Brexit
‘Unleash the potential of counties’
The County Councils’ Network conference begins this weekend against the backdrop of the General Election campaign. Simon Edwards says a major focus will be on ensuring counties and local government get a fair share in any future spending pledges.
Lessons learned from two years of the State of Transformation
Benjamin Taylor reviews the landscape of local government transformation over two years of case studies, conferences and academies. The picture that emerges is both a depressing and inspiring one.
Oxford and Reading top city performance list
Cities have largely recovered economically from the 2007/08 financial crisis but must now focus on housing affordability and health-related issues, according to PwC and Demos.
Sharing is caring
Kate Kennally argues that, for Cornwall to catch up with the rest of the UK, the Shared Prosperity Fund must do exactly that: share prosperity. But she says real devolution of decision making to a local level is equally important.
Get rid of 'delays, deadlock and paralysis'
Continuing to stumble through this 'political Groundhog Day' has real consequences for the services that affect real people every day, says Rob Whiteman - and it’s well past time their needs came to the top of the political agenda.
Does our place-shaping role risk being imperilled?
An anonymous writer ponders the incongruity between what the centre expects from local government and the ‘nature, breadth and ferocity’ of the challenges councils are facing.
EXCLUSIVE: MHCLG to assess Brexit preparations
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will use the General Election period to assess how it prepared for a slated October Brexit.
Civility starts with the civic
Jonathan Carr-West says that in increasingly volatile times, local government can provide the correct foundation for more effective, and civil, political discourse – along with some solutions.
EXCLUSIVE: Trading standards Brexit cash plea
Councils have pleaded for extra Government cash amid fears Brexit will heap additional demands on trading standards officers.
No date for replacing EU investment funding
More details of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) have been revealed by local government secretary Robert Jenrick but there is still no timetable for its introduction.
Only 5% of council leaders optimistic about Brexit
Councils are increasingly downbeat about the impact of Brexit, with nearly three quarters (71%) of chiefs expecting it to have a ‘negative’ or ‘very negative’ impact on their local economy.
The cost of Brexit is mounting – what can councils do to cope?
Pawda Tjoa says the New Local Government Network’s latest Leadership Index has found the UK’s exit from the EU is ‘already costing local economies and key services dearly’.
Moving up to the next level
Earlier this year, Suffolk CC’s peer challenge report said the time was right to drive leadership further, and ‘be bolder’. So how are leader Matthew Hicks and chief executive Nicola Beach faring? Ann McGauran reports
EXCLUSIVE: MHCLG puts itself on no-deal footing
Whitehall Brexit operations centres sprang into action yesterday as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) put itself on a no-deal footing.
Yellowhammer activated amid no-deal Brexit fears
Kent CC has insisted it is ‘business as usual’ as the Government activated Operation Yellowhammer because the risk of a no-deal Brexit had ‘increased’.
Solace Summit: loans board rate hike 'an attempt to change behaviour' of councils
The Treasury’s decision to increase the interest rate of the Public Work’s Loans Board (PWLB) was a blatant attempt to alter local authority spending behaviour, a senior economist has claimed.
Boosting Britain needs more than a fistful of Bills
Following the Queen's Speech, Heather Jameson says that personally her glass is at least half-full. But as the Prime Minister prepares to boost Britain after we leave the EU, Government policy is looking somewhat paradoxical.
Close co-operation to aid our communities
As Solace's annual Summit gets underway in Birmingham this week, president Martin Swales urges local authorities to work with others on building their local economies.
Let’s back the tourist tax
Cllr Nickie Aiken argues that a modest levy on overnight visitor stays raised locally would go straight into services that help to boost tourism.
We're now a better organisation
Lawrence Conway says Lakeland DC's transformation programme Customer Connect has resulted in a better organisation, 'with a future and vision we all share and all work towards'.