In the latest issue:

Local lockdown powers introduced

New powers have been announced for councils to close specific premises, cancel events and close public spaces, to help tackle coronavirus outbreaks.

Council investments ‘pose risk’

by The Editorial Team

Some councils have exposed themselves to commercial investments that risk cuts in local services and a big bill for local taxpayers, according to the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee.

EU money ‘going unspent’

by The Editorial Team

More than £730 million in vital EU cash – which could help local communities bounce back from COVID-19 – risks going unspent and being sent back to Brussels if the funding is not allocated by the Government before the end of the year, the LGA has warned.

Leisure facilities ‘could disappear’

by The Editorial Team

With the Government’s obesity strategy expected as first went to press, the LGA has warned that significant losses of income have left many leisure centres on the brink of financial collapse.

‘Councils should be more diverse’

by The Editorial Team

Under-representation of ethnic minority communities is “perpetuating racial inequality and disadvantage” in the UK, according to a report by University of Manchester academics.

Time for fiscal devolution?

by The Editorial Team

Local government across the western world has been able to react to the COVID-19 crisis with greater powers and autonomy than councils in the UK, according to a new report from the think-tank Localis, commissioned by the LGA.

Nurse attending to a patient whilst wearing PPE

PPE supply warning amid second wave concerns

by The Editorial Team

Urgent clarity over the governance and distribution of vital personal protective equipment (PPE) is needed in the event of a second wave of coronavirus, MPs have found.