Dan Peters
Senior ministry officials to be quizzed by MPs
Senior government officials will be hauled in front of MPs next week after a rare move from the Public Accounts Committee.
Warning over knackered key workers
The man leading a review of the Government’s pandemic response has warned of the psychological impact on key workers.
Councils allowed to delay precept rise
Local authorities will be allowed to delay big council tax increases next year ahead of elections, it has emerged.
Government pulls plug from counter-extremism group
The Government has withdrawn funding for a network that shares experiences and good practice in tackling extremists.
Spelthorne undergoes finance peer review
A council branded reckless for excessively borrowing to buy up commercial property has undergone a finance peer review from the Local Government Association (LGA).
Spending Review: UKSPF to reach £1.5bn a year
The value of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will reach around £1.5bn a year on average, chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced.
Spending Review: £2.9bn 'restart programme' to help unemployed
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a three-year £2.9bn ‘restart programme’ to help more than one million people unemployed for more than a year find work.
Councils key to tackling 'anti-vax mob'
Councils must act quickly to knock down the ‘anti-vax mob’ as the Government puts the sector at the heart of its strategy to tackle coronavirus, a senior public health chief has urged.
Councils still hungry for cash despite winter grant scheme
Councils that want to use the new £170m COVID winter grant scheme to stop children going hungry during school holidays may need more cash, the Government has been told.
EXCLUSIVE: Stretched councils rumbled over identical financial returns
Councils have been reminded to regularly update their monthly financial returns to Whitehall after stretched teams were caught submitting the same numbers each time.
Auditors probe gagging orders
Auditors have delayed signing off Thanet DC’s 2019/20 accounts while they investigate the council’s use of gagging orders in resolving grievances.
Gateshead to regain control of housing stock
Senior Gateshead MBC councillors have agreed to bring back housing stock under the council’s control from April after 16 years.
Leisure centre collapse warning
Under-pressure leisure centres will go under without further rescue funding on top of the £100m already pledged by the Government, district councils have warned.
Crisis-hit Croydon approves action plan
Croydon LBC has approved an action plan to put ‘strong financial management and governance right at the heart of the organisation’.
Proportional votes to come to Wales
Proportional voting will be introduced to Welsh council elections for the first time as the franchise is extended to 16- and 17-year olds and foreigners.
Council leader steps down amid bullying probe
A council leader at the centre of bullying allegations has resigned from the role, quit the Labour party and stepped down from the authority.
Green energy deal 'could be blueprint' for other councils
A £40m green energy deal could provide a blueprint for local authorities seeking to reduce carbon emissions and cut costs, according to the City of London Corporation.
Government stop-gap on SEND deficits
Treasurers have welcomed a second government attempt to deal with spiralling special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) deficits but have stressed it is ‘not sustainable’.
Sector braced for more Whitehall interventions
Local government is braced for further Whitehall interventions in the wake of ministers launching reviews of two councils within days of each other.
EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall warning over ransomware threat
Council chief executives have been warned there is an ‘urgent need’ to take steps to mitigate the threat of a ransomware attack on the sector.
