Communities
How Enterprise Ireland companies help the UK secure the road ahead
Ireland’s innovation agency is helping to improve road usability, quality, access and most importantly safety writes Laura Brocklebank, Enterprise Ireland’s Manchester based UK Local Authorities Lead.
An opportunity to rewrite local-central relations
Now it is time to click refresh on the Johnson Government. But what of local government and the Blue Wall, asks Heather Jameson. 'Where does that leave the PM’s promises of levelling up and devolving down?'
Creating Powerful Communities
The Recovery and Devolution White Paper must seize on the promise of double devolution to build economic and social renewal from the bottom up, says chief executive of Localis Jonathan Werran.
A crucial role for districts
Martin Ellender says districts, with their local and national partners, must consider 'what has worked well during this incredibly challenging period and protect the strengths in the system highlighted in 2020'.
COVID has highlighted the importance of community ‘bridges’
Andrew Laird and Chris Wright put the case for working through ‘community bridge’ organisations to not only improve resilience and responsiveness through times of crisis, but to deliver services in a co-operative way in normal times.
Councils bid for vaccine role
Councils have made a bid to play a key role in distributing the new coronavirus vaccine.
Building Back Better and Stronger
Karen Whelan says local communities, businesses and learning institutions, working with their public authorities and Government, can unite to re-shape their local vision for towns and cities.
Rebooting the housing crisis
Tackling the housing crisis post-COVID will mean more than just building. We need to build health, wellbeing and communities as well as houses, argues Tony Clements.
Intelligence, tested
Peter Baeck says an enhanced understanding of how to make the most of collective intelligence will ensure public institutions are better placed to respond to the pandemic – and prepare for any others that follow.
Councils demand post-lockdown role
The local government sector has said its involvement is key to the emergence from lockdown.
Strengthening our successful model will take more resources
Blackburn with Darwen Council has set up a local enhanced contact tracing service. Claire Ramwell says ‘hard work by our enthusiastic, skilled contact tracing team has demonstrated success’.
Communities, COVID and Marcus
Community and charity activity is helpful – and absolutely essential during COVID – says Dan Corry. But he argues that the comprehensive actions we need to tackle so many of the issues we face also depend on the central and local state.
A new public service
When Waltham Forest put together its new corporate strategy, it was with the belief that the extraordinary response to the pandemic should be understood and celebrated as public service, explains Martin Esom.
Bracing for the ASB challenge
Rebecca Bryant says the rise in anti-social behaviour since the start of COVID-19 restrictions must be addressed – but the tools to tackle it head-on ‘are available at our fingertips’.
Nurturing a close community partnership
Community solidarity and social activism should not be seen as a willingness by the voluntary and community sector to step in where the State should act and provide, says John Tizard.
COVID continues to threaten our statutory obligations to our communities
If Government enforces Tier 3 then it must be prepared to support local councils to protect the vulnerable and those whose incomes will be severely affected, argues chair of Core Cities UK Cllr Judith Blake.
Building a New Local
NLGN has changed its name to New Local. Professor Donna Hall says the network will have the same objectives, but they will be expanded to welcome a wider range of sectors. But there will be ‘no watering down of the focus on local government’.
The power of small things
Elinor Ostrom was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in economics. Simon Kaye argues that her ‘criminally neglected’ work could be a ‘call-to-action for a new type of society that prioritises local democracy and autonomous communities’.
Councils’ bonding role in relationships
Since the start of the pandemic, 10 million more citizens are spending time each week helping their neighbours, says Tony Clements. He looks at councils’ ‘important but nuanced role’ in sustaining this activity.
An online lifeline for Watford's high street
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor has announced a new partnership pilot that will see Watford become the UK’s first-ever WhatsApp High Street.
