When Anthony Brathwaite was told he and his two children were no longer eligible for council housing in Lewisham, south-east London, and was offered a property he could not afford outside the borough, he decided to fight back. Having left a council pro…
Need support levelling up, prime minister? Let Manchester help you | Andy Burnham
Levelling up must be a unifying force so the right towns receive the right resources to help narrow the north-south divideThis weekend, we welcome the prime minister and his government to Manchester and we do so with a big, positive offer: we can help …
Asylum seekers placed in ‘unsuitable’ Blackpool hotel despite council protests
Local authority accuses Home Office and Serco of trying to beat court hearing and frustrate justice system Blackpool council has accused the Home Office and Serco of deliberately acting to frustrate the justice system after placing asylum seekers in a …
2,444 cars a day: McDonald’s plan sparks climate row in Herefordshire
Ross-on-Wye residents say council would break climate commitments by approving drive-throughThey were promised a life of peace and quiet in a new-build “garden village” on the edge of a pretty Herefordshire town with cycle routes, allotments and wildli…
Climate crisis: fifth of London schools now susceptible to flooding
Sadiq Khan to warn time is running out to tackle emergency as he puts pressure on UK government to actA fifth of London’s schools are now susceptible to flooding and millions of people living in the capital are at “high risk” of suffering from the effe…
Want to ‘level up’ the UK? Just give places the power and money they need | John Harris
The government pits regions against one another in a battle for handouts. Meanwhile, it keeps cutting local authority fundingFor a term that has been in circulation for more than two years, “levelling up” has not been the catchiest of political concept…
Parish council Zoom star Jackie Weaver: ‘I got a number of emails from “Alan’s iPad” but ignored them’
The councillor on sudden fame and dealing with difficult people, from ‘Alan’s iPad’ to her own motherJackie Weaver, 63, is the engagingly improbable internet star who found herself on a fast track to fame when a Zoom meeting of the Handforth parish cou…
Noisy neighbours spark 67% rise in police complaints
Cash-strapped councils ‘struggling to deal’ with spike in anti-social behaviour reportsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePolice forces across England faced a sharp increase in complaints about noisy neighbours during last year…
The Guardian view on cities: develop with care | Editorial
London politicians talk about creating ‘high streets for all’. The fate of two unique places will show whether they mean itThere are two places in London that would be the pride of any other major city in the world, yet which face an imminent threat to…
Ministers ‘to ditch overhaul of planning laws’ after criticism
According to reports, plans will be abandoned in light of backlash from southern voters and MPsThe government is reportedly backpedalling on its commitment to overhaul planning laws in order to accelerate infrastructure projects with a target of buildi…