County Councils Network
Call for ‘urgent clarity’ on elections
Speculation over whether local elections will take place in May as scheduled has been labelled ‘unhelpful’ by councils.
Tory mayor claims Whitehall blocking devolution
One of the biggest challenges to devolution comes from civil servants, the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, James Palmer, has claimed.
Spending review: Rishi delivered what we needed, stability
In a time of financial uncertainty, the chancellor's Spending Review delivered basic stability. Now county councils need to be at the heart of levelling up, says Cllr David Williams
A golden chance for reform
The leaders of Cumbria, Somerset, and North Yorkshire Cllrs Stewart Young, David Fothergill and Carl Les explain why they believe a single county unitary for each of their areas is the best option on the table.
Counties warn of dramatic frontline cuts
Just one in five County Councils’ Network (CCN) members are confident of agreeing a balanced budget next year without dramatic reductions to frontline services, a new survey has revealed.
Making Counties Count: Don’t they Already?
Steve Leach and Colin Copus argue a move to county-based unitaries would ‘draw local government away from recognisable communities and increase the drift to meaningless conglomerates’.
Reorganisation battle lines drawn over think-tank report
The bitter war of words between counties and districts over reorganisation stepped up this week as battle lines were drawn around a new think-tank report.
Counties warn of test and trace ‘missed opportunity’
Calls for more support for local contact tracing have been redoubled after the national system’s success rate plummeted.
Jenrick dashes county reorganisation hopes
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has torpedoed plans for widespread reorganisation beyond the three areas he has invited to submit unitary proposals.
Size isn't everything
If the advocates for 'big unitary' paused for a moment they may want to address the democratic challenge of creating too few councils with too many councillors, argues Paul Wheeler.
Seeing social care through a different lens
Social care is much more than elderly people and hospital discharges, says Cllr David Fothergill. Many people are working-age adults with severe learning disabilities, and the Government needs to widen its scope of what care encompasses.
Williams in reorganisation rescue bid to Boris
The County Councils’ Network’s (CCN) Conservative leader has made a brazen direct appeal to Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he seeks to salvage the reorganisation agenda.
Five ways to be ahead of the curve
Ruth Morgan and Sean Anstee put forward five recommendations to consider when putting together proposals for local government reform. ‘Let’s grab the opportunity to secure lasting change for our communities’, they add.
County unitaries join growing network
Two county unitaries are among five local authorities that have joined the growing Unitary Councils’ Network (UCN) as tensions bubble around reorganisation.
Countywide unitaries ‘could save £3bn’
Replacing two-tier counties with one unitary authority could deliver almost £3bn savings over five years, according to research published by the County Councils Network (CCN) today.
Green recovery and growth should be the golden thread for counties
Peter French says the devolution White Paper provides 'an opportune moment for the Government to empower places and give counties the powers and funding they need to level-up and ensure everyone everywhere has a bright future'.
Fears for small unitaries over Clarke's reorganisation shake-up
Existing small unitaries could be at risk in the looming reorganisation shake-up after the Government failed to offer assurances about their future.
CCN steps back from backing 'radical' shake-up
The County Councils’ Network (CCN) will hold back from calling for historic boundaries to determine the entire local government map in the coming reorganisation shake-up, The MJ understands.
Call to scrap two-tier local government system in rural areas
The ‘confusing' two-tier model of local government should be abolished and replaced with single unitary councils, a report has argued today.
A place-based approach to economic recovery
According to the latest analysis commissioned on behalf of the County Councils Network, counties are the most vulnerable councils to the economic impact of COVID-19. Paul Dossett argues they should be at the forefront of government plans to level up
