Top local councils in UK that have been nominated for the 2024 business awards

Charity leaders have warned of the “devastating knock-on impact” of the financial crisis in English town halls, as evidence emerges of cuts and closures at local voluntary groups, where vital grant funding has been cut by stricken councils.

Citizens Advice and Age UK – two of the UK’s biggest and best known charities, overseeing networks of hundreds of local branches providing vital care, advice and support to millions of people every year – said it was “deeply troubling” that the crisis was putting voluntary services at risk.

#finance #voluntary #network

https://www.theguardian.co...

The financial crisis facing England's councils is "out of control" with even well-run local authorities at risk of going bust, MPs have warned.

A cross-party committee said the government must plug a £4bn funding gap to avoid a "severe impact" on services.

They also called for council tax to be reformed, describing the current system as "outdated" and "regressive"
#Uknews #latestnews
#BBC #UKPolitics
Read more
https://www.bbc.com/news/u...

For centuries councils have owned vast tracts of land and buildings. From the municipal palaces of Victorian England’s biggest cities, to leisure centres, museums, and parks in towns and villages across the country.

In the deepest financial crisis to hit local government for decades, however, council leaders are warning they could be forced to sell millions of pounds worth of public ******* ets to fill gaping budget shortfalls.

#councils #buildings #land

https://www.theguardian.co...

Councils in England are to be encouraged to sell publicly owned buildings and other ***** ets worth up to £23bn under plans being explored by ministers to plug budget shortfalls amid the crisis in local government.

Under plans being examined by Michael Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, councils would be given greater flexibility to use money raised from ***** et disposals to meet their budget pressures.

#budget #councils #department

https://www.theguardian.co...

Ministers must urgently inject £4bn into English town hall budgets to head off an “out of control” financial crisis that threatens to drag well-run councils into bankruptcy and put local services at risk, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.

The levelling up, housing and communities committee said government must act now to help councils stricken by shrinking resources and the costs of rising demand for adult social care, child protection, homelessness and special educational needs provision.

#ministers #government #bankruptcy

https://www.theguardian.co...

London’s councils are preparing to mothball schools to avoid a boom and bust cycle of closures, as the falling birthrate, high housing costs and the aftermath of Brexit and the Covid pandemic drive down the number of children living in the capital.

With some areas of London projected to see the number of primary school-aged children fall by 10% or more by 2028, councils say they are struggling to support schools to stay open as pupil funding dries up.

#councils #schools #project

https://www.theguardian.co...

Walkers wanting to enjoy footpaths across the British countryside are being blocked or obstructed in nearly 32,000 places across England and Wales.

But they are fighting back, with one rambler even training as a lawyer to force councils to keep the way .investigation found councils which have responsibility for footpaths had 4,000 more access issues on public rights of way in 2023 than in 2022.

Campaigners said this showed a "growing abuse and neglect" of the path network.

Local authorities said "funding constraints" limited what they can do.

Children in England should be given a unique number to link their records held by schools, health visitors and councils, allowing governments to harness artificial intelligence and data-mining to improve standards, according to the shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson.

In a keynote speech, Phillipson also praised the former Conservative education secretary Michael