Commercial investment
You can’t solve ongoing service costs with one-off cash injections
Councils adopted a strategic approach to asset management many years ago; without it they simply wouldn’t have survived the budget reductions that have been imposed, argues Claire Kober.
Croydon to wind down Brick by Brick
Croydon LBC’s mayor is set to give the go-ahead to officially wind down the council’s development firm Brick by Brick.
The right tools for commercial success
Local Partnership's toolkit for success in commercialism has been developed to help local and combined authorities and will help to keep any venture on track, says director Vivien Holland.
Best Value Notices issued over debt concerns
The Government has issued Best Value Notices to two debt-laden councils.
Taking on leisure’s crisis
Shaun Dawson shares what he and his teams have learned from the challenge of launching the £30m Lee Valley Ice Centre in East London, including the need to embrace private sector involvement.
Unlocking financial value through partnership
Senior director of Norse Consulting Daniella Barrow believes that joint ventures offer a model for greater commercialism.
CEOs – The buck stops with you
Chief executive of Local Partnerships Adele Gritten says her organisation is producing a CEO blueprint to help local government CEOs navigate the complex landscape they face.
Councils’ last throw of the dice
Government may believe councils’ financial failures are the result of gambling with the public purse, but it is centralisation and a lack of reform driving the problems, says Andy Pike.
Council to axe development firm
Mid Devon DC’s development firm is facing closure, having received £21m in loans from the authority.
Woking to hire investment experts ahead of redundancies
Stricken Woking BC is hiring investment and property experts ahead of a round of redundancies.
Big failures overseen by BDO despite small market share
An audit firm that had one of the smallest shares of the local government market was responsible for auditing councils with the biggest financial failures, it has emerged.
Sector in regulation rift days before Oflog launch
Sector splits on regulation remain just days before the expected launch of the Office for Local Government (Oflog) as the fallout from council financial failures continues.
Thurrock commissioners call for sector-wide change
The team from Essex CC led by Tony McArdle have made recommendations for the wider sector in its Best Value report on Thurrock, published today.
What is the future of commercialism?
Commercialism in local government has had its ups and downs. A Local Partnerships and The MJ round table considers the risks, rewards and future of working commercially in councils.
The importance of process in local authority decision making
Local Partnerships is currently working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to test a number of approaches to increase the sector’s commercial capability, says Adele Gritten.
Lessons on leadership and governance
Paul Dossett and Professor Catherine Staite consider what can be learned from the varied and complex reasons why councils fail, including groupthink, lack of skills, and inability to strike a healthy balance between political and managerial power.
How are some councils getting ahead on levelling-up?
There are no easy fixes to the financial challenge councils face, but long-term funding is helping proactive local authorities meet shortfalls, says Hayley Rees.
Peterborough’s baptism of fire
First-time chief executive Matt Gladstone says that when he took on the challenge of turning round Peterborough City Council everything was up for review. Heather Jameson reports on progress.
Commercial trading profits local authorities
Justin Galliford highlights the benefits to councils of the returns from external trading
No ordinary intervention
What are the main challenges facing the intervention team from Essex CC as it deals with the fallout from Thurrock BC’s disastrous investment programme? Heather Jameson reports.