Councillor Brent Carter became the Labour leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council in September 2024 following the resignation of the previous independent leader after a by election (Image: Merthyr Tydfil Council) It’s been about eight months since Labour regained control of Merthyr Tydfil council for the first time since 2017. Following a by-election in Bedlinog and…
While the votes in England’s local elections were still being counted on Friday, Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K. party emerged as the biggest winner of the first major polls since Labour swept into government last summer. Voters have been selecting councilors for about 1,600 municipal seats in 23 areas, as well as six regional mayors. Here…
Local elections taking place in England on Thursday are the first major test of the political climate since Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party swept to power in a landslide victory last year. A lot has changed since then. With the economy flatlining and the government slumping in opinion polls, Reform U.K., the…
Chinese officials are arguing for cryptocurrency regulations to deal with seized assets. Despite a trading ban, Chinese local governments have reportedly been selling seized crypto assets through private companies. While mainland China continues to uphold its cryptocurrency ban, Hong Kong is pushing to become a cryptocurrency hub. Once the leading cryptocurrency trading and mining hub,…
A pungent smell of rotting garbage fills the air. Bulging sacks of trash pile high, some spilling their festering contents. And, with vermin plaguing parts of the city, at least one resident has claimed to have been bitten by a rat. With its heritage as a manufacturing powerhouse and its proud civic history, Birmingham likes…
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…
Efforts to reverse the suspension of local elections in England have been defeated in the House of Lords. Nine councils have had their elections delayed by one year while the Government reorganises local government. In a rare move, two so-called fatal motions were proposed by the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party in the upper…
As governments across China roll out new measures to boost employment and entrepreneurship on the back of an AI-driven tech boom, many young people, worried that weak demand and a sluggish economy make starting a business too risky, remain drawn to stable government jobs. Seven central government ministries, including the Ministry of Human Resources and…
{KXLG – Watertown, SD} On this week’s From the Halls of City Hall our guest is Councilman Mike Danforth. With a council meeting on Monday 3/3/25, there was a lot to discuss. Your browser does not support the audio element. A mid-term review of the Home Rule Charter is in progress. The committee is assessing…
Chinese government workers have a lot to worry about these days. Cash-strapped local governments are struggling to pay their salaries. Political controls are tightening in the name of national security. A yearslong anti-corruption purge shows no sign of ending. Now, the workers also have to make sure not to get slapped with a “Snail Award”…