William Eichler

1 week ago | localgov.co.uk | William Eichler

Seven members of a Rochdale grooming gang have been found guilty of charges including rape and indecency with a child. The men were convicted at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court of a total of 50 offences that occurred between 2001 and 2006. The conviction follows a four-month long trial which included testimony from two survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE) who were ‘abused, degraded, and discarded’, according to Greater Manchester Police.

1 week ago | localgov.co.uk | William Eichler

Nottinghamshire County Council, which is led by Reform UK, is set to carry out an ‘efficiency review’ in an attempt to find savings. A council report said the review aims to 'provide assurance to Nottinghamshire residents about the extent to which financial management is robust, efficient, and provides value for money for the taxpayer.’ Council leader Mick Barton told the BBC the move was not connected to the national party’s Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team.

1 week ago | localgov.co.uk | William Eichler

The Government’s efforts to boost the supply of affordable housing could be derailed if the shortage of planning officers in England is not addressed, UNISON warns. Freedom of information data collected by the trade union shows just one in five (21%) planning departments in England are currently fully staffed. UNISON estimates that 884 vacancies nationally and one in nine (11%) planning posts were unfilled.

2 weeks ago | localgov.co.uk | William Eichler

Local authorities will be forced to increase council tax and make further cuts despite some of the ‘positive’ funding commitments in the Spending Review, council chiefs say. The Chancellor announced yesterday that there will be an additional £3.4bn of grant funding to the sector in 2028-29 compared to 2024-25, a real terms increase in core spending of 3.1% across the Spending Review period.

2 weeks ago | localgov.co.uk | William Eichler

Members of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council have condemned the riots in Ballymena, demanding that the ‘thuggish behaviour and disorder’ stop immediately. The violent riots began on Monday after a vigil over the weekend in support of a family of a teenage girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault. Two teenage boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape – charges they reportedly will be denying. They spoke to the court through an interpreter in Romanian.