Here are the stories that featured in the International Spotlight segment of episode #76 of the Local Government News Roundup.
In the UK, councils will be forced to take on responsibility for the care of unaccompanied asylum seeker children arriving via the English Channel.
The BBC reports more than 100 children are living in hotels in Kent and other council areas on the south coast of England, due to a shortage of places in children’s homes.
217 councils will be obliged to accept an allocation of the children under a plan being implemented by the Home Office. Councils will receive £143 per night per child under the scheme. Source
An English council will formally request the ability to host hybrid council meetings, allowing councillors to take part remotely.
While councils were able to conduct virtual meetings during the COVID restrictions last year, the High Court later ruled that they could not continue the practice.
The BBC reports that North Norfolk District Council will lobby the government to allow the practice in England, as already occurs in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Source
To the US, where a city council in Texas has taken the unusual step of buying a stake in the city’s largest shopping mall.
The mayor of Balcones Heights, Suzanne de Leon, said the purchase would allow the city to play a bigger role in the future of the property.
With its 45% stake, purchased for $5.4M USD, the council will have veto power over what businesses can move into the mall.
Mayor de Leon told Texas Public Radio that the progressive city council voted unanimously to take a stake in the mall. Source