Government news

• Modern slavery referrals by councils 'spiral'

  18-03-2019 13:45
  A sharp increase in the number of suspected cases of modern slavery is having a ‘huge impact’ on council services, town hall chiefs have warned.
  
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• Interserve handed £660m of contracts before going into administration

  18-03-2019 13:26
  Construction and facilities giant Interserve was handed £660m of public sector contracts before it went into administration last week, experts have revealed.
  
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• Birmingham council and union ‘welcome’ end to refuse dispute

  18-03-2019 13:17
  Refuse collectors who took part in strikes in Birmingham are to be given £3,500 each in a settlement which both sides say has ended the long-running dispute.
  
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• Around 15,000 patients with neurological conditions ‘let down’ by care system

  18-03-2019 13:11
  Councils are not routinely recording whether someone they are providing services for has a neurological condition, making these patients ‘invisible’.
  
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• Tenants vulnerable to 'revenge evictions', campaigners warn

  18-03-2019 12:43
  A campaign group has called for a reform of eviction laws to provide tenants with protection against unscrupulous landlords.
  
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• Progress on qualification and skill levels must be made ahead of Brexit

  18-03-2019 12:36
  The Government and employers must do more to increase qualification and skill levels in the British workforce in the face of Britain’s possible exit from the European Union, think tank says.
  
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• Children missing out on ‘vital emergency support’ due to cuts

  18-03-2019 11:57
  New research from a children’s charity has revealed that young people are paying the price of Government cuts in crisis support, with many parents struggling to afford food and clothing.
  
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• Councils receive over £9m to clean high streets

  18-03-2019 11:07
  Local authorities are to receive £9.75m to help them tidy up their local areas ahead of ‘National High Street Perfect Day’.
  
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• Ombudsman publishes guide for handling social care complaints

  15-03-2019 13:23
  Directors of adult social services have welcomed the publication of a good practice guide for helping adult social care providers improve complaints handling.
  
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• Council chiefs criticise £10m ‘brand revamp’ of youth initiative

  15-03-2019 12:59
  Local authority leaders have criticised the Government’s decision to spend £10m on a ‘brand revamp’ of an underused youth initiative.
  
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• Outsourcing giant faces ‘crunch vote’

  15-03-2019 12:33
  Construction outsourcing giant Interserve was today facing a crunch vote over a proposed rescue plan to save it going into administration.
  
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• Stevenage BC signs ‘major’ development deal worth £350m

  15-03-2019 12:21
  Stevenage Borough Council and Mace have signed a ‘major new agreement’ to work in partnership on the long-term transformation of Stevenage town centre.
  
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• Edinburgh tram extension gets green light

  15-03-2019 12:05
  Councillors in Edinburgh have voted to back the £207m extension of the city’s controversial tram network to Leith and Newhaven.
  
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• Councils fear Swansea construction giant could be 'Welsh Carillion'

  15-03-2019 11:52
  Swansea-based construction giant Dawnus was today on the brink of collapse and expected to call in administrators Grant Thornton.
  
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• One in five local bodies failing to safeguard value, MPs warn

  15-03-2019 11:42
  One in five councils do not have proper arrangements in place to secure value for money for taxpayers, a new report has warned today.
  
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• Poll reveals ‘rising tide’ of pupil poverty

  15-03-2019 11:36
  A shocking new survey of headteachers has revealed that schools have become an ‘unofficial fourth emergency service’ for poor and vulnerable children.
  
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• Councils forced to slash stop smoking services

  15-03-2019 11:00
  Government cuts mean only half of local authorities now offer smokers the best support to quit, according to campaigners.
  
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• Councils collaborate to address homelessness crisis

  14-03-2019 13:44
  Over a dozen London boroughs have joined the collaborative programme Capital Letters, which aims to support homeless households across the capital.
  
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• Stobart announced as Tee Valley airport operator

  14-03-2019 13:42
  Tees Valley Combined Authority has announced that Stobart Group will be the operator of the local airport now that it has been brought under public control.
  
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• Welsh households to face biggest council tax rise in 15 years

  14-03-2019 12:48
  Council tax bills are set to increase by an average of 6.5% across Wales - the largest rise in 15 years - according to new figures.
  
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• It’s ‘business as usual’ at Mersey bridge, council defiantly insists

  14-03-2019 12:38
  Halton BC has said it is ‘business as usual’ at the Mersey Gateway despite a tribunal decision that the bridge’s crossing charge is 'not a tolling scheme’.
  
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• Birmingham faces 'major public health crisis’, council warns

  14-03-2019 12:29
  Birmingham City Council has been given the go-ahead to introduce a clean air zone to tackle what it has called a 'major public health crisis'.
  
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• Nearly all councils to build new homes after scrapping of borrowing cap

  14-03-2019 11:25
  Local government leaders have called on Whitehall to help them resume their ‘historic role’ as major house builders after decades of depleting council stock.
  
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• Welsh councils receive £1.2m for Brexit preparations

  14-03-2019 10:11
  Each local in Wales will receive £45,000 to help ramp up their work to prepare for Brexit.
  
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• Homes England to share office space with Coventry City Council

  14-03-2019 09:52
  The government’s housing agency is trialling shared office space with Coventry City Council as part of a move to work more closely with its regional partners.
  
