News

Mar 27, 2026

Mayor of London sets up £400k fund to help renters defend their rights and councils to strengthen enforcement

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a £400,000 ‘Renters’ Rights Enforcement Fund’ designed to help renters “defend their rights” through advice and guidance.

Mar 27, 2026

Government confirms national scheme of delegation, cap on planning committees at 13 members

The Government has confirmed plans to bring forward a national scheme of delegation for planning decisions, in its response to a consultation on the proposals.

Mar 27, 2026

Applications to High Court for deprivation of liberty order for children rose 12.5% in 2025

New data published by the Ministry of Justice has revealed that there were 1,439 applications made to the High Court for deprivation of liberty (DoL) orders for children in 2025 – an increase of 12.5% on the previous 12 months.

Mar 27, 2026

University names nine suppliers to £8m legal services frameworks

Nottingham Trent University has appointed nine providers to two frameworks for legal services worth an estimated £8m over eight years.

Mar 27, 2026

Government to introduce new social value definition in public procurement reforms

A new definition of social value is to be introduced, strengthening the importance of positive community impact in procurement decisions, the Government has said, as part of a wider overhaul of the public procurement system.

Mar 27, 2026

Judge rejects appeal over refusal of tribunal to certify council was in contempt over response to substituted decision notice

The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) did not err when it refused to certify Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s response to a substituted decision notice as a contempt for the consideration of the Upper Tribunal under section 61 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Mar 26, 2026

Some authorities may not be able to meet legal duties on day one of reorganisation: ADASS

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) has warned there is “no clear plan” or funding to ensure new councils are financially sustainable, creating a “real risk” that some authorities will not be able to meet their legal duties as soon as they are created under local…

Mar 26, 2026

High Court issues ruling on burden of proof in disputes over whether permission obtained to place adverts on sites

The burden of proof in establishing whether permission was given to erect temporary advertisements for a travelling circus lies with the company which installed them, the High Court has ruled.

Mar 26, 2026

Union seeks permission to appeal from Supreme Court in dispute over judicial reviews and costs

The Supreme Court has been asked to decide whether the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) should be awarded costs in a judicial review where it succeeded because of a political decision rather than for legal reasons.

Mar 26, 2026

Law Commission review of burial laws calls for greater reuse of graves

Graves that are more than 100 years old should be more widely available for reuse to ease the shortage of cemetery space, the Law Commission has said.

Mar 26, 2026

County council eyes legal challenge over local government reorganisation decision

Essex County Council has said it will look to bring a legal challenge over the Government’s decision to reorganise Greater Essex into five unitary authorities.

Mar 26, 2026

High Court quashes grant of planning permission over ‘apparent bias’

A councillor’s participation in a planning decision has made it tainted by apparent bias, the High Court has found.

Mar 26, 2026

Children and young people in care system across England to gain new legal rights to contact with their siblings

The Government has tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill that would give children in the care system the legal right to “reasonable contact” with their siblings.

Mar 26, 2026

Regulator of Social Housing praises borough council on consumer standards turnaround

Guildford Borough Council has become the first local authority to move from a C3 consumer grade to a C1 since the new consumer standards were introduced in April 2024, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has said.

Mar 26, 2026

Landlords missing “early warning signs” about hazards, Housing Ombudsman warns

The Housing Ombudsman has called for a focus on early warning signs as it publishes its latest hazards report, finding the same issues and the same service failings “reoccurring” in its casework.

Mar 26, 2026

Ministry confirms ‘emergency’ planning changes to fast track housebuilding in London

An ‘emergency package’ of targeted planning changes for London has been launched as part of efforts to kickstart stalled housebuilding in the capital.

Mar 26, 2026

Gaps in data on shared ownership means government cannot fully show if it is working for everyone, says spending watchdog

Limited government data on shared ownership - a “complex” part-buy, part-rent model – means it is difficult to assess the scheme’s overall performance, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned.

Mar 25, 2026

Envoys flag transparency concerns and “defensive culture” at borough council

Ministerial envoys have raised concerns over the transparency of decision-making, “overly positive and optimistic” officer reports, and a “defensive culture” at Warrington Borough Council.

Mar 25, 2026

Secretary of State makes final decisions on local government reorganisation in four areas

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, has issued his final decisions on local government reorganisation in four fast-track areas.

