Forest’s Hounslow e-bike contract win sparks concerns over cash-first tender model Transport and infrastructure Hounslow Council awarded one of its two e-bike contracts to the operator which offered them the highest fees despite scoring demonstrably lower than rivals on other metrics, City AM can reveal. The move, which has attracted fury from rival operators, lays bare the competing interests of cash-strapped local authorities as they weigh which criteria to prioritise [...]
Council finances in dire straits, MPs say Politics Councils could run out of money in 2026 due to unsustainable book balancing methods, according to parliamentarians. The hike in national insurance contributions (NIC), combined with spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), has squeezed local council finances, a new report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found. Despite Reform’s DOGE campaign, they [...]
Even Conservatives admit that cuts to council funding have gone too far christabel cooper With a quarter of Conservative councillors admitting their local authority is struggling to provide the basics, change is clearly needed.