London Councils Summit 2018
Keep up with the latest news from the capital following the London Council's Summit 2018 at the Guildhall.
News
Brokenshire: 2019 will be turning point for local government
Next year will be a ‘turning point’ for local government, communities secretary James Brokenshire has told the County Councils’ Network conference, with the Spending Review and changes to the finance regime.
Gwynne: There's been no end to austerity
Opposition politicians have hit out at the Government’s record on funding the sector at the County Councils’ Network conference today.
Porter: My devolution regrets
Failing to do more devolution is Lord Porter’s biggest regret in his career as Local Government Association chairman so far, he told the County Councils' Network conference today.
Director recalls 'huge shock' of child abuse scandal
A council criticised for failings over a historic child sexual exploitation (CSE) ring has warned other authorities not to fall victim to complacency.
Transformation can still yield more savings, claims mandarin
Further transformation may still help councils make savings in children’s services, a top Department for Education (DfE) civil servant has claimed.
Harriss gets top job at Harrow
Harrow LBC has appointed Sean Harriss to be its new chief executive, taking over from interim boss Tom Whiting next year.
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Opinion
The North needs help with supporting asylum seekers
Unlike Germany, the UK has outsourced the challenge of supporting asylum seekers to the poorest communities in the North - and when they ask for help they are treated with contempt by journalists, writes Paul Wheeler.
The finite capacity of civil society
How much capacity has civil society got to absorb the increased demands on its financial and human resources, asks Sarah Longlands
Why it is time for a fair deal for everyone
The system is broken for everyone and we need to stop wasting valuable time and effort arguing with others about who has been hit hardest by austerity, argues vice chair of Core Cities Cllr Jon Collins
Districts' crucial role in the prevention agenda
Sandra Dineen believes the district council’s contribution is key to the success of the prevention agenda - 'particularly in ensuring our residents have the right homes, suited to their needs and have access to our services at the earliest possible [..]
Working for a Brighter Future
Kath O’Dwyer reveals how an LGA review of Cheshire East Council’s organisational culture has been used as a springboard to improving the skills and experience of the workforce as well as encouraging employee retention
Seeing glimpses of the future through the smoke
No matter how good the social care Green Paper proves to be, it won't solve all the sector's challenges - and solutions must be rooted in local communities, says chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, Paul Burstow.
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Best Practice
Ofsted success driven by a team approach
A cross-directorate approach to supporting children’s services has been crucial to North Yorkshire CC achieving an outstanding rating by Ofsted across all the outcome judgements, says Stuart Carlton
Analysis
Tackling the threat of terror together
Mark Conrad recently attended Prevent Strategy Channel Panel training and witnessed the wide range of dilemmas facing frontline staff tackling radicalisation and terror threats.
Private sector
Colmore hired by Brunel
Bristol-based Brunel Pension Partnership has hired fund administrator Colmore to provide it with back office services to help support its private market portfolios.
Tomorrow’s technology today
If you were to design your local authority from scratch, where would you start? Paul Deegan, local public services lead partner at PwC, explores the potential of ‘expansive intelligence’.
Call for PPP 'reset'
A strong leadership role from local government is essential for ensuring the success of regeneration schemes involving the public and private sector, a new report has argued.