Six more councils join legal challenge to Pickles
Salford city council, South Tyneside metropolitan borough council, and City of York council have joined Merton, Greenwich and Brent borough councils in London to seek a judicial review against Ed Pickles, the secretary of state for communities and local government. The six councils join 15 other local authorities challenging Pickles' decision to cut £148m from the revenue support grant designed to help fund academy schools. The aggrieved councils claim the cuts breach new burdens rules that regulate the budgets of extra local authority services.
Superfast broadband for 90% of homes and businesses by 2015
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced plans to ensure 9 out of 10 homes and businesses across the UK have superfast broadband by 2015. The government has promised £530m to fund the project, which would give the UK the best broadband system in Europe. Councils and local authorities are encouraged to begin planning their broadband expansion projects to secure funding. Hunt said: "Local authorities need to step up to the plate by bringing forward their own plans setting out how they will deliver this level of ambition." Hunt also announced the development of an annual league table of local authorities' provision of broadband.
Lib Dem on Solihull council defects to Greens
Councillor Howard Allen has defected from the Liberal democrats to the Green Party, after the party lost 59 seats across the area in the recent local elections. The Lib Dems had previously been in a majority coalition with Labour, but after they lost four seats in Solihull, the Conservatives took the lead. While Mr Allen is the first person to defect since the elections, his move marks a downward progression for the Lib Dems as he is the third councillor in the Shirley West ward who has defected from the party in the past year.
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