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• Spring Statement 2019: Chancellor pledges three-year spending review

  13-03-2019 14:33
  Chancellor Philip Hammond has pledged a ‘full three-year spending review’ for local government before the summer recess.
  
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• Charity warns people at risk of suffering poverty, ill-health and hardship in later life

  13-03-2019 12:19
  Action must be taken to create communities that enable older people to stay active, campaigners have urged.
  
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• Five areas chosen for Future Places scheme

  13-03-2019 12:12
  Five areas have been announced to take part in a programme to recognise and support 'high quality placemaking'.
  
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• Grenfell residents had human rights breached, watchdog warns

  13-03-2019 11:36
  The residents of Grenfell Tower had their human rights breached by the council and public services before the fire started, a watchdog has warned.
  
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• Council hits back at abandoned diggers left at roadworks

  13-03-2019 11:06
  Manchester City Council has hit out at the ‘unacceptable behaviour’ of workers who dumped diggers in the middle of traffic works over a dispute over alleged non-payment.
  
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• NAO floats auditing overhaul

  13-03-2019 10:44
  The way auditors examine council accounts could be overhauled, the National Audit Office (NAO) has suggested.
  
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• Welsh council buys leisure park for £21m

  12-03-2019 12:49
  Monmouthshire County Council has purchased the freehold of Newport Leisure Park for £21m.
  
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• Abuse and funding cuts force council leader to resign

  12-03-2019 12:32
  The pressure of funding cuts and increased abuse have led to the leader of North East Lincolnshire Council stepping down from his role.
  
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• Councils calls for tougher regulations around sprinklers in high-rise buildings

  12-03-2019 11:50
  Local government leaders are calling for tougher rules governing the installation of sprinklers in high-rise buildings following last year's Grenfell tragedy.
  
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• MPs warn eight out of ten households unable to escape ‘cruel’ benefit cap

  12-03-2019 11:45
  More than eight out of ten households affected by the benefit cap should be exempt from the ‘cruel’ policy, MPs have said today.
  
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• Calls to redirect £30bn Crossrail 2 investment into tackling poverty in outer London

  12-03-2019 10:55
  The £30bn investment for the proposed Crossrail 2 project linking north and south London should be switched to tackling poverty in the suburbs instead, campaigners have demanded.
  
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• Children left vulnerable to abuse due to focus on Brexit, report warns

  12-03-2019 10:31
  Councils are failing to protect children from abuse in England due to ‘systematic’ safeguarding failures, a new report has warned.
  
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• Around 3,500 school places to be created for pupils with complex needs

  11-03-2019 13:21
  Thousands of new school places are being created for children with special needs or those facing additional challenges in mainstream education, Whitehall says
  
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• Councils set for £1bn parking income

  11-03-2019 13:07
  Latest trends suggest councils in England could be set for a £1bn parking income by the end of the decade.
  
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• Legal challenges to Heathrow Expansion begin

  11-03-2019 13:04
  Five legal challenges to the Government’s plans for a new runway at Heathrow will reach the High Court this week.
  
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• Think tank recommends ‘helping hand’ payments for UC claimants

  11-03-2019 12:59
  Universal Credit claimants should receive an upfront ‘helping hand’ payment and financial compensation for late payments, think tank says.
  
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• Scottish councils ‘lack diversity’, report reveals

  11-03-2019 12:08
  Women and ethnic minorities are underrepresented at the local level in Scotland and many face harassment, an equalities study has revealed.
  
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• Youth service funding essential to tackle ‘spate of violence’, council chiefs say

  11-03-2019 11:28
  Local authority leaders have called on the Government to invest more in youth justice grants as part of the effort to tackle knife crime.
  
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• Deputy mayor suspended from Labour after abuse allegations

  08-03-2019 13:39
  The deputy lord mayor of Oxford City Council has been suspended from the local authority’s Labour Group due to an allegation of domestic abuse.
  
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• Council accused of ‘negligence’ over Parsons Green bomber

  08-03-2019 13:18
  Surrey has been accused of ‘negligence’ by the foster parents of the Parsons Green bomber who claim the authority failed to warn them he had been radicalised.
  
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• Council to fine anti-social drivers

  08-03-2019 12:55
  Bradford Council have decided to crack down on drivers who play loud music, rev their engines, or engage in other acts deemed to be anti-social.
  
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• Northants apologises for underpaying childminders

  08-03-2019 12:25
  Northamptonshire County Council has apologised ‘unreservedly’ for underpaying childminders and nurseries by thousands of pounds.
  
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• Women ‘bear the brunt’ of social care crisis, charity warns

  08-03-2019 12:11
  Women are paying the highest price for the Government’s continued inaction on social care, an elderly persons charity has warned.
  
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• Council offers extra paid leave to staff who suffer from domestic abuse

  08-03-2019 10:33
  Staff at an east London council who suffer from domestic abuse are to be given 10 days paid leave to tackle the problem.
  
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• Anti-litter firm ends council contract amid accusations of ‘aggressive tactics'

  08-03-2019 10:27
  An anti-litter firm has ended its contract with Wirral Council after accusations of 'underhand and aggressive tactics'.
  
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