More candidates contesting vacancies
Recent by-elections show a trend towards higher candidate numbers: almost half the contests last year had five or more candidates on the ballot.
Reforms and more funding for audit
The Government will provide funding to councils to cover the costs of additional audit fees, with a first tranche of £49 million for qualifying local authorities in 2025/26.
Cladding remediation ‘too slow’ – MPs
Eight years on from the Grenfell fire that claimed 72 lives, it is still not known how many buildings have unsafe cladding and when it will be removed, according to MPs.
New empty homes toolkit for officers
The LGA has released a new Empty Homes Officer Toolkit to help councils take practical, effective steps to tackle long-term empty homes in their area.
‘No future for NHS dentistry without reform’ – MPs
NHS dentistry in England is “broken”, with fewer patients seen since the introduction of a dental recovery plan last year, according to a report from the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee.
£2bn confirmed for affordable housing
A £2 billion investment into the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) will help deliver up to 18,000 new social and affordable homes in England, according to ministers.
Call for better support for armed forces
The Armed Forces Covenant is being inconsistently applied in different areas of the country and when military personnel move into a new area, according to MPs.
Digital adult care training plans announced
Government plans to move adult social care services from ‘analogue to digital’ will not on their own provide the changes the sector needs, the LGA has warned.
