The Local Government Association (LGA) has launched a 16-week programme in partnership with the Design Council to support six local authorities in London with inventing workable solutions to high priority issues affecting their local communities.

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England has announced that 30 local authorities’ libraries services from across the country will receive a total of £3.9 million from the Libraries Opportunities for Everyone Innovation fund.

Christchurch Borough Council has voted in favour of a proposed referendum on local government reorganisation in Dorset.

Edinburgh City Council has been criticised for the way it handled complaints about a poster advertising scheme, introduced in 2003.

A new report by Localis has argued for an industrial strategy which provides local areas the support and space to lead from the front in their economic renewal.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has cited over 6,000 uses of community rights, protecting over 4,000 buildings, green spaces and other local assets.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed the return of further powers to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, two years after the government took over the running of services.

Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss has unveiled plans for four new prisons in England and Wales, creating 5,000 modern prison places to replace old and overcrowded establishments.

Norfolk County Council has been issued with a £60,000 penalty after it was revealed confidential files regarding vulnerable children had been left in a cabinet which was sent to a second-hand shop.

A new report has argued that councils must become more creative and collaborative in their use of technology in order to plan for future problems.
The New Local Government Network (NLGN) has reported that councils lack the time and expertise to make the most of the new capabilities that technology can bring, arguing that, despite this, councils should be supporting the delivery of networked infrastructure, data analytics and public Wi-Fi.