The government is expected to review whether electronic voting in strike ballots should be allowed, as part of a series of changes to the Trade Union Bill.

The Commons environment committee has called for more ‘clean air zones’, targeting polluting vehicle drivers, to be established across cities in England.

275,000 houses are now planned for England’s Green Belt, despite government pledges to protect the countryside, a report says.

86 per cent of council maintained schools are now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, compared to 82 per cent of academies

Local government secretary Greg Clark has praised Portsmouth’s growth, despite suffering cuts to its council’s funding pot.

The County Councils Network (CCN) has cautioned that the government’s academisation plans are being pursued with ‘undue haste’ and could pose a significant risk to schools.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has recommended that restaurants should offer free tap water to families which eat out instead of waiting for customers to request it.
The LGA claims the move would offer a healthy alternative to sugary drinks and help restaurants do their bit to tackle childhood obesity.
Current regulations dictate that all licensed premises must provide free tap water in England, Wales and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland. However, the LGA has said that one in five people are unaware of such rules.

North Lanarkshire Council has launched an investigation into allegations of corruption, after an anonymous letter was received claiming serious deceitful behavior in the council’s procurement process.

Homelessness charity Crisis has published a review of homelessness legislation, calling for councils to be forced to act sooner to prevent people from resorting to living on the streets.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised concerns over government spending on consultants and temporary staff, warning that issues identified in 2010 ‘have not been properly addressed’.