Lawyers in Local Government (LLG) and the Association of Democratic Services Officers (ADSO) have issued a joint statement on local authority decision-making and the democratic process in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Electoral Commission has written to the government warning of “real risks to the successful delivery of the scheduled 7 May 2020 elections”, in light of the current and emerging situation around Covid-19 in the UK.

Local Government Lawyer rounds up the reaction to Rishi Sunak’s first Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Local Government Lawyer sets out some of the key policy decisions in the 2020 Budget affecting local government, housing, health and education.

A lack of experienced local authority auditors is the main threat to the future sustainability of the local audit market, a report commissioned by Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) has warned.

A requirement on councils to consult on service improvements is not so wide as to mean consultations must be held on every decision, the Court Of Appeal has ruled.

A rapid assessment carried out by the Improvement and Assurance Board set up at Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has highlighted a situation where the authority’s monitoring officer is also its sole qualified childcare lawyer and has additional responsibilities as an example of why it has significant concerns about the ability of the council to deal with ongoing practical issues.

The need to manage new relationships between public and private sectors has the potential to put further pressure on the Civil Service and local authorities, a report commissioned by the Committee on Standards in Public Life to mark its 25th anniversary has said.

Folkestone and Hythe Council was threatened with a court summons by the Local Government Ombudsman over its handling of a complaint about its treatment of a homeless family.

The London Borough of Lewisham is set to scrap its director of law post and replace it with one additionally covering governance and human resources.

Robert Jenrick has stayed as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government following yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle, but Esther McVey has lost her position as Housing Minister.

Local authority investment in commercial property has called the soundness of the prudential borrowing framework into question and raised concerns about how far the Government can rely on it to support value-for-money decisions.

The government needs to identify and embed authoritative ethical principles and issue accessible guidance on AI governance to those using it in the public sector, the Committee on Standards in Public Life has said.

Former Flintshire County Council leader Aaron Shotton has been suspended from office by a tribunal.

The fragility of the electoral system is more apparent than ever, the expectations of citizens are not being met and the resilience of the electoral community to deliver is being tested, the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has warned in a report on the December 2019 general election.

One in ten councils (12%) say they are in danger of being unable to fulfil statutory duties this year and one in seven (14%) say they anticipate an increase in judicial challenges to the level of service provision, the LGiU MJ State of Local Government Finance Survey 2020 has found.

Bristol City Council will introduce two ‘citizens’ assemblies’ pilot schemes within the year in an effort to increase the involvement of citizens in the council’s decision-making process.

The National Audit Office has this week published the final draft of the new Code of Audit Practice, which sets out what local auditors of relevant local public bodies including councils, police, fire and NHS bodies are required to do to fulfil their statutory responsibilities under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.

Northampton is to set up England’s largest town council ahead of local government reorganisation in the county.

The Local Government Ombudsman has issued a rare further report stating their recommendations were not implemented by Medway Council and the correct process to disagree with the recommendations was not followed.

Cardiff Council has handed a councillor a four months suspension after an investigation by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

The Welsh Government has highlighted draft legislation aimed at enhancing the ability of councillors to attend council meetings remotely more easily and job share cabinet posts.

Government plans to seek cross-party consensus “urgently” in order to bring forward the necessary proposals and legislation for long-term social care reform in England were among proposals unveiled in the Queen’s Speech yesterday, but concerns have been expressed that "we've heard it all before".

The Welsh Government has launched a consultation which proposes amendments to provisions in the Local Government Act 2000 and the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 which enable changes to the executive governance arrangements of principal councils.

Fewer than a third of 432 scrutiny officers and councillors who responded to a survey by the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS) agree that there is “parity of esteem between the executive and scrutiny”.