Ann McGauran
Government announces ‘biggest changes to building safety in a generation’
The Government has announced steps to further reform building safety, including mandatory sprinkler systems and consistent wayfinding signage in all new high-rise blocks over 11 metres tall.
CQC issues COVID-19 guidance on DBS checks
The Care Quality Commission(CQC) has issued interim guidance on the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and other recruitment checks in response to coronavirus.
Vacant care homes will open in two weeks for COVID-19 capacity
Hertfordshire CC is recommissioning two vacant council-owned former care homes over the next two weeks to provide extra capacity during COVID-19 for patients discharged from hospital.
Care providers experience tenfold hike in costs of protective equipment
Suppliers of protective equipment are charging as much as 10 times the normal amount for their products as supplies grow scare, care companies have told the BBC.
‘Things will probably not be the same again’
John Henderson’s top-level military background is proving crucial to Staffordshire CC as it refocuses on responding to COVID-19, and he tells Ann McGauran the council is ‘being bent out of shape’ to ensure it delivers.
Lawyers warn Deprivation of Liberty safeguards will be 'paralysed' by pandemic
COVID-19 will ‘paralyse’ the system of Deprivation of Liberty safeguards (DoLS), says the organisation for legal and governance council officers.
The work of local government has become ‘even more urgent’
The coronavirus pandemic is highlighting ‘the very best of councils and our workforces’, according to president of Solace UK Martin Swales.
Salford is the greenest council in 2020 Thriving Places Index
Salford City Council has emerged as the greenest in an index of quality of life in 363 local authorities in England and Wales.
Inspectors loosen their policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have put mandatory routine inspections on hold in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Budget did not reflect the importance of communities, says NLGN chair
The Budget underplayed the role of individuals and communities, and local areas are ‘now at a point where we need to get community power done’, says the chair of the New Local Government Network (NLGN).
Budget 2020: Sunak announces ‘record’ £5bn broadband investment for hardest to reach areas
Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced in the Budget a ‘record’ £5bn investment to get gigabit –capable broadband into the hardest to reach parts of the UK.
Plan to tackle £66.8m hike in cost of Birmingham Games scheme
Birmingham City Council is reporting ‘substantial progress’ in the delivery of a regeneration scheme key to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but that a net cost increase of £66.8m has emerged.
MHCLG spent £85m preparing for EU Exit
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spent a total of £85m preparing for EU Exit up to the end of January this year, says a new report today from the National Audit Office (NAO).
‘A roadmap towards a good society’
Sir Michael Marmot’s damning report on health inequalities found that, while there has been limited action by Government, many local authorities have taken forward the recommendations outlined in his 2010 review. Ann McGauran reports.
The 'levelling up' agenda cannot overlook shire counties, says report
A new report today warned Government that counties are lagging behind other parts of the country.
Reports highlight core cities' low productivity and increasing regional inequalities
Productivity in the UK’s core cites is low by national and international standards and regional inequalities are continuing to increase, two new reports have revealed.
OECD report on Core Cities is key to 'levelling up' the UK
Productivity in the UK’s Core Cities is low by national and international standards and they have the potential for much stronger and more inclusive growth, according to a new report from the OECD.
A DIY guide to local inclusive growth
A new report presents a practical framework for cultivating local inclusive growth – featuring a host of case studies. But does it say enough about how the decisions that drive growth are made? Ann McGauran reports.
Areas thought of as affluent also harbour inequality
Many places traditionally thought of as affluent feature highly on lists of the 20 most unequal areas in England, new approaches to measuring inequality have shown.
Report identifies 16 policy levers for promoting inclusive growth
Inclusive growth requires a ‘sustained campaign for change across multiple fronts,’ according to a new report that identifies 16 policy levers councils can pull.