District Councils Network
Devolution is back on the table
It's time to continue building strong partnerships across the economic, real-life geographies around which the Government can devolve serious influence on housing, transport, skills, employment, health and much more, says Cllr John Fuller.
Significant procurement challenges lie ahead for districts
Procurement is likely to involved significant challenges for district councils now and in the years ahead, says Ian Miller. 'It remains to be seen whether national or local priorities will govern councils' purchases'.
Districts squeezed out of new burdens cash
District councils have been squeezed out of new burdens funding for housing victims of domestic abuse due to a £8,000 cut off point.
The truth is out there
There are strange goings on out there.
Waste collection plans to cost £680m a year, councils warn
Government plans to standardise kerbside waste collections will cost £680m a year, district councils have warned.
DEFRA’s simplistic proposals are as doomed to fail
The waste collection business is complicated, says chair of the District Councils' Network Cllr John Fuller. 'It requires attention to detail and a recognition that different streets in a borough can have different requirements.'
Districts in plea for leisure centre funding
A crunch meeting on the future of leisure centres is to take place this week, The MJ understands.
Uproar at move towards 'national bin service'
Councils are preparing to fight government plans to create what they fear will be a ‘national bin service’.
Let’s not lose our leisure centres
The District Councils’ Network has urged the Government to offer a lifeline to leisure centres on the brink of closure due to the pandemic. Trustee of the chancellor’s local leisure trust David Chefneux describes the challenge ahead.
Central Government must ‘sign off a National Leisure Recovery Fund #2’
There appears to be a clear disconnect between central Government’s public commitments to tackling the nation’s health and its approach to public sector leisure provision, says Mark Sesnan.
More than 100 leisure centres could go bust, DCN warns
More than 100 leisure centres in England could go bust due to the coronavirus crisis, district councils have warned.
Call to scrap ‘arbitrary’ New Homes Bonus
A county council has called for the New Homes Bonus to be dropped altogether in a withering response to a government consultation.
Districts to warn government over New Homes Bonus changes
District councils are expected to urge the Government not to mess with a scheme that acts as a ‘powerful incentive’ to build new homes.
Council concern over grant pressure
Councils have raised concerns with government that local authorities will have to demonstrate their efforts to spend a key business grant before getting more cash.
End to welfare support threatens council finances
Cutting off pandemic welfare support could lead to ‘disaster’ for families and local government funding, councils have warned.
Getting the balance right
While the Levelling Up Fund and Community Renewal Fund are further welcome additions to investment in recovery, the complexity and time-consuming nature of such bidding regimes must be of concern to local government, says Sheila Oxtoby.
DCN bids to attract unitaries with new offer
The District Councils’ Network (DCN) will create a new category of membership in a bid to keep new unitaries within the association, The MJ has learnt.
It's time to focus virus 'contain' funding on families and streets
We need to recalibrate and resource the Contain Outbreak Management Fund activity on preparing for a series of hyper-local responses that directly focus on families and streets, says Cllr John Fuller.
The problem with polls
Local government has finally learned that two years’ worth of elections will take place on ‘Super Thursday’ 6 May, with a ‘high bar’ for any delay. Martin Ford talks to the sector about the challenges ahead.
Local government settlement shows Government is not in listening mode
It is clear from the final local government settlement that the Government did not pay attention to the submissions of councils, including districts, says Ian Miller. The consultation with the sector on council tax increases 'seems a sham', he adds.
