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Latest Stories
Battle over fell route to rumble on as High Court quashes inspector's decision
31/08/10: The Lake District National Park Authority has pleaded with motorbike riders and 4x4 vehicle drivers not to use a popular off-road high level fell route until its status is finally resolved.
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Ministers tell councils to tackle excessive street signage
26/08/10: Councils are installing traffic signs in the mistaken belief that they are legally required, ministers have claimed. Calling for a reduction in ''street clutter", they announced a Department of Transport review of its policy.
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Ombudsman criticises council for delays in issuing disabled parking permit
19/08/10: The Local Government Ombudsman has ordered the London Borough of Redbridge to pay £750 in compensation to a disabled resident following errors that led to the delay in issuing his disabled parking permit for 23 weeks.
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 Up your street
What do councils need to think about when renewing highways maintenance agreements? Martin Howe looks at the top ten considerations.
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 Passing the test
The High Court has recently ruled on a test case involving a bus lane in Oxford. Tim Straker QC and Mungo Wenban-Smith analyse what the judge had to say.
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Home Office moves to outlaw vehicle clamping and towing on private land
The government will legislate in the Autumn to outlaw the use of wheel-clamping or removal of vehicles parked on private land, the Home Office has announced.
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Kent nets power to close streets for filming
Kent County Council has gained what it says are the first powers for a council outside London to close streets for filming. This came from a parliamentary Bill promoted by the council, which was passed without objection.
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End of the road
David Merson looks at the mechanisms for balancing the needs of both development and access in terms of stopping-up and diverting highways and footpaths.
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Westminster defeats challenge to motorcycle parking charging scheme
Westminster City Council has fended off a challenge to the validity of a scheme charging motorcyclists a daily fee for parking. Lord Justice Pitchford ruled that it had acted within its powers, and carried out a proper consultation.
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Appeal court finds council liable to pedestrian after failure to cut vegetation
The Court of Appeal has held that a highways authority still owed a duty of care to a pedestrian even though she was careless in how she crossed a busy road. Newham had failed to cut back vegetation in the middle of the crossing.
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Campaigner forces council to withdraw parking demand after one-word mistake
A parking campaigner has forced a local authority to withdraw a penalty charge notice because of a one-word mistake. Kingston Council's wording did not meet the wording of the London Local Authorities Act 1996.
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Council could face £3.5m bill after unlawful road closure for 20 years
Cumbria county council could be forced to pay up to £3.5m to reinstate a road it had illegally blocked for more than 20 years, the North-West Evening Mail has reported. A path offered as an alternative was not accessible for vehicles.
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General awareness among decision-makers of equality matters "not enough"
The LGO has recommended in a travel tokens case that a council ensure it has due regard to its Disability Discrimination Act duties, rather than rely on decision-makers’ general awareness of equality matters.
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Appeal court dismisses environmental challenge to re-opening of railway line
The Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal against a decision to allow a rapid bus route to be built on a disused railway line in Hampshire, in a case that turned on the presence of bats and badgers.
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ECHR launches disability-harassment inquiry, warns of enforcement action
Local authorities and a range of other public sector bodies are to be the subject of an Equalities and Human Rights Commission inquiry into whether they are fulfilling their legal duties to prevent disabled people from being harassed.
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DfT suspends guidance on transport schemes, warns councils off investing
The future of many local authority major transport projects has been thrown into doubt after the Transport Secretary suspended the government’s guidance on the schemes and associated approval processes until further notice.
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Dispute looms between councils over Nottingham tram extension
Nottingham City Council is considering applying for a compulsory purchase order against Nottinghamshire County Council to secure a strip of land it needs for an extension to the city's tram system, according to the Nottingham Post.
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Promise unfulfilled
Integrated Transport Authorities have the potential to deliver major improvements, but little headway has been made. Nick Evans explains why.
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In the thick of it
Angus Walker looks at the new roles of - and burdens on - local authorities under the Planning Act 2008 in the light of recently published guidance from the DCLG and the Infrastructure Planning Commission.
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Staying on track
Some high-profile transport projects have been beset with troubles. Neasa MacErlean looks at what lessons should be learned from their problems.
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Cambridgeshire CC axes congestion charge scheme after TIF replacement
Cambridgeshire County Council has ditched plans to introduce congestion charging after the government’s decision this week to drop the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).
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Councils to be given more leeway to charge for road works inspections
Under the Department for Transport's proposed new regime, utility firms that fail to keep their sites safe or fail to replace the road surface properly, would be required to pay for additional inspections by councils.
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Workplace parking levy set to stay even if Conservatives win the next election
A controversial plan to introduce a workplace parking levy in Nottingham is set to go ahead after the Conservatives said they would not ditch the scheme if they win the next general election.
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Government confirms extension of passenger group's remit to buses and trams
The DoT has confirmed that the remit of statutory rail users group Passenger Focus (PF) will be extended to cover bus, tram and some coach services outside London from April this year.
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Westminster Council accused of "illegal" parking charge hikes
Westminster City Council's proposed new parking charges have been described as “illegal” revenue-rasing by parking campaigners, according to BBC London.
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A false economy
Local Authorities may be tempted to cut their highways maintenance budgets. This may not be a wise move in the long run, says Simon Hills
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DoT publishes guidelines on new council roadworks powers
The Department for Transport has published guidance for local authorities on their powers to tackle problem road works, as Kent County Council – the first council to apply for the powers – brings them into force.
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Local authorities to review taxi licensing guidelines after BBC expose
A number of councils in the West Midlands have said they will review their guidelines for licensing taxi drivers after an investigation by a BBC programme revealed that some 209 people with criminal convictions have received a licence.
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Taxi rankings
From insurance to the granting of licences and from contract termination to wheelchair access, Ben Williams casts an eye over recent decisions in relation to taxi law.
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Clearing the way
The issue of unblocked drains causing havoc on the highway and damage to private land continues to be a major headache for many highways authorities and councils. Pritpal Singh Swarn analyses the case law.
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