EXCLUSIVE: ‘I want to be the best partner for local government’
Heather Jameson talks to communities secretary Sajid Javid about the progress of devolution, future funding, partnership working with the sector and that speech at the LGA conference...
News
Javid’s renewed rally for devo
Communities secretary Sajid Javid has urged council leaders to ‘put the party politics aside’ for the sake of devolution.
Improvement panel to remain in Birmingham
The team brought in to turn Birmingham City Council around has backtracked on its plans to withdraw.
‘Ease pay restraints or face retention crisis’
Councils could face a management-level recruitment and retention crisis unless public sector pay restraint is eased, a respected think-tank has warned.
Javid’s top-to-bottom social housing review
Communities secretary Sajid Javid has launched a green paper on social housing in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Union takes council to court over bin row
Legal proceedings in the Birmingham bin dispute are expected to come to a head at the High Court today.
Further blow to South Yorkshire devolution deal
Barnsley and Doncaster MBCs refused to back a Sheffield city region devolution deal at a crunch meeting of all four south Yorkshire leaders this morning.
Read More News...
Opinion
Devolution is dead: Long live devolution
Rumours of the death of devolution have been greatly exaggerated, it would seem, if the secretary of state is to be believed.
Act as a united sector on commercialisation - or face regulations
If local authorities act with individual self-interest in the pursuit of commercial ventures, they could ruin it for the whole sector, warns Abdool Kara.
Cut the benefit bill by investing in social housing
It is rare for ministers to plan beyond the lifetime of a parliament. There are exceptions: automatic pension enrolment introduced from 2012 by the then Liberal Democrat minister Steve Webb is one example of a politician taking a long-term view [..]
Working together
If districts and counties can overcome their differences, they can use their collective knowledge to achieve extraordinary improvements that neither could bring about on their own, writes Paul Smith.
Latest Ombudsman's report reignites the outsourcing debate
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s recent report, Lifting the lid on bin complaints, has reignited the debate around outsourced services and whether local government gets value for money from such contracts.
Hidden in plain sight: the frontline answer to devolution woes
Paul O’Brien and Victoria Bettany discuss the findings of their new report, which explores the possibilities for a more cohesive and locally led approach to devolution.
Read More Opinion...
Best Practice
A culture shock for Aylesbury Vale
As part of its transformation programme, Aylesbury Vale DC asked all its staff to reapply for newly designed job roles in the pursuit of a single vision. Andrew Grant explains why.
Analysis
Will 100% business rates deliver benefits?
Fresh analysis questions whether 100% business rates retention would actually benefit councils. Michael Burton reports.
Private sector
A framework for change
As organisations start to change their shape and operating models to respond to future corporate ambitions, it’s really important to get a framework in place which identifies what you are looking for in your future leaders.
An opportunity to act
By Jim Saunders, Group Director of Business Development of the Pinnacle Group
Norse Group profits plunge by £1.8m
Norfolk CC’s wholly-owned company Norse Group’s underlying profits fell by nearly £1.8m in the last financial year despite an increase in turnover.