Local Government Association

The Government has written to councils inviting them to create local enterprise partnerships, envisaged to take on many of the functions of Regional Development Agencies. RDAs currently manage the European Regional Development Fund, and we would encourage councils to think about how their LEP will engage with this programme. This quick brief offers councils some points and recommendations to consider.

Daily news headlines from the LGA Media Team

Headhunters and talent scouts are needed to ensure a wider range of people are elected to local councils, writes Joe Simpson

Youth councils are holding local authorities' services to account – and saving them money, writes Alex Delaney.

Councils in the region are coming together to scrutinise the help and support available to veterans, writes Cllr Robin Todd.

firstonline news

Plans to introduce directly elected police commissioners could divert money away from frontline services, council leaders have warned.

Senior staff at Liverpool city council have volunteered for a pay cut which will save £500,000 a year.

The vast majority of parliamentary and local elections held in May were well run – but voter confidence in the system has declined significantly.

Earlier this month, I was proud to host the first Mansfield Learning Partnership conference led by young people, for young people.

Housing minister Grant Shapps is giving rural communities that want to build new homes the power to bypass the planning process.

With the school holidays upon us, it feels fitting that this week’s issue of first has a youthful feel to it.

Delegates at the Local Government Group annual conference in Bournemouth earlier this month helped to divert 12 cubic metres of waste from landfill by recycling it.

Councils will be given the power to combine the roles of elected mayor and chief executive, Eric Pickles, the communities secretary, has confirmed.

An independent review of how England coped with severe winter weather over the past two years is calling for guidance to reassure individuals they won’t be sued for clearing snow from pavements.

Local government can help boost the economy by encouraging residents to use the internet, writes Martha Lane Fox, UK digital champion.

Read the latest edition of the Local Government Association analysis and research bulletin (LGAARB): the bulletin highlights key issues, developments, research and statistical findings impacting on, or of interest to, local government. The information in LGAARB is grouped under themed areas, ranging from economy and housing through to migration and the environment, and draws on information from government, academic, voluntary and private sector sources.

A unique facility housing a library and leisure centre under one roof has opened in the London borough of Hillingdon.

Geospatial information is broadly used across local public service providers and many excellent and innovative examples show the benefits of Geospatial information in local service delivery and citizen and business engagement. However, the economic value for geospatial information underpinning local services is little understood. The Local Government Group has commissioned research to determine the value of geospatial information in local public service delivery

Weekly service for LGA member councils.