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27 Jun 14
The National Audit Office has criticised the government for awarding £16.6bn worth of contracts for eight renewable energy generation projects without a competition.
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16 Jun 14
The management of three local authority-led Private Finance Initiative waste projects has been criticised by government auditors for a lack of clarity.
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8 May 14
Public sector procurement of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset could save taxpayers around £12.4bn over 35 years, a report from the CentreForum think-tank has said.
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4 Apr 14
MPs have today launched an inquiry into the effectiveness of the government’s planning reforms amid concerns that some councils are engaging in poor practice to meet Whitehall targets.
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26 Mar 14
More than £460m could be saved across local government if councils improved the efficiency of their refuse services, the Audit Commission has said
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17 Mar 14
A new garden city in Kent is to be developed as part of a £6.2bn plan to boost housebuilding, set to be announced in this week’s Budget.
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7 Mar 14
Areas hit by the recent floods are among those to receive support from Whitehall’s Coastal Communities Fund, the Treasury announced today.
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19 Feb 14
Local authorities have welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister David Cameron that people whose homes have been flooded following recent storms in England will receive a council tax rebate.
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17 Feb 14
Parliament should be given greater opportunity to scrutinise the funds raised and spent on green energy schemes through levies on electricity and gas bills, MPs said today
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17 Feb 14
The government has created a new £10m fund to support businesses affected by the ongoing floods across England as part of the continuing relief effort
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12 Feb 14
Companies hit by the current spate of flooding will be given business rate relief, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today as he set out a package of measures designed to give financial help to...
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10 Feb 14
A government agency extended the contract with a private sector consortium to decommission the Sellafield nuclear plant despite its poor performance and ‘astonishing’ cost increases, MPs have said...
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10 Feb 14
Treasury rules prevented the Environment Agency from investing in river dredging in flood-hit Somerset, the organisation’s chair claimed today
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6 Feb 14
Local government secretary Eric Pickles has announced changes to the Bellwin scheme to provide extra assistance to councils hit by the floods and storms in recent months
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17 Jan 14
Local government minister Brandon Lewis has announced that councils in England will be given an extra £6.7m in Whitehall funding to cover the cost of repairs following this winter’s floods.
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17 Jan 14
Councils have urged Whitehall to set up a highway maintenance emergency fund following this winter’s bout of extreme winter storms and flooding.
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14 Jan 14
The Scottish Government has rejected David Cameron’s plan to boost the shale gas industry through fiscal incentives to local authorities, and warned any fracking projects proposed in Scotland would...
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13 Jan 14
Some councils are struggling to undertake the required inspections of food businesses, which could lead to an increased risk to public health, a survey of town halls has found.
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13 Jan 14
Local authorities will retain all of the business rates raised from local shale gas developments, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today as part of the government’s drive to go ‘all out’ to...
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6 Jan 14
A committee of MPs has warned that cuts to Whitehall environment funding could leave government agencies unable to respond to emergencies like the flooding seen across England over the last month
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6 Jan 14
Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has issued new Whitehall bin guidance to every council in England, urging town halls to support weekly rubbish collections
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3 Jan 14
The UK’s transport networks remain vulnerable to disruption from periods of adverse winter weather, which could hit economic growth, MPs have warned today
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24 Dec 13
The government has written to councils to confirm the Bellwin compensation scheme to support areas hit by flooding has been activated, and ministers also called for assurances that town halls are...
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2 Dec 13
Energy Secretary Ed Davey has today set out plans to move some government-mandated green levies on fuel bills into general taxation in a bid to limit the price rises being faced by consumers.
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29 Nov 13
Councils should be encouraged to make ‘aggressive’ use of compulsory purchase orders to help bring about an urban regeneration, the Distressed Town Centre Property Taskforce has recommended.