Councils must do more to encourage flats above shops
This is the way to regenerate high streets and boost the supply of affordable housing. Yet planning policies are still too obstructive.
Next year, council tax increases of up to six per cent will be allowed without a referendum
This weakening of local accountability makes it all the more important for Conservatives to offer voters a clear alternative.
Bath and North East Somerset Council’s 20mph zones have reduced safety
There are also questions for the Department of Transport about funding schemes that have led to more accidents.
Council by-election results from yesterday and Wednesday
The Conservatives gained a seat from Labour in Newcastle-under-Lyme but lost a seat to an independent in Torridge and the Lib Dems in Waverley.
The expansion of Newquay is showing how new housing can be popular
After Poundbury, the Prince of Wales is doing it again – more beautiful new homes are on the way.
Councils named and shamed for delaying Business Rates relief
Small firms have had to struggle due to bureaucratic inertia by some councils. At least the culprits have been identified.
Khan attacked by Labour councillors for cuts to Taxicard funding
The proposal is criticised for hitting the vulnerable and breaking an election pledge. Local transport schemes are also being hit.
Council by-election results from yesterday
The Conservatives lost a seat to the Lib Dems in North Devon while Labour held a seat in Enfield.
Planners, not builders, are responsible for ugly buildings
Javid has correctly identified the problem. Now he needs to spot who the true culprits are, and what can be done to prevent them causing further harm.
More children are learning to read under the Conservatives
The improvement has been dramatic – and is a vindication for the emphasis placed on phonics by Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister.
Councils should privatise debt collection
A less bureaucratic approach will ease hardship and bring more money in. But the Government also needs to ensure equal rules apply for all that are owed money.
Fly-tipping. We need to punish the perpetrators, not the victims
With a million incidents a year, the fines are too low. Some councils are taking no enforcement action at all.
Council by-election results from yesterday
The Conservatives lost a seat to the Lib Dems in Maidstone. The Lib Dems also gained a seat from Labour in Gosport and one from UKIP in Torridge.
Council by-election results from yesterday
The Conservatives lost a seat to the Green Party in Herefordshire but held seats in Stroud, Perth, Dover and Cotswold.
Increased planning fees will not solve the housing crisis
Productivity varies sharply. In Lambeth a planning officer approves an average of 39 applications a year – in next door Merton its 189.