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SubscriptionsCategory: Local Government
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The Sheer Scale of the Conservative Local Government Auditing Scandal Is Only Now Becoming Clear
Billions of pounds in spending remains unaccounted for, with the National Audit Office unable to sign off the nation’s accounts
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Local Government is on a ‘Precipice’ With Billions in Cuts Coming Soon to These Councils
Cash-strapped local authorities across Britain are teetering on the brink of financial collapse. Here are the ones most at risk
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Councils Across UK are Holding Fire-Sales of Public Assets from Libraries to Farms – Often with No Consultation
Councils are flogging off local treasures as cuts continue to bite. This is a list of just some of the assets currently on the market
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‘Rushed’ Airport Sell-Off Sparks Anger as Councils Push Through Privatisation to Plug Shortfalls
Concern is growing over a Conservative-led council’s opaque plans to privatise Cornwall Newquay Airport. It’s part of a bigger picture across England
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‘Parents Are Not to Blame for the Cost Demands on a SEND System Under Increasing Pressure’
A recent report was problematic for appearing to place responsibility with ‘demanding parents’ who contribute to local authority financial problems, writes Sharon Smith
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Conservatives Branded ‘Nasty Party’ as Voters Reject Plan to Target Sick and Disabled
Government plans to target welfare payments to the long-term sick and disabled are deeply unpopular, an exclusive new poll suggests
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Susan Hall Voted to Raise Council Tax Despite Condemning Sadiq Khan for Doing the Same
The Conservative candidate for London Mayor has been very vocal about council tax hikes – but in 2023 she voted to raise Harrow’s by more than 5%
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Just a Fraction of Voters Who Lack Photo ID Apply for ‘Free’ Identification – In Warning Sign for Mayoral Elections
Low take-up of the Government’s Voter Authority Certificate poses a risk to voters in May’s local elections, campaigners warn
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‘The Country has Noticed the Conservatives’ Lack of Levelling Up’
Since Boris Johnson’s 2019 pledge, the public has received more of the same – austerity and higher taxes from the Government and, in many cases, cash-strapped local councils
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English Councils on the Brink of Meltdown: A Crisis Fourteen Years in the Making
A systematic reduction of funds to some of the poorest parts of England leaves many of the most needed public services at risk of collapse
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London Council Breaches Human Rights Law After Subjecting Asylum Seeker to Degrading Treatment
The High Court ruled against Croydon Council in relation to its treatment of a disabled asylum seeker.
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Grenfell: Michael Gove Deflecting the Blame Away from Conservative Politicians
A legal settlement between various parties and the families of Grenfell victims suggests where the responsibility for the 2017 fire actually lies
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Tens of Billions in Government and Council Pandemic Spending Unaccounted For as Local Authority Auditing Scandal Worsens
A new report by the Public Accounts Committee lambasts the Treasury for being ‘too passive’ in chasing up the cash, resulting in inaccurate figures
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Half of all Local Authorities in England at Risk of Going Bust Next Year
MPs have warned Michael Gove that large numbers of councils could soon be in severe financial distress
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Democracy Experts Sound Alarm on Corruption Risk as Local Council Audits Collapse
With only a fraction of local government audits now completed on time and a significant decline in their quality, a fundamental pillar of devolution is under threat, leaving communities in the dark on their council finances, experts warn
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Who Owns the Thames? Giant Party Boat OceanDiva is Frontline in Battle Over London’s River Amid Claims of ‘Zero Accountability’
The controversy over a £25m party boat speaks to a wider issue: who decides what happens around the Thames?
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New Cash for Buses Means Little if Councils Remain Stripped of Power by Westminster
Councils are at the whim of multinational transport firms when it comes to local transport
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Nine UK Areas Breach Legal Pollution Limits as Manchester Tops League
Campaigners say the most polluting vehicles must be taken off the roads to save lives
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Welsh Government Throws Down the Gauntlet in Bid to Stop Controversial ‘Anti-Boycott’ Bill
Opponents of the bill say it is designed to undermine the freedom of speech of those critical of the Israeli Government
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Johnson Loyalist Baroness Charlotte Owen Nails her Colours to the Mast in First House of Lords Votes
The youngest ever life peer cast four failed votes with the Government before she’s even made her first speech
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The Curious Case of the Crooked House: Developers Don’t Just Destroy Pubs by Tearing Them Down
Cultural vandalism takes many forms, writes Josiah Mortimer
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Councils Exposed to Corruption Due to Collapse of Local Auditing – After Accounting Firms Lobbied for Watchdog’s Abolition
Just one in nine local council audits are now conducted on time – which researchers blame on a privatised system
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Gove Fails to Tackle £100 Billion of Unaudited Local Council Accounts
A parliamentary report confirms Byline Times’ story about the collapse in the auditing of how taxpayers’ money is being spent on public services
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Council Coffers Crisis Revealed: Auditing of Public Money by Local Authorities Collapses – So How is Taxpayers’ Cash Being Spent?
