eGov Monitor - Local Government News

Fri 15:50

Residents in South Gloucestershire look set to benefit from lower council tax increases over the next three years following the council's plans to move to more ambitious savings targets without impacting directly on frontline services.

Fri 12:48

A commitment from Scotland's local authorities to work more closely to enhance public safety and reduce re-offending has been secured.

Thu 15:22

 Hazel Blears today unveiled new guidance to the Fire and Rescue Services to integrate better protection for historic buildings and the environment into Fire and Rescue Service planning.

Wed 11:21

 New review team puts customers at heart of service delivery

Options for redress when council services don't meet people's expectations - such as offering a high street voucher where appointments are missed and enabling people to track their complaints online - are to be considered in a drive to ensure customers are at the heart of local service delivery.

Tue 08:41

AN AMBITIOUS £100m regeneration scheme has again been shortlisted for the finals of a national award.

08-22 13:51

Startling facts and figures about the amount of rubbish thrown away in West Sussex are revealed in Waste Side Story, a County Council-made mini movie that can be viewed on its website.

08-20 16:16

AN old face is taking the lead on everything from accountancy to anti-social behaviour at Gateshead Council.

08-20 16:16

Further regulations to facilitate the smooth progress of transition to new unitary authorities in seven areas across England have been laid before Parliament today by Communities Minister Parmjit Dhanda.

08-19 14:55

Newport City Council has recently implemented a range of Web 2.0 and other technologies from Jadu, a leading provider of web content management systems, to dramatically improve access and delivery of its citizen facing services.

08-18 19:54

The Home Office has published its long awaited Policing Green Paper, and the result has been a mix of warm appreciation and howls of protest. And it is not that some people are keen and others not, but that the proposals themselves are an uneven bunch.

08-15 14:08

Commenting on the latest repossession statistics, released today by the Ministry of Justice, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing Councillor Jamie Carswell said:

08-15 14:08

Following the news that the former chairman of the Local Government Association Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart has died following a long battle against cancer, Chairman of London Councils Councillor Merrick Cockell said:

08-14 12:17

Cornwall County Council has begun the process for a judicial review of the controversial proposals to close up to 62 Post Office branches in Cornwall and is calling on Post Office bosses to abandon the current consultation exercise and delay making any decisions until a new fair and lawful consultation exercise has been carried out.

08-14 12:17

Members of the public concerned about councillors’ conduct can now make complaints directly to the Council.

08-12 16:20

Proposals for a new fund to help sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses diversify and improve their Post Offices have been unveiled by Deputy Minister for Regeneration, Leighton Andrews today (Thursday 7 August 2008).

08-12 16:20

Regeneration properties are still a solid option for investors looking for long term returns, but proved more vulnerable to the recent market downturns according to this year’s IPD Regeneration Index. The Regeneration All Property total return fell to -6.0% in 2007, compared with IPD’s broader UK All Property Index which slid -3.4% over the same 12-month period. This year for the first time the index looked at development performance in regeneration areas. Developments in regeneration areas returned 1.2% in 2007, significantly outperforming the IPD UK All Property Index.

08-12 16:20

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has published a document which shows that residents and commuters will benefit from major London 2012 transport projects as early as 2010.

The plans are outlined in “pace”, the second in a series of progress reports on 2012 transport planning, which explains how the ODA is investing £500m in infrastructure to develop and deliver transport facilities that are needed before, during and beyond the 2012 Games.

The ODA’s investment will leave the UK and London with a range of new transport assets, including new trains, platforms, lifts and bigger stations for commuters.  There will also be wider benefits, such new transport hubs for deprived areas of London, an increase in the number of people using a wider range of public transport and encouraging more active lifestyles by promoting walking and cycling.

Work that will be finished well before the Games includes includes:

    * Trebling capacity and improving accessibility at Stratford Regional station, with work finished by the end of 2010;
    * A three-car instead of two-car train service on the DLR to boost on-board capacity by 50 per cent on the majority of the network by 2010;
    * Completion of the new DLR extension to Woolwich Arsenal in February next year;
    * Projects from the £10m to deliver new and improved walking and cycling routes.