Mar 25, 2026

Commissioners say “more to do” as Croydon continues to struggle with deficit

Commissioners at Croydon Council have said there is “more to do” to tackle the London borough’s financial position and “develop a high-performance culture within the organisation”.

Mar 25, 2026

Council wins Court of Appeal dispute over intentional homelessness and tenancy obtained through misleading information

City of Wolverhampton Council has won a Court of Appeal case over ending the tenancy of a woman who misrepresented her circumstances when she applied as homeless.

Mar 25, 2026

Council “disappointed” after resident brings successful pothole claim

Hertfordshire County Council has urged residents to report potholes via its online system rather than pursue legal action, after a resident successfully brought a claim against the council under the Highways Act 1980.

Mar 25, 2026

Commissioners hail progress at borough council and elimination of governance weaknesses

The fundamental governance weaknesses which were the cause of Woking Borough Council’s failings have, in large part, been eliminated following a root-and-branch review of the local authority’s constitution, Commissioners have suggested.

Mar 25, 2026

Government confirms plan to de-escalate intervention at Nottingham City Council

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is to press ahead with plans to extend the intervention at Nottingham City Council but reduce its scope.

Mar 24, 2026

LGA calls for powers over developers in response to NPPF reforms

Local government and its views “must remain at the heart of planning and delivery”, the Local Government Association has warned in its response to proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Mar 24, 2026

Developer urges call-in after councillors refuse scheme despite government direction

A developer has urged the government to call in a 256-home scheme after Three Rivers District Council refused the application, despite a direction from the Housing Minister requiring the site’s inclusion in the authority’s draft local plan.

Mar 24, 2026

Court of Appeal rules on what it means to be “father” of a child under Children Act 1989

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the term “father” in the Children Act 1989 means what it means at common law – that a man is only the “father” of a child if he is the natural/genetic/biological father.

Mar 24, 2026

District Councils’ Network renamed ‘Local Councils Network’

The District Councils' Network has relaunched itself as the Local Councils Network (LCN), amid the Government's plans to scrap district councils as part of its reorganisation agenda.

Mar 24, 2026

High Court judge describes detention of teenage girl in room without windows on A&E ward for two-and-a-half months as “intolerable”

The High Court has made an order authorising the deprivation of liberty in a children's home of a teenage girl who has been detained in a room without windows in a “busy and noisy” accident and emergency ward for nearly two and half months.

Mar 23, 2026

Delays in local government accounts "pose real risk to good governance", warns Auditor General for Wales

The Auditor General for Wales has written to all local government bodies warning that growing delays in the preparation and audit of statutory accounts “pose a real risk to financial transparency and good governance across the sector”.

Mar 23, 2026

City of York councillor targeted by AI deepfakes

The Deputy Leader of City of York Council has reportedly been targeted by AI-generated deepfake images, leading him to seek advice and support from police.

Mar 23, 2026

Divisional Court rejects legal challenge over introduction to Senedd of Bill that would ban greyhound racing in Wales

The Divisional Court has dismissed a judicial review challenge brought by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain over the decision of the Welsh Ministers to introduce into the Senedd of the Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Bill.

Mar 23, 2026

Government response to legal challenge over proposed SEND reforms claims there is “no duty to consult in public law” on certain changes

The Government has claimed in its response to a potential legal challenge that there is no duty to consult on some of the measures in its proposed reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

Mar 23, 2026

Judges grant council permission to appeal in deprivation of liberty case involving 17 year old

The Court of Appeal has granted permission for a local authority to appeal against a decision by the High Court to decline to extend a deprivation of liberty order in relation to a 17-year-old boy.

Mar 23, 2026

Planning Minister directs district council to include seven new sites in draft plan

The Minister for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, has directed Three Rivers District Council to include seven sites in its draft local plan, which had previously been ruled out, over concerns the plan would not meet housing targets.

Mar 23, 2026

Almost half of councils say financial pressures on Housing Revenue Accounts will impact housebuilding: LGA

More support for councils is needed to help alleviate pressure on councils' Housing Revenue Accounts (HRA), despite the overall financial picture for social housing showing “signs of improvement”, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.

Mar 23, 2026

Disabled man slept on concrete floor of garage for several nights after council failed to consider his homelessness application properly: Ombudsman

Norwich City Council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after failing to consider a disabled man’s homelessness application properly, leading to him sleeping on the concrete floor of a garage for “several nights”.

Mar 23, 2026