Policy
LEPs 'needlessly frozen out' on skills
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) are being ‘needlessly frozen out’ of bidding for skills funding, the chair of the LEP Network has complained.
Levelling up 'biased towards larger towns and cities'
Rural areas risk losing out on the Government’s levelling up initiative because the programme’s metrics are biased towards larger towns and cities, a report based on council-commissioned research has claimed.
Fears over Procurement Bill red tape
The Government has rejected concerns that new procurement rules will create more red tape for local authorities.
Radical changes needed in children's social care, review urges
Ministers face a ‘pivotal’ moment in children’s social care, with radical changes needed to stop tens of thousands more youngsters entering the system, an independent review has warned.
UK comes under pressure to adopt rights charter
Local leaders will continue to be ‘heavily constrained’ until the UK follows through on its promise to guarantee the rights of local government in law, a sector expert has warned.
Minister wades into flexible working debate
Civil servants have been told to get back to the office even as local government increasingly moves towards flexible working.
Funding decision signals 'waning influence' of LEPs
The Government’s decision to slash funding for growth hubs and local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) confirms combined authorities will increasingly lead economic development, a former LEP chair has suggested.
Alarm bells ring over scrapping of housing rule
The Government risks ‘drastically undermining’ London’s ambitions to boost affordable housebuilding and tackle homelessness in the capital, a senior councillor has warned.
EXCLUSIVE: Porter warning over fresh reorganisation push
Some district councils may seek unitary status to ensure they can influence the new wave of combined authorities, a senior Conservative councillor has warned.
Roney: Council chiefs proved worth during pandemic
Council chief executives proved their worth during the pandemic, the president of Solace Joanne Roney told her colleagues.
LGA sits on fence on voter ID
Political deadlock is preventing the Local Government Association (LGA) from agreeing a policy position on controversial voter ID as peers inflicted a defeat on the Government.
LEPs due for integration into combined authorities by 2030
Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) will be integrated into combined authorities by 2030, tracking the pace of the Government’s devolution agenda.
Levelling up plans will fail, IfG report claims
The Government’s plans for levelling up will not cut regional inequality, a report from the influential Institute for Government (IfG) has claimed.
London pension pool issues Russian investment edict
The pension pool tasked with managing investment funds for London’s local government schemes has instructed all managers to make no further investment in Russia.
Councillors complain of lack of powers
More than two out of three (68%) councillors in England feel they lack sufficient powers to represent the needs of their communities, a survey today by the Electoral Reform Society campaign group has found.
Government faces 'uphill battle' on improving health
The Government is facing an ‘increasingly uphill battle’ in its mission to improve the health of those living in the poorest parts of the UK.
Clark: Reorganisation opportunity has come and gone
The opportunity for wholescale local government reorganisation has come and gone thanks to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ‘political headwinds,’ former local government secretary Greg Clark has said.
Working group to be formed on council data requests
The Government is to form a working group to understand what data it is ‘feasible’ for councils to report to Whitehall more frequently.
LEPs remain in dark over future
Key questions about the future functions and funding of local enterprise partnerships (LEP) remain unanswered weeks after the publication of the Levelling Up White Paper (LUWP).
Social housing deserves decarbonisation primacy
Tim Wood examines the importance of decarbonisation measures across housing.