Eric Pickles plans to save green space

Green space to be saved Communities secretary Eric Pickles has outlined plans to allow local people to designate and protect green spaces in their area. The natural environment white paper proposes a scheme which would allow communities to earmark environmentally important green areas for special consideration and protection as part of local neighbourhood plans. It would also allow residents the chance to decide and direct development in their area. The localism bill is currently going through a second reading in the House of Lords. Bristol night buses face axe in cuts plan Bristol city council's plan to cut £2bn from the city transport budget could see night buses scrapped. The council conducted a public survey into the options for reducing transport costs between March and May this year. It had already announced that commuter ferry services may lose their subsidies and fares on the city's park and ride scheme may increase. Proposals for cutting budgets further include removing subsidised travel on bank holidays and encouraging people to use a flat rate taxi service instead of local buses. Final decisions on the transport budget will be taken at a cabinet meeting on 9 June. Five sacked over mismanagement claims South Ayrshire council has dismissed five employees following an investigation into allegations over the local authority's waste management service. The investigation, launched late last year, is understood to have been looking into claims of mismanagement, bullying and harassment at the council's cleansing depot in Ayr. Council chief executive David Anderson said: "Dismissing employees is not a decision we take lightly. The fact that we carried out this investigation and took appropriate action shows the positive and proactive way we deal with such issues and reflects our continuing improvement as an organisation." This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Join the local government network for more like this direct to your inbox.