The ODA’s investment will complement the extensive transport projects across London and the UK that are being taken forward by the ODA’s delivery partners. From the first phase of the Thameslink project and work to boost capacity on the Jubilee Line by 25 per cent, to improvements to the East London Line and a new western concourse at Kings Cross Station, this work will provide significant long-term benefits to commuters.

ODA Director of Transport Hugh Sumner said:

08-11 13:12

New research published today sets out how London Councils will play a key role in supporting the capital’s boroughs as they take more responsibility for developing local economies.

The research – Duty Free London? – looked at how nine boroughs are preparing to carry out the local economic assessments proposed in a government consultation.

08-11 13:12

The development of an innovative, zero carbon neighbourhood in the centre of Peterborough moved a step closer today as pPod - a consortium consisting of Morris Homes, Gentoo Homes, and Browne Smith Baker architects - was selected as the preferred developer for Phase 1 of the city’s South Bank. The project will meet the highest level of the government’s Code for Sustainable Homes, as part of English Partnerships’ ground-breaking Carbon Challenge.

08-06 11:22

Allerdale Borough Council is embracing the digital age by using internet sites, such as the online video broadcaster YouTube and the social network site Facebook, to connect more with its communities in west Cumbria.

08-06 11:22

As part of his statutory duties, Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today announced his appointments to the London Development Agency (LDA) Board and confirmed that Harvey McGrath is to remain as Chair. The thirteen members of the Board, including the four statutory elected members, officially took up their roles on Friday 1st August 2008, for a term of four years.

08-04 19:02

LGiU calls for a joined up single commissioning process for all local public services and local health and local policing budgets devolved to councils. Andy Crawford the Chief Executive of LGiU explains their position and sets it in context.

08-01 12:55

The LGiU has called on the government to consider the wider issues of constitutional reform in the Constitutional Renewal Bill, as recommended by a joint committee report published yesterday.

07-29 20:33

Denbighshire County Council has expressed its concerns about the escalating costs  of  fuel and energy and has called for action from the UK government and the Welsh Assembly Government.

07-29 20:33

Mayor of London Boris Johnson today called on the capital's employers to work towards raising pay for their low paid staff to the level of the London Living Wage to help meet the high costs of living in this city. He made the call as he welcomed the news that Haden Building Management, which is supplying facilities services to the Metropolitan Police, will pay all 406 staff on the contract at least the new London Living Wage rate of £7.45 per hour from November.

07-29 12:27

Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor for Policing, said :

“The Mayor made crime mapping a key manifesto commitment and it is an integral part of our strategy to make London safer. We welcome the Home Secretary’s conversion to our policy.

07-28 11:50

 A three-year £80million funding programme for sustaining the fire and rescue services specialist resilience equipment was announced by Fire Minister Parmjit Dhanda today.

07-24 18:24

English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency, and Crest Nicholson were delighted with the response they received when they revealed their initial plans for the development of the former Steyning Workhouse in Shoreham.

07-23 09:26

Home improvements for older and disabled people will be supported and promoted by 'Foundations' after they were awarded the contract to run the national body for Home Improvement Agencies, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Baroness Andrews announced today.

07-22 11:10

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today set out his priorities for his first budget. The Mayor confirmed that resources will be directed to his immediate priorities: preventing youth crime, delivering value for money and improving the quality of life of all Londoners. The Mayor has also made it clear that new policies must meet his commitment to reduce CO2 by 60 per cent by 2025.

07-22 11:10

 Incapacity benefits and Income Support are to be abolished as part of far-reaching new proposals, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell announced today.

07-21 22:53

Despite criticism from certain sectors of the press, the recent government white paper, ‘Communities in Control’, is an ambitious attempt to stimulate participatory politics at a local level says Faizal Farook from Demos.

07-21 12:49

 Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today set out how Government envisages working in future alongside the many faith based organisations already making a real difference to their communities.

07-18 10:51

Responding to today’s publication of the Policing Green Paper, the New Local Government Network has welcomed measures to make police forces more accountable to local people, but urged the Home Secretary to ensure that local councillors maintain a key role in deciding local policing priorities.

The think tank said that plans to give directly elected mayors greater power over local police forces demonstrated that they can provide clear leadership and accountability. It warned however that plans for direct elections to police boards could lead to a blurring of accountability lines between councillors and directly elected ’Crime and Policing Representatives’ (CPRs). In June the NLGN and ippr warned that the current relatively small number of elected mayors might lead to Whitehall reluctance on policing devolution to councils.

