General Election
So, what happens when the political calculations around levelling up change?
Recent events threaten to disrupt the flagship levelling up agenda we were told would be nothing short of system change for how the country is governed, says Jessica Studdert.
Levelling up transparency call amid funding row
Whitehall officials were this week facing renewed pressure over how the Levelling Up Fund was doled out amid allegations about the allocation of public funding.
Firms warn of elections timetable danger
Firms in the supply chain for elections have told ministers not to shorten the timeframe for holding polls.
Scotland follows Wales in opposing controversial Elections Bill
The Scottish Government has paved the way for Scotland to follow Wales in refusing to recommend consent for the UK Elections Bill.
New polls timetable would cause ‘catastrophic failure’
Officers have said holding General Elections would be ‘impossible’ under proposals to shorten the time allowed for preparations.
Balls steps into awards presenting chair
There could be dancing in the aisles at The MJ’s awards gala lunch on September 17 – for former Strictly Come Dancing star Ed Balls will be announcing the winners.
Devolution White Paper to be replaced by levelling up proposals
A levelling up White Paper will replace the long-awaited policy document on devolution and local recovery.
Levelling Up Fund to feature rapid bid process
The £4bn cross-departmental Levelling Up Fund will feature a rapid bid process, with all projects having to be completed before the next General Election, The MJ understands.
Rough sleeping advisory panel sidelined
A government-backed advisory panel formed to help eradicate rough sleeping has met just once in the last year, it has emerged.
Voter ID ‘not the issue,’ claim election officers
Appeals have been made to the Government to shift its focus from voter ID trials and address the ‘fragility of the electoral system’.
Towns Fund selection ‘warps economy’
Controversy over the selection process for the Towns Fund has led a campaign group to call for an end to ‘first past the post politics’.
Concerns over Cabinet Office door knock canvass
Concerns are mounting that electoral canvassers will be forced to knock on hundreds of thousands of doors despite the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lords postal votes criticism rejected
Civil servants have defended the postal votes system in the face of criticism from Lords.
Budget 2020: Sunak gambles on capital spending splurge
Despite volatility caused by coronavirus and a sluggish increase in the economy, the chancellor has decided to gamble that a big increase in capital spending will deliver higher growth and productivity by the next election.
Learn lessons from the snap election, says AEA
Council returning officers have demanded lessons ‘be learned’ after December’s snap General Election exposed the ‘fragility’ of the UK’s electoral system.
Winning back the public’s trust
Peter Stanyon says there are urgent lessons to learn from the 2019 elections – and challenges ahead in 2020 and beyond include the wider need for urgent reform to election law, funding and support.
Unions criticise 'unnecessary' pay offer delay
The three unions representing council workers today criticised ‘unnecessary delays’ after local government employers failed to make them a pay offer for 2020/21.
Who do public servants owe their loyalty to?
Public servants' role in stewardship of institutions, publicly defining fact and sharing advice, needs updating to take account of our very different world, argues Graeme McDonald.
Government social care plans to be published this year - Johnson
Prime Minister Boris Johnson today vowed to publish the Government’s long-awaited social care plans this year.
The metro mayor elections will indicate how much politics has realigned
The collapse of Labour's Red Wall should give the Conservative mayors of Tees Valley and the West Midlands cause for optimism, says Andrew Carter - but the most interesting mayoral election to watch could prove to be in Greater Manchester.
