The Editorial Team
60 seconds with…a happy backbencher
Councillor David Pugsley, 79, a former Chairman and Leader of Mid Devon District Council, is standing down at this May’s local elections after 40 years.
Cost of living a ‘second health emergency’
Local health chiefs are warning that the increase in costs of essential food items and energy has created a ‘second health emergency’ after the COVID-19 pandemic.
LGA is a ‘strong organisation’
The LGA remains a ‘strong organisation’ that has continued to improve since its last corporate peer challenge in 2015, according to a cross-party political and officer team.
River pollution ‘blocking 20,000 new homes’
Urgent action and funding are needed to address river pollution and low water levels so 20,000 new homes left in limbo can be built, the LGA has warned.
A ‘back-to-work’ Budget
Funding and measures to widen employment support, improve local roads, protect swimming pools from rising costs and support regeneration and levelling up were among the key announcements for councils in the March Spring Budget.
57,000 Right to Buy homes ‘will not be replaced’
A further 57,000 social homes in England will be lost to Right to Buy by the end of the decade, with no region or local authority capable of providing one-to-one replacements.