07-17 13:10

The Audit Commission’s new report, Don’t stop me now – Preparing for an ageing population, published today (17 July) has found that councils in England, particularly those which have the fastest ageing populations, are not ready to meet the challenges or grasp opportunities as we get older.

07-17 13:10

The New Local Government Network has said that today’s Housing Green Paper will put local authorities back at the heart of house building for the first time in a generation.  The independent think tank said that the plans rightly recognised the crucial role that councils could perform in building social housing, helping first-time buyers and supporting an unstable housing market.

07-15 19:18

New legislation to tackle child poverty, support carers and help people afford a home has been unveiled today by First Minister Rhodri Morgan.

07-15 15:16

Today, seven groups of councils and local partners are to seal their commitment to boost economic prosperity, in recognition that they can each achieve more than the sum of their parts - in the first set of Multi-Area Agreements (MAAs) signed today.

07-14 21:09

Learning Pool have had a great response to the free Passport to Procurement course with hundreds of people registering for the course in the first week. If you're not one of them don't forget that Learning Pool are currently offering free procurement e-learning for all Local Authorities in England and Wales. The course will help you understand what procurement is and learn how effective procurement can contribute to efficiency targets, improved service delivery and environment protection.

07-11 12:50

Service Birmingham, the partnership between Birmingham City Council and Capita, has appointed Danny Reeves as the new ICT Operations Director. Danny is responsible for continuous service delivery improvements and greater cohesion of information communication technology (ICT) across the Council. He will also play a key role in further strengthening the ICT foundations to support the Council’s transformational agenda.

07-11 12:50

Mayor of London Boris Johnson today delivered on another election promise by announcing that he is increasing the Living Wage for London to £7.45 per hour which is nearly 35 per cent higher than the national minimum wage set by Government and recognises the particularly high and rising costs of living in the capital.

07-10 16:06

An ambitious blueprint to establish innovation at the heart of UK development will be discussed in the Tees Valley today (Thursday).

07-10 16:06

An influential coalition led by the Carnegie UK Trust has criticised the Empowerment White Paper, published today (9 July 2008), for ignoring the power of community action. Carnegie, along with four partner organisations, believes that community action is fundamental to empowerment, but that the Government’s White Paper focuses too much on devolving power to individual citizens, bypassing the potential strengths of community groups.

07-10 16:06

The organisation chosen to deliver a groundbreaking regional manufacturing support service has been announced.

07-10 14:05

Responding to the white paper Communities in control: real people, real power published yesterday by the Department for Communities & Local Government, LGiU chief executive Andy Sawford said: “This is no ordinary White Paper. Real localism means that central government stops trying to wield a mighty stick from Whitehall and instead frees up councils and citizens to get on with improving their communities.  In recognising this, Hazel Blears has launched no ordinary White Paper – instead of torrents of guidance and tons of legislation, this White Paper launches many small but important initiatives that should combine to strengthen democracy.”     

07-09 18:00

 Communities Secretary Hazel Blears will today publish a White Paper setting out proposals to deliver a fundamental shift in power, influence and responsibility into the hands of communities and citizens.

07-09 12:57

•    Key topics for brief: LG involvement sought in CIO Council workstreams on reliable delivery, shared services and suppliers; need for CIO awareness of LG initiatives like benchmarking; Principles of operation to underpin discussion about an IT Strategy

07-09 12:57

Continuing to make London’s case for additional government funding and forging closer relationships between the boroughs and the Mayor of London are among the top priorities for Councillor Merrick Cockell in his third year as Chairman of London Councils.

Cllr Cockell, Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, was re-elected as London Councils Chairman at a meeting of borough leaders today (Tuesday). The meeting also appointed the London Councils multi-party executive.

07-07 19:21

Renewing local democracy should mean more than rearranging existing powers between councillors and mayors say Chris Leslie and Guy Lodge as they argue for reforming local governance in England.

07-07 13:18

Devon County Council has today welcomed the Boundary Committee decision that a single unitary council for Devon is the preferred option to go forward for consultation as part of its ongoing review into the feasibility of creating a unitary local government structure in the county.