John Moss: The next Mayor of London needs to back redevelopment of council estates, to get the new homes we need
Bold plans could see 100,000 extra properties. It would also mean an improved quality of housing for existing tenants.
Council by-election results from yesterday and Wednesday
The Conservatives held a seat in Dumfries and Galloway. Labour lost a seat to an independent in Ashfield. But Labour held seats in Haringey, Harlow and Middlesbrough.
Bob Blackman: Homelessness remains a blight on our society
Local authorities are still waiting until people are actually homeless before offering assistance. This is expensive and has an unnecessary impact on vulnerable people.
Shaun Bailey: Labour is already playing nasty in the election for Mayor of London
Khan does not want to talk about his record. That is because he is failing Londoners. So instead he is trying to blame others.
Andrew Potter: Building cheap, cramped and poorly-insulated homes is a false economy
If we are going to build 300,000 homes and ensure public support, quality really counts. Let’s have new homes that we can be proud of for hundreds of years.
Kent County Council’s proposals to keep the traffic flowing after Brexit are welcome
The Government should back these sensible plans. We must avoid a repeat of the disruption on the roads that took place in 2015.
Judy Terry: Councillors must challenge the poor performance of mental health services
Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is officially the worst mental health provider in the country. Proper scrutiny and accountability is needed.
Council by-election results from yesterday
The Conservatives lost a seat to an independent in Surrey. Labour held a seat in Leicester. The Lib Dems held a seat in Oxford – but lost a seat to the SNP in Highland.
Nicholas Boys Smith: Why do we build fewer homes proportionally than most other countries? Where’s the smoking gun?
We should move from a planning permission-led system to a building permit-led system. Design rules should be strict, clear, but limited.
Damian White: An independent report has found that four of the five most efficient councils in England are Conservative
In Havering, we have saved £79 million over the past four years. Yet we have improved the lives of the people we serve.
Five years on, cutting the spare room subsidy has been vindicated
Work has been rewarded. Predictions of rent arrears increasing have been proved false. The number of households penalised has fallen from 660,000 to 381,000.
Judy Terry: While the state is failing, the voluntary sector is tackling the loneliness and anxiety – of young and old
Many if Suffolk are left isolated by poor transport. Charities are effective at helping, where councils and the NHS have struggled.
James Hockney: The battle for Bush Hill Park
We won a Council by-election last month, achieving an 11 per cent swing. This is how we did it.
Council by-election results from yesterday
The Lib Dems gained a seat from Stratford First in Warwickshire. The Conservatives held seats in Bromley and Welwyn Hatfield.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of home-educated pupils
This is a welcome trend. School standards have improved. But parents are to be commended for taking charge, when let down by “the system”.