John Prescott's department is this week trying to persuade the home secretary to flex his political muscle and join the battle to avoid another year of politically damaging council tax hikes, Public...
Normal political debate has pretty much been forgotten amid the tumult of the Hutton Inquiry report and the vote over university top-up tuition fees, but in recent days senior Labour figures have...
Government efforts to promote the Private Finance Initiative in housing have received a boost after 19 local authorities bid to join the third round of the programme.
London motorists who obstruct traffic flows by blocking box junctions or disregarding one-way signs will have to hand over £100 fines to local authorities from April.
Local authority representatives have welcomed the government's decision to abandon controversial proposals to withhold housing benefit from antisocial tenants after a consultation exercise revealed...
Storm clouds were gathering over local government pay this week, with unions set to lodge a 4% pay claim, despite warnings that employers are determined to keep to the Treasury's inflation-only limit...
Six months ago, Salford City Council was on the verge of setting up an arm's-length management organisation to help it meet the decent homes target by 2010.
The government is 'seriously considering' proposals to hand control of the business rates back to town halls, and privately recognises that firms are not contributing their fair share of funding to...
The chief inspector of prisons has lent her support to the proposed restructuring of the prison and probation services, but warned that the independence of the inspectorate must not be compromised.
Plans to introduce proportional representation for Scottish local government could add £6m to the administration of elections and other costs, senior officials have estimated.
The government put the final seal on the long-running fire dispute this week with the publication of the Fire and Rescue Services Bill, the first major legislation to reform the service in 50 years.
Upside-down handshakes and strange thumb signals will no longer be secret signs in town halls with new guidance compelling councillors to register their membership of the Freemasons.
Negotiations over local government's long-running London weighting quarrel turned sour this week after the capital's council leaders walked out of the latest meeting and suspended the body set up to...
Cambridgeshire County Council is warning of a 10% hike in its council tax if the government forces it to fully passport funding to schools, despite meeting ministers' minimum spending targets.
The government is planning a crackdown against 31 councils on a secret Whitehall hit list identifying those likely to set inflation-busting council tax increases, as the issue dominated the political...
Local government leaders are to urge ministers to review the entire regulatory framework for councils, while broadly endorsing the Audit Commission's planned reforms to the Comprehensive Performance...
A bitter political row has broken out this week after the Welsh Assembly government announced that it was going to tackle bed-blocking with money earmarked by Chancellor Gordon Brown for keeping down...
Northern Irish consultants' acceptance of a new contract will boost doctors' morale and improve patient services, the British Medical Association said this week.
Local government employers want an end to the traditional annual pay talks in favour of multi-year deals, with both English and Scottish councils looking for two-and three-year packages.
Regeneration minister Jeff Rooker is to take control of planning in the Milton Keynes area as the government proposes to double the size of the town as part of its communities plan.
