November 2009

Press releases, by month

• Extra funds for primary school places 'valuable'

  The LGA has responded to the announcement of a further £100 million for extra primary school places, on top of an initial £200 million.

  Added on: 3 December 2009

• LGA to cut or freeze every member’s subs next year

  Radical new proposals will mean that every member of the Local Government Association will see their subscriptions cut or frozen next year with the organisation pledging to ‘deliver more and better for less’.

  Added on: 2 December 2009

• Gold buying companies fleecing unsuspecting consumers, councils warn

  Gold-buying companies are fleecing unsuspecting consumers by offering rock-bottom prices for unwanted jewellery, council trading standards officers warned today.

  Added on: 30 November 2009

• Air pollution must be tackled to stop eu fines and thousands of premature deaths

  Unless greater powers are given to councils to help tackle pollution, then Britain will face up to £300million of fines from the EU in less than 18 months and up to 36,000 more people will die prematurely. This will be the stark message given by council leaders at a summit on air quality later today.

  Added on: 30 November 2009

• Plans to speed up home insulation for millions unveiled by councils

  Plans to speed up fitting home insulation in millions of houses across Britain will be unveiled by council leaders tomorrow.

  Added on: 27 November 2009

• LGA response to local government finance settlement

  The LGA responds to the local government finance settlement

  Added on: 26 November 2009

• New Local Innovation Awards Scheme shortlist

  Councils and their partners from across the country are going head to head in a new government scheme designed to find the public sector’s brightest ideas.

  Added on: 14 December 2009

• Councils need the freedom to allow them to deliver better for less

  Today councillors and officers from across the country will come together for the LGA Group Improvement and Innovation Conference in Manchester, which is focusing on delivering better for less.

  Added on: 26 November 2009

• Parking tickets keep people safe and traffic moving - councils

  Responding to the Taxpayers’ Allliance/Drivers’ Alliance report on parking fines, Cllr David Sparks, Chairman of the Local Government Association Transport and Regeneration Board, said:

  Added on: 27 November 2009

• Improvement agenda set for Ofsted

  Ofsted should be the calm, measured voice that helps to make child protection services work better rather than feeding people’s fears, council leaders said today. The LGA is calling for the inspectorate to sign up to its own improvement plan to win back the confidence of the public, central government and councils.

  Added on: 24 November 2009

• Ten finalists taking part in the local government challenge announced

  The search for candidates to take part in the first ever Local Government Challenge, is over. The ten finalists, selected by a panel of six judges, will compete in a series of challenges to be crowned winner of the Challenge, which this year, is sponsored by Liberata.

  Added on: 23 November 2009

• Bonfire of bureaucracy could save taxpayers £4.5 billion

  A bonfire of bureaucracy, unnecessary targets and red tape could save the taxpayer £4.5 billion a year, a new LGA report published today has revealed.

  Added on: 30 November 2009

• Councils helping flood hit areas

  Council emergency planning teams are helping to protect people and their homes following severe weather across the north and west of England, and Wales.

  Added on: 19 November 2009

• Cut red tape for councils to fund personal care at home

  The LGA has responded to the announcement of a Personal Care at Home Bill in the Queen's Speech.

  Added on: 18 November 2009

• Flood and Water Management Bill - councils respond

  Councils across England and Wales say that new flooding laws, that will give them responsibility for managing flood risk in their area, are good news but have warned that the new powers will create a funding black hole.

  Added on: 18 November 2009

• Councils improve recruitment and staff development opportunities

  Councils are working hard to develop their staff and offer the best value-for-money services during the recession, the latest Local Government Workforce Survey has found.

  Added on: 18 November 2009

• Quangos face tough questions on acccountability and value for money - LGA

  Quangos give local people little say over what they do and are failing to provide value for money for the taxpayer, according to a new report by town hall leaders.

  Added on: 18 November 2009

• Stop children using sunbeds to cut cancer risk to teenagers, say council

  People under the age of 18 should be stopped from using sunbeds to help prevent teenagers getting skin cancer, council leaders will say today.

  Added on: 13 November 2009

• Children's potential being wasted - response to unemployment figures

  Cllr Margaret Eaton, Chairman of the LGA,comments on record youth unemployment figures showing nearly 20% of 16 – 24 year olds are out of work: “Nobody wants our children to grow up in a world where their potential is wasted by a system which doesn’t give them the right support at the right times."

  Added on: 11 November 2009

• Challenges remain in social work retention and recruitment

  Thousands of frontline children’s social workers are feared to have turned their backs on the profession in the wake of the backlash over the death of baby Peter Connolly, council leaders warned today, as new figures showed staff retention problems have increased by 50% in the past year.

  Added on: 11 November 2009

• No extremist threat should be ignored - council leaders

  Attempts to prevent violent extremism must not cause the Muslim community to feel unfairly targeted – or simultaneously leave any other local people harbouring a sense of neglect, council leaders will say today.

  Added on: 11 November 2009

• Modern day pedlars force call for law change

  Ahead of the expected launch tomorrow of a consultation on street traders and pedlars by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Cllr Les Lawrence, Chairman of the Local Government Association Safer Communities Board, said:

  Added on: 6 November 2009

• LGA response to council tax survey

  The LGA responds to a survey which indicates that next year's council tax rises will be the lowest in a decade.

  Added on: 5 November 2009

• Recycling rates rise but urgent action still needed

  Commenting on new figures which show the national household recycling and composting rate has risen to 37.6 per cent in 2008/9 from 34.5 per cent in 2007/8, Cllr Gary Porter, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said: "It is very encouraging to see people doing their bit to help the environment and help keep council tax down by recycling more. People and their local councils deserve great credit for drastically improving our performance on waste and recycling over recent years."

  Added on: 5 November 2009

• Bus fares scheme must be fully funded - councils

  Responding to the consultation on a new distribution formula for the concessionary bus fares scheme announced today by the Department for Transport , a spokesman for the LGA, said:

  Added on: 4 November 2009

• Use RIPA for loan sharks, not littering - LGA

  The LGA commments on the Government's response to its consultation into the use of RIPA

  Added on: 4 November 2009

• Give taxpayers' more say over spending in their area

  New figures showing the lack of control local people have over how money is spent in their area will be revealed at a summit of council leaders today.

  Added on: 9 November 2009

• Threat of prosecution will make school admission system "as fair as possible"

  The LGA has responded to recommendations from the Office of the Schools Adjudicator on how best to tackle fraud in the school admission system

  Added on: 2 November 2009