National and Devolved Politics

Councils must set out rough sleeping strategies by 2019 or face government action, Brokenshire warns

10.12.18: All councils must publish detailed rough sleeping and homelessness strategies by winter 2019 or face government intervention if they fail to do so as part of the government’s new road-map to end rough sleeping by 2027. James Brokenshi...

Council fined thousands after pleading guilty to ‘catastrophic’ disease outbreak

07.12.18: Tendring District Council has been fined £27,000 after the local authority pleaded guilty to a health and safety breach when an outbreak of Legionnaires disease left a man fighting for his life. The district council was fined by Colch...

Despite opposition, Nottinghamshire submits case for new unitary authority

06.12.18: Plans for the creation of a new unitary authority responsible for providing all public services in Nottinghamshire have been published by the county council as it looks to deliver £27m annual savings. Nottinghamshire CC will decide ne...

Local government finance settlement delay reactions: Brexit debate ‘has become a distraction’

06.12.18: Leaders in local government have been reacting harshly to the delay of the local government finance settlement announced yesterday afternoon. Contrary to what the government had promised, communities secretary James Brokenshire revealed tha...

East Sussex boss rejects possible local council restructure to fight deficit: ‘This is purely politics’

06.12.18: The leader of East Sussex County Council has opposed the potential of a local government structure reshuffle in a bid to make savings following the authority’s announcement of a ‘core offer’ of services last month. In an i...

North of Tyne Combined Authority appoints new interim mayor

05.12.18: The elected mayor of North Tyneside, Norma Redfearn, has been announced as the interim mayor for the newly-created North of Tyne Combined Authority. Redfearn has been appointed by the cabinet to lead the combined authority up until May 2019...

Local government finance settlement delayed by Brexit

05.12.18: The announcement of the local government funding settlement has been delayed as Parliament looks to grapple with Brexit. In a statement released this afternoon, communities secretary James Brokenshire said this confirmation was made pr...

Brexit ‘chaos’ has held back the north as government has ‘deprioritised’ the Northern Powerhouse

05.12.18: The Northern Powerhouse has been “deprioritised” by government, with Brexit “chaos” preventing the north of England from realising its full potential, a think tank has warned. The Institute of Public Policy Research...

Providing ‘core offer’ of services ‘shouldn’t be about politics,’ East Sussex County Council leader says

05.12.18: The deliverance of services for a cash-strapped county council should focus on the most vulnerable, and “shouldn’t be about politics” in the authority, the East Sussex County Council leader has told PSE. Cllr Keith Glazier...

Northamptonshire ‘changing its approach’ to protect frontline services as council sets out 2019-20 budget

04.12.18: Offloading libraries and a 2.99% tax increase have been announced as the part of Northamptonshire County Council’s draft budget, but frontline services will remain largely protected in a £43m savings scheme. The county council h...

Mayor of Tees Valley ploughs ahead with controversial airport buyout despite local council fightback

04.12.18: Mayor of the Tees Valley Combined Authority Ben Houchen has today announced a £40m deal to bring Durham Tees Valley Airport back into public ownership and a £45m investment to “dramatically overhaul” the two biggest...

‘Don’t throw out the rule book’ in the face of budget pressures warns ombudsman

04.12.18: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has challenged councils not to “throw out the rule book” as they redesign their services in the face of widespread budget cuts and service pressures. The new report from the...

Home care provider Allied Healthcare saved from bankruptcy

03.12.18: One of the largest home care providers in the UK has been sold two weeks after it announced it was selling or transferring all of its contracts after regulators reported it was on the brink of bankruptcy. Allied Healthcare, which provided o...

Council leaders write to Brokenshire in plea for settlement cash to prevent ‘catastrophic collapse’

03.12.18: Nearly 80 council leaders have written to James Brokenshire demanding an emergency cash injection to prevent a “catastrophic collapse,” calling for the upcoming £1.3bn cuts to be scrapped “at an absolute minimum.” ...

Four bidding to become North of Tyne’s first-ever mayor

30.11.18: Four candidates have put their names forward to stand as Labour’s North of Tyne mayoral candidate. Newcastle city councillor Jamie Driscoll and former North Tyneside cabinet member Ian Grayson have followed North East MEP Paul Brannen...