Littering and graffiti monitors in Merton are to be given stab-proof vests by the council to do their duties after a council employee was stabbed while on patrol in Mitcham. The council has said it is a necessary measure to ensure the security of its staff.

The Labour Party in Scotland enticed a Scottish Nationalist Party councillor to join the party. South Lanarkshire councillor John McNamee defected to Labour, saying he no longer believed in independence and had become disillusioned with the party’s attitude.

The leader of Hounslow council is to step down after nine years at the helm. Councillor Mark Gilks has announced he will retire after the election in May, having been in the public sector for nearly 40 years. He said: “Don't let anyone tell you that local government is boring. It is fascinating, compelling, unbelievably demanding and highly rewarding.”

One fifth of staff at Bournemouth borough council are facing pay cuts. A further two-fifths are due a pay rise. The proposed changes come as a result of a salary review which argued for wider disparity of pay in the council. One employee said: “My pay will be cut by £7,000 and that is not untypical speaking to other people.”