The Communities and Local Government secretary, Ruth Kelly, has announced that top-performing councils will be able to keep up to £2bn a year from housing sales and rents. The minister said councils could use the extra money on new housing or community projects, including parks and clubs. E-voting ‘doomed to failure’ Returning officers in Scotland have claimed that next year’s switch to electronic vote counting could be plagued with problems. Officers have warned that it would be a mistake for staff to try and use the new system immediately after the polls closed and counts should instead be held the following day.
