Jewish settlement councils have declared a general strike to protest the Israeli government's freeze on construction in West Bank communities.

VOA: standard.2010.01.03

Give councils a power of general competence.

BBC: Scottish Liberal Democrat Manifesto 1999

As a general rule, councils are hoping to achieve these cuts through natural turnover, early retirement and voluntary redundancies.

BBC: D-day for Scottish council budgets

As a general rule, councils get about 80p of every pound they spend from the Scottish government, while most of the rest comes from the council tax.

BBC: D-day for Scottish council budgets