Local authorities should be given a host of new financial powers, including a share of income tax, as part of reforms to achieve the full potential of localism, a committee of MPs has said today.
Councils that are planning to increase council tax without holding a local referendum have been slammed as ‘democracy dodgers’ by Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles.
Ministers will later today announce a change to planning rules to allow free schools to establish themselves in offices, warehouses or other premises without applying for planning permission first.
Early results from the cross-government Troubled Families Programme indicate that effective intervention can save councils substantial sums, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said today.
The government has been urged to provide more support to housebuilding in cities after it was revealed that targeted action across England could re-start work at more than 118,000 sites.
The current round of financial ‘City Deals’ between the government and major cities should be boosted to tackle low pay, a joint report by two think-tanks said today.
Local authority arm’s-length bodies are to be brought within the scope of Scotland’s Freedom of Information legislation, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament yesterday
Plans to overhaul the audit regime for local public bodies contain ‘serious’ risks and gaps that could weaken accountability for public money, MPs have warned.
Unison has urged every councillor in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to end the three-year long government pay freeze that has caused ‘real pain’ to workers.
Councils are calling on the government to explain why it has made new and unexpected cuts of almost £50m to funds intended to support disadvantaged children and families.
Councils have urged the government to speed up reforms to the adoption system, warning that ‘ridiculous’ bureaucracy is hampering attempts to recruit more parents.
Councils in England will share £2.66bn to fund their new public health duties from April, almost 20% more than originally proposed, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced.
The chair of the Commons communities and local government committee has hit back at Tory accusations that its call for a review of councillors’ allowances is a ‘cynical and sleazy’ attempt to boost...
Small community groups are being excluded from ‘Big Society’ funds as money is reserved for charities providing major public services, a think-tank has warned.
Overweight people could lose their entitlement to some benefits if they do not attend exercise classes, according to a report from a London council today.
CIPFA has urged local authorities to be ‘extremely careful’ if they plan to follow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles’ advice to use their reserves to close funding gaps.
