Government news

• 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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• 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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• 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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