Members
Rural bus services
This briefing looks at rural buses and what was promised by the Conservative Party in the 2019 General Election to support the bus network outside cities and metropolitan areas.
England & Wales, Scotland Briefing
Transport and infrastructure
Affordable, accessible and sustainable transport and infrastructure are crucial to the economy and wellbeing of every community.
Members
Game of drones: will councils need air traffic control departments in the future?
As drones move from disruption to disruptive technology, how can councils gain from unmanned aircraft? What savings can they make? What steps do they need to take to get their implementation right whilst maintaining public confidence and safety? And will they need to employ air traffic controllers?
Australia, England & Wales, Global, Ireland, Scotland Briefing
Electric vehicles, environmental sustainability, and everyday life
Richard Kerley writes on the changes that individuals may have to make to address environmental issues if complex, satisfactory solutions are to be achieved, considering a shift to increased electric car usage to illustrate his point.
England & Wales, Global, Ireland, Scotland Blog Post Blog
Members
Swift Read: Lothian Buses – A publicly owned success story
The Transport (Scotland) Bill passed the final stage in Holyrood in October 2019, giving Scottish local authorities powers to improve and even run local bus services, where they may not be currently meeting the needs of the community. Lothian buses is currently the only municipal bus company in Scotland, the largest in the UK, and…
Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland Briefing
Members
Swift Read: The Transport Bill transforming local authority powers in Scotland
New powers for local authorities in Scotland are included in the Transport (Scotland) Bill passed on Thursday 10 October 2019, including powers for councils to bring in bus service improvement partnerships or operating their own bus companies, the introduction of low-emission zones and the introduction of the workplace parking levy. This briefing covers the main…
Scotland Briefing
Members
Swift Read: Do MPs really want to stop people parking outside their houses?
The House of Commons Transport Committee has recommended that the government ban parking on pavements in England. How realistic is this?
England & Wales Briefing
Members
The UK2070 Commission – Fairer and stronger: rebalancing the UK economy
The UK2070 Commission has published its first report into spatial inequalities in the UK. Regional disparities affect everyone, whether they live in a prosperous or struggling area, but are not inevitable. With the right policy interventions and institutional reforms the trends can be reversed.
England & Wales, Scotland Briefing
Members
Opening our Streets for people and not vehicles? International lessons for local government
In this briefing we draw on the international experiences with Open Streets across the globe to ask what Open Streets can do in towns and cities, and how.
Australia, England & Wales, Global, Ireland, Scotland Briefing
Members
Maynooth Harbour Cycling Intersection Project: Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards Winner
In the 13th instalment in our series of briefings exploring winning programmes from the 2018 Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards, we’re taking a look at the winner of the Enhancing the Urban Environment category, Kildare County Council’s Maynooth Harbour – A Cycling Network Intersection Project.
Ireland Briefing
Members
Charge! Latest planning shake-up to see electric car chargepoints become compulsory in new buildings
The government is considering another shake-up of planning regulations with electric car charging points set to become compulsory in new-build homes and other buildings. What changes to current building regulations does the consultation propose, and how far will the changes contribute towards meeting the target of the UK achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by…
England & Wales Briefing