LocalGov - Your Source for the Latest News From The Sector
3 days ago · Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures. Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.
Chancellor confirms pension ‘megafund’ plans | LocalGov
6 hours ago · Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed plans to merge local government pension schemes into ‘megafunds’ to drive economic growth. The reforms, which will be introduced through a new Pension Schemes Bill next year, will pool assets from the 86 separate local government pension schemes (LGPS) in England and Wales. Together the LGPS represent ...
Call for national taskforce to ‘urgently’ reform AI procurement
7 hours ago · Ministers have been urged to establish a national taskforce to ‘urgently’ reform the procurement of AI in local government. The Ada Lovelace Institute said it had identified ‘significant’ problems affecting councils’ ability to buy AI technologies, including confusing guidance and legislation, data challenges, and uncertainty about ...
New powers for councils to tackle empty shops | LocalGov
2 days ago · Introduced in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, the high street rental auction powers will enable councils to auction one to five year leases of vacant city, town or village centre properties. The site must have been empty for more than 365 days in a two-year period, and the local authority must first attempt to work with the landlord ...
Council tax cap to remain at 5% | LocalGov
5 hours ago · Council tax increases will be kept at the 5% cap next year, Labour have confirmed. Kemi Badenoch yesterday in the Commons questioned the Prime Minister about the threshold limiting the amount councils can increase council tax by without a referendum. Keir Starmer responded that MPs ‘will know what the arrangements are’, prompting the ...
EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall review into summer riots will not be published
7 hours ago · An internal Whitehall review into the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's (MHCLG) response to the recent far-right violence will not be published, The MJ understands. MHCLG said the ongoing review into lessons learned from the department's response operation would allow it to implement any necessary changes.
Transforming Local Government: A Strategic Guide for Labour
Jul 5, 2024 · A recent white paper by the Local Government Association (LGA) revealed that councils in England face a funding gap of £6.2bn over the next two years, a gap driven mostly by rising cost and demand pressures on services such as adult social care, children's services, and homelessness support. These pressures are felt particularly acutely on the ...
Councils set for £2.5bn in exceptional financial support
Feb 29, 2024 · The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has agreed to grant 19 local authorities ‘in principle’ capitalisation directions worth almost £2.5bn. Capitalisation directions worth £1.5bn have been agreed for the 19 authorities for 2024-25, with support for 2023-24 also agreed for 11 of the councils.
Thinking of integrating AI into your council? - LocalGov
Apr 3, 2024 · Robin Denton, director of local government, Microsoft UK sets out what you need to know if you are considering integrating AI into your council. In the ever-evolving world of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a ubiquitous buzzword across many physical and virtual offices. The excitement and appetite within local government are ...
The six challenges facing local councils over next 20 years
Jul 12, 2017 · An ageing population, fragmented families and housing affordability are among the challenges the local government sector will face over the next two decades, report says. A new study from the Social Market Foundation (SMF) identifies and explores six changes that are likely to dramatically impact the demand for, and supply of, local public ...