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- ITV Report
Hants council on 'high pay'
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- ITV Report
Getting ready for winter
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Council defends itself against pay accusations
Kent County Council says it considers it pays its managers the going rate for the job. It adds that it has managed to reduce its overall salary bill. And it says that it has held council tax payments down to 0% this year. It was responding to a Taxpayers' Alliance report.
Councils accused of high pay
Kent County Council is one of several councils in the south east accused of paying too many managers high salaries. The Taxpayers' Alliance says it employs 491 managers on wages of £50,000+. But Kent points out that it has reduced the overall bill for its employees, and has not raised council tax.
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Check your council's tax plans for 2013-2014
The Local Government Chronicle's council tax blog is keeping track of tax proposals.
According to its chief reporter Ruth Keeling: "With several weeks to go until budgets must be finalised, we count 26 councils that have confirmed their intentions to increase tax levels.
"We expect this number to increase in coming weeks".
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Getting ready for winter
Kent County Council prepare their salt stocks and salting routes ahead of the big freeze.
Read the full story ›Dispute ends for Southampton Council workers
Southampton Council workers have accepted a deal to end the long running dispute over pay cuts imposed by the City Council.
The workers have held a series of strikes since the dispute started back in February 2011.
Under the new deal workers will see their pay restored in stages and those made redundant as a result of the 2011 / 12 Council budget will receive a one off compensation payment..
“UNISON members have voted by a large majority to accept this settlement because it restores that pay which was cut by the previous Conservative administration. Council workers now face savage job cuts being forced on the Council by the actions of the Coalition Government in reducing funding.”
In return for the settlement, UNISON and Unite will withdraw all legal action against the Council and call off ongoing industrial action.
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Adoption waiting list closed
Hampshire County Council has closed its waiting list to adoptive parents who are only willing to take on one or two children.
Read the full story ›Advertisement
New adoption rules: three children or nothing
A council in the South is telling prospective adoptive parents they must be willing to take on three children. The local authority has closed its waiting list to those only willing to adopt one or two children who need a new home.
Officials say the only other circumstance in which they'll consider new applicants is if they can prove they can offer a home to a child with complex special needs. Our Social Affairs Correspondent Christine Alsford reports.
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Council official jailed for £2 million pound fraud
Ross Knowles a council official with Kent County Council has been jailed for frauding local authorities out of £2 million pounds.
Read the full story ›Kent County Council statement
"Kent County Council (KCC) welcomes the sentence that has been handed down to Ross Knowles as a consequence of him fraudulently extracting funds from its contracted gas supplier. The funds will be recovered and that process is currently underway. Working with KCC's energy suppliers, systems and controls have been reviewed and revised to protect KCC, its customers and suppliers from future fraudulent attempts.”
Former Kent Council official jailed for fraud
A senior official at Kent County Council has been sentenced to seven years in prison for defrauding two million pounds from various local authorities. Ross Knowles from Allington in Maidstone was a high ranking manager at the authority. He was responsible for buying bulk gas and electricity.