Serious problems have arisen after the Government abolished the Audit Commission and handed the job to private accountancy firms instead
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Illicit Pacts and Power-Sharing: Labour Activists Face Suspensions and NEC Veto Over Council Coalitions
A party crackdown on local party cooperation is preventing Labour councillors from leveraging their election victories to unseat the Tories in some towns, Josiah Mortimer reports
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Report into Misleading Electoral Advertising Slams Conservatives, Labour and Libs Dems for Dirty Tricks on the Doorstep
Reform Political Advertising campaign report reveals scale of deceptive literature in the runup to the May local elections, as Green Party calls for greater regulation
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Protesting for Homeless Help from the Council: The ‘Crisis’ in Local Housing Services
Andrew Kersley speaks to a man awaiting the bailiffs as campaigners warn that cuts to housing services are leaving vulnerable people desperately unsupported
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Voter Plans One-Man Protest Against ‘Gerrymandering’ Mandatory Photo ID Law at Local Elections on Thursday
Just a fraction of the two million people who lack photo ID have applied for the government’s free scheme. How many will be denied a vote – or simply not bother – on Thursday? Josiah Mortimer reports
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Desperate Last Push to Get Photo ID to Voters Ahead of Mandatory Roll-Out Next Week
A last-minute rush is unlikely to be enough to prevent large numbers of people being effectively disenfranchised on 4 May, Josiah Mortimer reports
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No 10 Rejects Calls to Delay Voter ID Plans Despite Tiny Uptake of Free ID
And election experts have warned of battles at the ballot box if people are denied a vote, Josiah Mortimer reports
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‘Voter Suppression’: Huge Numbers Set to Lose Vote as Only 2.5% Of ‘Missing Millions’ Apply for Voter ID
Just 50,000 out of an estimated two million voters without ID have applied for the new ‘free’ voter identification certificate ahead of England’s local elections
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Last Ditch Bill Introduced to Scrap Mandatory Voter ID in England’s Elections this May
Lib Dems are trying to reverse the legislation they fear will cause chaos at the ballot box, while activists warn that trans people may be excluded by photo ID
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Government Offers No Dedicated Cash for Councils to Warn People they will Need Voter ID in May Elections
Councils could have to choose between hiring extra staff to implement the change or informing voters that their vote is at risk, Byline Times has learned
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REVEALED: Councils Preparing for Multi-Million-Pound Budget Overspends as Crisis and Cuts Hit
The cost of living crisis, more than a decade of cuts and the pandemic have left local authorities on the brink when it comes to key services
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After an Era of Austerity, What is Left to Cut?
Sian Norris digs into the data on a decade of cuts, assessing its impact on people and public services, as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt lines up Austerity 2.0
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New Inflation Figures Increase Pressure on Council Budgets
Council tax would need to rise by 20% to save urgently-needed public services, but how will Jeremy Hunt respond in his autumn statement?
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REVEALED: Cost of Living Crisis Piles Pressure on Children’s Homes as Gas and Energy Bills Soar
A new investigation by Sian Norris with the Byline Intelligence Team reveals rising costs are putting budgetary pressure on council-run children’s homes already feeling the strain
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Hundreds of Ukrainian Refugees Left without Welfare Checks
The second part of the Byline Intelligence Team’s exclusive investigation raises serious safeguarding concerns about the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Sascha Lavin and Sian Norris report
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Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Relationship Breakdowns Put Vulnerable Refugees at Risk
An exclusive, three-month investigation by the Byline Intelligence Team reveals the extent of relationship breakdowns in the Homes for Ukraine scheme that has left refugees at risk of exploitation and homelessness, and local councils stretched
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Government Losing Control Over Public Spending, Report Warns
The method used to track state expenditure is now ‘increasingly unreliable and incomplete’, reports David Hencke
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Turmoil Continues Over Government’s Flagship National Holocaust Memorial
Overspending and legal wrangling is causing concerns over the £100 million commemoration, reports David Hencke
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Why Did Bristol Vote to Abolish its City Mayor?
Thomas Perrett considers the reasons for the shock demise of Marvin Rees’ position, and whether this spells danger for the city-mayor model
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How the ‘Big Society’ Commodified Poor People
TJ Coles inspects how David Cameron’s widely-scorned idea ended up institutionalising a smaller state
