News
MPs criticise children's social care progress
MPs have accused the Department for Education (DfE) of still not doing enough to make the quality or finances of children’s social care sustainable.
Councils told to seek no-deal Brexit legal advice
Local authorities will have to seek their own legal advice on how to handle personal data in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Government has said.
Councils to take legal advice after reorganisation review block
Two Buckinghamshire district councils are to take legal advice after their attempts to judicially review the reorganisation process was blocked.
Local income tax best bet for fiscal devo - IFS
Local income tax would be the best option for fiscal devolution if the Government wanted to hand more powers to local authorities, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) argued today.
Council should 'build on lessons learned' after critical review
King’s Lynn & West Norfolk BC should ‘build on the lessons learned’ from the construction of a state-of-the-art commercial workspace, the council’s chief executive has said.
EXCLUSIVE: Frustration mounts on Brexit legislation list
Frustration is growing as the Government stalls on requests to provide a comprehensive list of secondary legislation affecting councils that needs to pass before Brexit.
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Opinion
Tackling knife crime must top to-do list
A holistic, whole-systems approach focusing on early, effective intervention is vital if we are to halt knife crime. This can only be done by working together and making use of the sector’s know-how, as Bob Neill argues
It's time for coherent joined up policies
Lawrence Conway has one thing to ask following the Brexit outcome - and that's for a look at how national policy is put together and joined up.
We continue harnessing new possibilities for local places
London Councils are helping to drive forward the agenda for a smart, 21st century city, says John O'Brien. The role that councils have historically played in the context of place is an enduring one.
The problem solvers
Cllr Nickie Aitken says it is time for the sector to stop pleading poverty and start working on solutions to the financial issues ahead.
Union power games in Birmingham will not help create jobs
Paul Wheeler is sure the cause of the Birmingham bin dispute has its roots in a struggle over equal pay for equal work. What cannot have helped is a 'noisy inter-union dispute'.
Investing in people always pays off
As this week's report on the Troubled Families Programme shows, investing in people always pays off and failing to do so just impacts on the public purse further along the line, says Heather Jameson
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Best Practice
Barnsley hits back in battle for the high street
David Shepherd outlines why regeneration is so important for Barnsley and its night time economy, and how the town is fighting back against the apparent ‘decline of the high street’
Analysis
A taxing problem
Heather Jameson looks at the latest report from the IFS’s Local Government Finance Commission, which suggests a local income tax would be the best option for fiscal devolution.
Private sector
Hampshire invests £67m in care tech project
Hampshire CC is to invest up to £67m in technology in a bid to improve care and bring down costs.
Councils agree 'zero tolerance' of abuse and assaults on staff
Workers for a major council outsourcing company have suffered 350 incidents of physical assault, abuse and threats in the past year, new figures have revealed.
Worcestershire to transfer education services to company
Worcestershire CC is expected to give the green light to widen the scope of its children’s services company next week.