Latest Public Sector News

STPs ‘will meet opposition’ due to lack of council involvement

29.11.16: The controversial STPs would be more likely to succeed if there was proper engagement with local councils and communities, the chief executive of the LGA has told the Communities and Local Government Committee. In a social care hearing orga... more >

Scotland’s local authorities face ‘bleak future’, says spending watchdog

29.11.16: Many Scottish councils risk exhausting their reserves unless they successfully balance continued deep cuts to services and rising demand, the nation’s local government watchdog has said. In its 2016-17 financial overview, the Accounts... more >

London mayor agrees 35% affordable homes target with developers

29.11.16: The mayor of London Sadiq Khan will allow private housebuilders to limit the amount of affordable housing in new developments to 35%, he announced in a new housing strategy. The measure, which allows developers to conceal revealing the prof... more >

Ofcom orders Openreach to legally split from BT

29.11.16: BT has been ordered to legally separate from Openreach, its troubled broadband infrastructure programme, by regulator Ofcom. The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee raised the possibility of a separation in July, when it publishe... more >

Londoners asked to rent spare homes to Syrian refugees

29.11.16: The chair of London Councils has asked Londoners if they would be able to offer their empty homes to house Syrian families escaping violence in their home country. Speaking at the London Councils Summit this past weekend, Cllr Claire Kober... more >

Homelessness charity highlights ‘mental health crisis’ facing rough sleepers

29.11.16: Local authorities with high numbers of rough sleepers do not have enough specialist mental health services to cope with demand, a new report has revealed. The homelessness charity St. Mungo’s used a Freedom of Information request to a... more >

WYCA criticises lack of funding and social care plan in Autumn Statement

29.11.16: The government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse has been questioned by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) after last week’s Autumn Statement did not contain any specific funding for the region. The statement pro... more >

Trafford Council leader chosen as Conservative candidate for GM mayor

28.11.16: Trafford Council leader Cllr Sean Anstee has won the race to become the Conservative candidate in next year’s Greater Manchester mayoral election. The region’s youngest – and only Conservative – town hall leader, Cll... more >

Public health cuts put Cornwall and Isles of Scilly STP savings at risk

28.11.16: Cornwall Council has warned that savings in the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly sustainability and transformation plan (STP) may not be achieved because of cuts to its public health budget. Caroline Court, the interim director of public health... more >

Borough council probed in potential mass data breach

28.11.16: A Nottinghamshire borough council has been investigated by police after it was potentially the site of a mass breach of data protection laws.  Police were notified in September after a confidential email sent to Broxtowe Borough Counci... more >

Care homes must be more transparent as families ‘flying blind’

28.11.16: Families frequently lack the right information when finding residential care for an elderly relative as care homes do not collect enough information about their standards, the charity Independent Age has warned. A new report by the charity... more >

Cornwall seeking additional devolution powers to tackle fuel poverty

28.11.16: The Cornwall devolution deal could feature enhanced powers to tackle the region’s persistent problems with fuel poverty, according to papers seen by PSE. The documents, published ahead of a meeting of the council’s Health and Ad... more >

Glasgow announces ‘most ambitious’ job creation target in the UK

28.11.16: Glasgow has set the UK’s most ambitious job creation target to date, aiming to create 50,000 new jobs and a thousand new businesses by 2023, its city council has announced. The city will also aim to increase its number of tourists by... more >

Birmingham’s controversial development plan given green light

28.11.16: Birmingham’s controversial plan to build thousands of homes on green belt land to address the city’s housing crisis has been given the go-ahead by central government. Housing minister Gavin Barwell has agreed to allow the Birmin... more >

GLA to publish equal pay plans after Khan reveals significant gender gap

28.11.16: All Greater London Authority (GLA) functional bodies will be required to produce plans to address the gender pay gap after an audit ordered by London mayor Sadiq Khan revealed female staff are consistently paid less. In July, Khan fulfilled... more >