Sweet oblivion
The election results should give greater purchase for pushing through Rachel Reeves' take on industrial strategy and addressing the continued national productivity failure, says Jonathan Werran.
Opinion
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Children and childhood must get the priority they deserve
May 3, 2024
A plan for childhood should have a focus on developing the workforce, as well as a national emphasis on improving children’s outcomes in a systematic way, says Andy Smith.
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Changing the outlook on homelessness
April 30, 2024
With the number of homeless people in London alone reaching shocking levels and temporary accommodation costs eating into council budgets, Sir Bob Neill looks at possible solutions to the crisis.
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1984 and all that
April 30, 2024
Forty years from the passing of the Rates Act, how relevant are the provisions designed to give central government control over the governance of local taxation and expenditure, asks Jonathan Werran.
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Reclaiming our regions
May 1, 2024
Twelve months into a five-year project examining how to build more inclusive regional economies, Tom Lloyd Goodwin highlights four emerging priority areas for the next UK Government to address.
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Can mayoral polls help Tories buck their losing trend?
Jonathan Werran picks out the highlights from the local and mayoral poll results so far, and he argues the case for a more stable set of electoral cycles.
Tread carefully when talking to members
Passion and professional values have their place but they need to be shaped to take account of the political environment, says Blair Mcpherson.
NHBC launches collection of insights from local authorities
Andrew Milsom outlines the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) new publication analysing local authority housing.
Let’s plan ahead
Steve Guest warns of the importance of preparing our future leaders for the task ahead by creating ‘leadership space’ and incorporating more formal training and development – before it’s too late.
Council buildings: Deploying the right energy model is crucial
Chris Anton asks if councils are paying the price for passing on post-occupancy building evaluation.
Jon Snow you know nothing
Blair McPherson explains how his bid to explain the daunting complexities of how local government works to a student over a sandwich failed to pay off.
From the archive
What county treasurers could learn from Harry Styles
Andrew Burns suggests finance directors should take their social media cue from One Direction star in tackling medium-term financial challenges.
The cities will have a key role in any Brexit talks
Michael Burton says the battle has only just begun on Brexit and urban areas across Britain will have a central part to play
As leaders, it’s our job to make working for councils ‘cool’.
We have to make it easier for people to work in our organisations, 'offering the right tools and processes to reduce wasted effort, and improve flexible working' says Tracie Langley.
