Author Profile

Laura Sharman

Articles by Laura Sharman

Leader of 'fractious' council seeks Government help

By Laura Sharman | 28 June 2019

The leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council has asked the Welsh Government for help to overcome its ‘fra...

Council apologies for failing to spot signs of historic exploitation

By Laura Sharman | 11 June 2019

Kirklees MBC has apologised for failing to protect two girls from abuse after an independent revi...

New legal requirement to protect domestic abuse victims

By Laura Sharman | 13 May 2019

Councils will be legally required to provide safe housing for survivors of domestic abuse under n...

Council to save £143m after ending LOBO loan

By Laura Sharman | 07 May 2019

Newham LBC is expected to save £143m after successfully terminating its Lender Option Borrower Op...

Voter ID plans will impact 'millions on the margins'

By Laura Sharman | 02 May 2019

Millions of people will be denied their right to vote if the Government presses ahead with its ma...

Councils handling nearly 500,000 FOI requests every year

By Laura Sharman | 30 April 2019

Councils receive around 467,000 Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests every year, nearly doub...

Whitehall pledges to end aggressive council tax debt collection

By Laura Sharman | 11 April 2019

The way local authorities recover unpaid council tax is to be reviewed by the Government in a bid...

Children 'not being protected' by Stoke-on-Trent City Council

By Laura Sharman | 19 March 2019

Children’s social care services are ‘inadequate’ at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, according to the...

One in five councils failing to safeguard value, MPs warn

By Laura Sharman | 15 March 2019

One in five councils do not have proper arrangements in place to secure value for money for taxpa...

Spending Review launch dependent on securing Brexit deal

By Laura Sharman | 13 March 2019

Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced he plans to launch a full three-year Spending Review befo...