JGP News

A new package aimed at improving the running of councils has been launched by Communities and Local Government Department.

The Business Improvement Package (BIP) aims to improve efficiency by bringing about more straightforward management methods and joining up services. (more…)

Derelict land in England with the equivalent area of 4,500 football pitches has been put back into use in the past ten years, according to new research.

Former coalfield areas around the country have also helped generate over 16,000 jobs, it was announced at the sixth National Coalfield Conference in Rotherham. This equates to four jobs per day since the late 1990s. (more…)

Gordon Brown’s decision to increase landfill tax by £8 per tonne each year from April 2008 has been met with criticism by the Local Government Association (LGA).

Under the plans, the cost of sending waste to landfill will rise to £48 per tonne by 2010/11. (more…)

Sir Michael Lyons has published his highly anticipated report on council tax, calling for two new price bands at either end of the housing spectrum.

Those entitled to tax benefits should also receive them automatically, rather than having to claim them, the Place-Shaping: A Shared Vision for the Future of Local Government review recommends. (more…)

Somerset residents oppose the county’s plans for a unitary authority by a ratio of more than three to one, according to a public opinion poll.

Conducted by survey specialist YouGov, the ballot found that 21 per cent of locals support plans for a single county authority, whereas 67 per cent of respondents are against the proposals. (more…)