News
Chiefs attack 'light touch' approach to standards
England has been left with a ‘light touch approach to local government standards reliant on local codes, implementation and sanction,’ council chief executives have warned.
Norfolk leader Jordan stands down due to ill-health
Norfolk CC leader Cllr Cliff Jordan has announced he will stand down due to ill-health, with immediate effect.
Hackitt proposes extra council duties post-Grenfell
Councils could be handed extra responsibilities for monitoring the safety of higher-risk residential buildings (HRRBs) under reforms proposed by an independent report published today.
Brum takes £63m from reserves to help overspend
Birmingham City Council has spent a whopping £63m of its reserves to ‘structurally deliver’ its 2017/18 budget and reduce an overspend of more than £20m, a report to senior councillors has revealed.
Council struggling on SEN and disabilities
Worcestershire CC is struggling to provide a sufficient quality of service to children with special needs and disabilities, according to inspectors.
Council told to 'grip financial situation'
Somerset CC must ‘grip its financial situation’ and become more focussed on its ‘immediate financial challenges,’ a group of Local Government Association peers have urged.
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Opinion
The Seattle battle is a warning over tax raising
No one ever said tax was popular, but Seattle City Council faced the wrath of big business this week in a bid to raise levies to help fight homelessness – and, unsurprisingly, big business has hit back.
How Clear thinking can develop your performance
Will Godfrey looks at how a new approach to his council’s annual appraisal process is proving a good example of how changing the status quo can inspire effective culture change for any organisation.
Singing from the same hymn sheet
Kevin Foster, David Kuenssberg and Sheila Little outline their hopes for a shared services partnership between Brighton & Hove, East Sussex and Surrey councils, and explain how brand identity is a vital thing to keep.
Fair funding: eyes on the prize
John Sellgren examines the debate around local government finance and says battle lines will continue to be drawn over the allocation and distribution of fair funding.
Social media can be a distraction as well as a useful tool
Allen Graham argues it is important to maintain a focused communication presence within an organisation while being sure not to get stuck on fads or fashions.
Keeping our creative economy afloat
Cllr Judith Blake on funding cities' cultural offerings.
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Best Practice
Working to get our people up and running
Paul Najsarek outlines the ambitions of the West London Alliance work and health programme – a social and economic partnership involving Ealing LBC designed to support the community financially, in work and in health.
Analysis
MPs are increasingly interested in local government issues
The influential Public Accounts Committee has been busy investigating the major issues facing local government. Sam Clayden examines its latest report on the adult social care workforce and Dan Peters hears evidence presented to the committee on the [..]
Private sector
Commissioning network launched
A network for helping local authorities to commission services from smaller providers based in their area has been launched.
Barnsley replaces Carillion with Amey
Barnsley MBC has awarded Amey the facilities management contract for 11 secondary schools, which was previously held by collapsed Carillion.
Building the entrepreneurial council
Having a disruptive mindset and becoming more entrepreneurial in local government is becoming an essential skill.