Whitehall
Call for minimum funding 'floor'
Hampshire CC’s leader has called for the introduction of a funding ‘floor’ to ensure all councils receive a minimum level of core spending power.
Dementia tops COVID for care home death cause
Coronavirus was the second highest cause of deaths among care home residents behind dementia last year, according to latest figures.
Government hauls in auditors after 'flying blind' accusation
Ministers have today convened an emergency meeting with local government audit firms amid fears Whitehall is ‘flying blind’ over council finances.
EXCLUSIVE: Districts in county deals warning
District council leaders have warned county deals will fail unless local government secretary Michael Gove gives them an equal role in devolution.
Government launches MRP crackdown
Councils will be prevented from using capital receipts to replace minimum revenue provision (MRP) under plans to improve local government debt management, Whitehall officials have revealed.
Osborne urges ministers to 'double' devolution efforts
Former chancellor George Osborne has urged ministers to ‘double’ efforts to drive forward devolution and local taxation.
National review after concerns at children's homes
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has commissioned a national review in the wake of Ofsted deregistering two residential children’s homes operating in Doncaster after safeguarding concerns.
Javid aims for 'integration by default'
Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid has said he wants to push through integration reforms to ‘stop people from bouncing around the system’.
CCN conference: Senior officer in financial collapse warning
The countdown is on before some councils face financial collapse due to a change to children’s services accounting rules, a senior finance expert has claimed.
LGA warning over soaring care costs
Soaring adult and children’s care costs mean councils could ‘soon fail to support everyone they need to,’ town halls have warned.
Transfer scheme for asylum children made mandatory
Councils will have to take in asylum-seeking children as the national transfer scheme is made mandatory.
Johnson survives social care rebellion
Prime Minister Boris Johnson last night survived a sizable rebellion against his social care funding plan.
Afghan matching delays should be decreasing, insists mandarin
Delays in matching Afghan refugees with available accommodation should now be decreasing, a senior Home Office mandarin has claimed.
Gove backs Housing First
New communities secretary Michael Gove has indicated his support for the rolling out of Housing First.
Gove warned of climate change floods risk
Local government secretary Michael Gove was today urged to align UK housing policy with climate change.
Government U-turn on Westferry planning permission
The Government has overturned the controversial planning decision that landed former communities secretary Robert Jenrick in hot water.
Social rent home building drops 12%
Just under 6,000 new social rent homes were delivered in England last year, new Government statistics have revealed.
Call for Westminster to 'take the lead' on deposit return scheme
An environmental charity has called for Westminster to ‘take the lead’ after further delays to the introduction of the deposit return scheme (DRS) in Scotland.
Quicker by snail...
Diary is well aware of the slow pace that Whitehall moves.
EXCLUSIVE: No deal from last-ditch pay talks
Last-ditch talks between local government employers and trade unions over this year’s 1.75% pay offer have broken up without agreement, The MJ understands.
