing ‘tangible’ signs of improvement but require ‘further progress’, inspectors say.
Councils clash over green belt housing
South Bucks DC has criticised its southern neighbours Slough Council for publishing proposals to build on green belt land within its boundary.
Council considers cutting 300 staff
Hundreds of staff at East Renfrewshire Council could be axed in an attempt to close a £26m funding gap.
Theresa May: Government is ‘back into the business of building houses’
The Government is ‘back into the business of building houses’, Theresa May has said.
Shelter calls for legal loophole closure
A legal loophole has allowed big developers in Kensington and Chelsea to avoid building more than 700 social homes.
A world of opportunities and challenges
A survey by The MJ and BT asked local authority chief executives and managers for their views on how digital transformation was changing their service delivery. Michael Burton reports on the key findings.
Management restructure could save £400k
A proposed management restructure at South Ribble BC and an increase in the use of shared services could save the authority £400,000.
McDonnell: Labour to end PFI
Labour has promised to end the use of public finance initiative (PFI) contracts and bring existing contracts back in-house.
DCN in prevention precept call
District councils have called for the introduction of a new health precept on council tax to raise £25m for preventative measures.
Council leaders urge action after tragedy warning
Council leaders have called on the Government to take action after inspectors said conditions in youth offending facilities were so bad they made a future tragedy ‘inevitable’.
Air quality probe launched
An investigation into allegations Cheshire East Council manipulated air quality data has been launched by police.
Out-of-borough children home placements rocket
Department for Education figures have shown a 78% increase in youngsters placed in children’s homes out of their borough.
Committee to probe council spending
A review of how local authorities in Scotland prioritise spending and assess the impact of increased charges was launched today by a parliamentary committee.
MPs back social care system overhaul
A poll of 100 English MPs has found just one in 10 believe the current social care system is suitable for the UK’s ageing population.
Government reveals details of building regulations review
The Government has today published the terms of reference for the independent review of building regulations and fire safety following the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Homecare market under growing pressure
The continued under-funding of adult social care is placing the homecare provider market under a lot of pressure, councils have warned.
Kensington & Chelsea to use £40m from reserves for Grenfell survivors
Kensington & Chelsea RLBC has proposed to use £40m, initially from reserves to provide permanent accommodation to the residents of Grenfell Tower.
Call for more women in local government
Council leaders have admitted that the move towards gender balance in local government should be made at a ‘faster pace’.
Councils urged to review homelessness procedures
Councils have been urged to ensure their homelessness procedures are ‘fit for purpose’ after faults were found with the treatment of a disabled woman.
Councils call for post-Brexit procurement reforms
Council leaders have called on the Government to ‘simplify’ the current rules on how local authorities buy goods and services once the UK has exited the EU.