Communities and Local Government

• Communities and neighbourhoods
• Newsroom
• Latest news

Latest news

• Search news

The latest news from the communities and neighbourhood site. 

• Making it easier to change your council's leadership structure

  New proposals to make it easier to get local leaders to hold a referendum on their leadership structure, putting communities firmly in control of their town and council, was published for consultation today by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears.

  • Added: 15 December 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Government steps up the fight against extremism

  Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today stepped up the fight against extremism...

  • Added: 10 December 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• New legislation to help build stronger communities

  The Government today published wide-ranging legislation that will give local people new rights to shape local services and give greater responsibility to local authorities to promote economic development.

  • Added: 5 December 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Baroness Andrews: New Deal legacy must not be lost

  Communities Minister Baroness Andrews has today called on community leaders from across the country to look to the future and build on the success of the New Deal for Communities programme over the past decade.

  • Added: 4 December 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Healey - 100 flood-hit families returning home each week

  Floods Recovery Minister John Healey today said that with around 100 families returning home each week over 19 out of every 20 households displaced by last summer's floods will be back in their homes for Christmas.

  • Added: 4 December 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• New citizenship classes for mosque schools

  New citizenship lessons challenging the notion that there is any conflict between being a good Muslim and a good citizen are starting to be taught in after school madrassahs or mosque supplementary schools across the country.

  • Added: 3 December 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• National Black role model launch - Hazel Blears

  Top business men, journalists, servicemen, a fire-fighter, lawyers and media experts amongst others will be unveiled in the first-ever national role model programme for Black boys and young Black men, by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today.

  • Added: 3 December 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Drive for affordable homes and improved rights for tenants steps up a gear

  The drive to deliver much needed affordable homes and safeguard higher housing standards for eight million social housing tenants took a massive step forward today.

  • Added: 1 December 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Councils are key to tackling worklessness

  Councils should be given greater responsibility for coordinating efforts to tackle rising unemployment in their local areas, an independent review has proposed.

  • Added: 27 November 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Healey confirms fair and affordable local government funding increase

  Local Government Minister John Healey today confirmed a 4.2 per cent funding increase for English councils next year.

  • Added: 26 November 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Strengthening local efforts to tackle economic challenges

  The Government today announced new powers to tackle the local impacts of the credit crunch.

  • Added: 25 November 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Place matters - location joins up government

  A new Strategy to tackle problems from traffic management to flooding, improved policy formulation and decision making by using better geographical information, was launched by Baroness Andrews today in a report.

  • Added: 25 November 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• REACH moves into the final stages of the search for role models to inspire Black Boys

  The final 51 REACH role model candidates are being put through their paces this week as the final stage of the recruitment process for the REACH role model group kicks off.

  • Added: 17 November 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Preventing violent extremism: learning and development exercise

  Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has today published a report from the Audit Commission and Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary which assesses the progress that has been made on Preventing Violent Extremism to date.

  • Added: 11 November 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Changes to Working Neighbourhood Funding announced

  The Government today announced proposals to tighten up part of the formula used to allocate the Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) - a three-year, £1.5bn Fund to turn around long term unemployment in the most disadvantaged communities.

  • Added: 4 November 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Blears invites applications to new Empowerment Fund

  Communities Secretary Hazel Blears will today invite third sector organisations working toward empowerment across the country to apply for support through the £7.5 million Empowerment Fund.

  • Added: 29 October 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• New one-stop shop for cohesion launched

  Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today welcomed the launch of a new dedicated website giving expert help and guidance on creating strong, cohesive communities.

  • Added: 16 October 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• New youth panel gives young people and their communities a stronger voice in Whitehall

  A new team of 'youth advisors' was unveiled today by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today.

  • Added: 15 October 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Blears invites ideas to improve local communities

  Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today called on councils to work closely with their residents to unearth new and innovative ideas to improve their local area and make places in which people want to live, work and raise a family.

  • Added: 14 October 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods

• Blears - Strengthening community leadership

  Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today named the twenty two projects that will share in a £1.3 m Community leadership Fund aimed at supporting Muslim communities to unlock the potential of local people to take a lead on tackling violent extremism.

  • Added: 7 October 2008
  • Site: Communities and neighbourhoods