2019

Go Plant Fleet Services, one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist commercial vehicles, has been confirmed as Approved Partners of APSE.

APSE has announced its Service Awards Finalists 2019! These awards recognise the very best in local government frontline services  across the UK and following a rigorous round of judging the finalist councils have now been announced.

Sulo UK Limited are a supplier of quality waste solutions including but not limited to plastic wheeled containers and street furniture. Sulo also supply, install and maintain underground refuse systems (URS) and have over 500 products installed so far in the UK.

On 8 May, Versus Arthritis published a new policy report  looking at the impact of home aids and adaptations for  people with arthritis, and the barriers that people face when  trying to access them. Ollie Phelan from Versus Arthritis  spoke to APSE Direct about the report, and its relevance to  local authorities.

Having achieved the highest recycling rate among Northern Ireland’s councils, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council’s Waste Team were crowned Best Local Authority Service Team at the Local Government Awards Northern Ireland 2018. We look at the communication campaign that made this accolade possible.

The finalists of the APSE Overall Council of the Year in Service Delivery Award 2019 have now been announced. 

Berneslai Homes - the arms-length management organisation that looks after Barnsley Council’s housing stock – has helped to ease the pressure on infrastructure as well as reduce their tenants’ energy bills. We take a look at their highly successful two-phased project.

APSE Direct spoke to Pinsent Mason’s Jenny Craven, Senior Associate, and Tom Fayle, Trainee Solicitor, about the fraud epidemic and its growing threat to local authorities.

Rebecca Kite, Environmental Policy Manager for the FTA, provides an overview of this free-to-join initiative; what it involves, the progress so far, and the benefits it can bring to participating local councils.  

A new report published by APSE and written by the New Policy Institute finds that over the nine years from 2009/10 resources devoted to neighbourhood services across Britain fell 27 per cent representing a total of £8.9bn in 2017/18 prices. 

Councils across England are today warning that homes created using permitted development rights are a potential threat to people’s health and wellbeing, with the most vulnerable people in society being more at risk.

You can download a summary report of a new APSE Energy research paper ‘Local authority climate emergency declarations’ as featured in the Guardian which provides an understanding of what declaring a climate emergency can do, when to use it and how it can be used in the context of local councils. 

The Local Government Awards Northern Ireland showcase the best examples of service provision, new initiatives and personal commitment from councils, councillors and officers. 

The gentler, environmentally-friendly alternative to cremation

A look at Hertfordshire’s multi- agency approach to reducing fly tipping

A message on behalf of Paul O'Brien, Chair of the Parks Action Group Knowledge and Skills work stream

In 2015, to address the housing crisis in Telford & Wrekin, the local council set up a new wholly owned company called Nuplace to build and manage more than 400 private and affordable homes to rent - with impressive results. APSE Direct spoke to the Director of Nuplace, Katherine Kynaston, to learn more about the company.

Dundee has the highest proportion of electric vehicles in its council fleet in Scotland. APSE Direct spoke to Councillor Lynne Short about her Council’s achievement and future plans for the fleet.