General Election
Should we be Keynesian about spending to offset Brexit?
If austerity as a name is history, if only for political reasons, then its successor, scarcity, is little better, writes Michael Burton.
Whitehall drags its feet on planning fees
A government commitment to allow councils to increase planning fees by 20% if they commit to reinvesting the additional income has been delayed, The MJ understands.
CIPFA conference: Councils will be at back of queue
Councils will be at the back of the public sector queue for additional funding, a senior local government figure has warned.
What do voters want?
As the dust settles on the recent election results – and with more people seemingly turning up to vote – Mark Rogers uses this period of reflection to offer some advice to local and national leaders.
DUP cash would transform Greater Manchester’s transport
Infrastructure funding of the scale afforded to Northern Ireland would revitalise the English regions, the chair of a major local government pension fund has argued.
We’ve been DUP-ped
‘You can’t put a price on democracy’, our mum once told a bewildered young Diary.
What alternatives are we offering?
A desire for local government to lead by example rather than wait on Westminster is gaining momentum, but there is still some heavy-duty lifting to be done, as Dr Jonathan Carr-West explains.
The local state we are in – and where to go from here
Fresh off the heels of PwC's 'Local State We're In' survey, Jonathan House looks at how local government can respond to the new sets of challenges it is faced with - from cyber attacks to public sector reform.
Octogenarians’ Olympiad
With pesky prolonged purdah out of the way, local government folk are under pressure to rush information into the public domain.
White Van Man on ... the DUP deal
Funny how on the one hand the Government can suddenly find a billion quid to give out in bribes when it keeps telling us it hasn’t got two pennies to rub together.
Dawn Baxendale: Chiefs have lost their public service raison d’être
Dawn Baxendale speaks to Sam Clayden about how Southampton City Council – and local government as a whole – will be grappling with an increasingly uncertain future
Westminster could learn something from local place leadership
Judith Blake highlights some of the outstanding examples of whole-place leadership in the UK's cities - an approach those in Westminster may be wise to adopt.
Local Government Finance Bill: A big let-down for the sector
With a parliamentary agenda lacking much in terms of legislation for the next two years aside from a series of Bills aimed at delivering a ‘smooth and orderly’ Brexit, Sam Clayden reports on the sector’s reaction to last week's Queen's Speech.
DUP deal won’t change Barnett calculations
The Conservative-DUP deal will have no impact on Barnett formula calculations, Treasury sources have confirmed.
Where next for local government financial reform?
With the falling of the Local Government Finance Bill, the IFS's David Phillips assesses where this leaves reforms to the sector's finance system.
Central government inertia spells opportunities for cities
Central inertia and growing concern about the economy presents real opportunities for city leaders to show their fundamental importance, writes Patrick White.
Fuller beats Saint to DCN role
South Norfolk DC leader, Cllr John Fuller, has thrashed his rival in the two-horse race to become the chairman of the District Councils’ Network (DCN).
‘Deliver social care green paper,’ ministers are told
Ministers should urgently deliver a social care green paper and resist the temptation to kick it into the long grass after the General Election, county councils warned this week.
Councils increase pressure on government as Brexit talks start
Local government negotiators believe the General Election result creates an opportunity for their case to be heard more loudly in Brexit talks.
We can help you achieve your objectives, Westminster
Jo Miller looks at the current state of the state and argues local government could make best use of the public purse because it understands the unintended consequences of Westminster policies.