A senior civil servant leading flagship local government reforms has said it is too pessimistic to fear the sector will collapse because of financial pressures. Sarah Healey, permanent secretary at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), told MPs that planned changes to the way councils are funded and structured are necessary to “fix…
Elections are being held in England on May 1 to choose hundreds of councillors, a handful of mayors and a new MP for the constituency of Runcorn & Helsby. Here, the PA news agency looks at the locations, timings and key numbers behind this year’s contests. – What elections are taking place? Voters will go…
An 18-year-old man has been successfully rescued after being lost for 10 days in the frigid, mountainous terrain of northwestern China. During the harrowing period when he faced food shortages, Sun Liang managed to survive on river water, melted snow, and even toothpaste, as reported by Jimu News. Sun began his solo hiking adventure on…
Local elections scheduled across swathes of England later this year are set to be postponed for 12 months, in a move Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described as “outrageous” Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner announced the measure on Wednesday, in response to plans for a major overhaul of local government structures. According to the government,…
Whether you’re a motorist, a cyclist or simply out for a walk, it’s virtually impossible not to notice the state of Britain’s roads. And one word will probably spring to mind straight away – potholes. This week it emerged that the total cost of repairing vehicles damaged by potholes hit a record high last year….
Angela Rayner will promise to make devolution the “default setting” for councils across the country after senior Government figures warned they could overrule local authorities’ objections to push through key building plans. In a speech to regional leaders, the Deputy Prime Minister will vow to push power out of Whitehall and into the hands of…
Several towns in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang are searching for a wild tiger – and warning residents – after the large feline injured a villager. Local media reported that a farmer in Boli county suffered a broken left hand after being bitten by a tiger. He reportedly avoided amputation thanks to hours of surgery….
Private firms in China are in a “precarious” situation as debt-ridden local governments increasingly seek to boost earnings through harsh criminal law enforcement, lawyers and observers have warned. The latest such case, involving a businessman based in eastern Shandong province, has sparked fresh worries despite Beijing’s repeated pledges to foster a supportive legal environment for…
China’s battered property sector has been a hige drag on the economy for years (Hector RETAMAL) China said Thursday it would boost credit available for unfinished housing projects to more than $500 billion as it unveiled another round of measures to shore up the sector and try to reignite the economy. The real-estate sector has…