Improvement
Watchdog urges faster improvement at Argyll and Bute
The council has been told it must ‘significantly increase’ the pace of improvement by the Accounts Commission.
Warning over coronavirus and commercial investment cocktail
Worried finance chiefs have warned some councils that invested in commercial property have been put at increased risk by the coronavirus pandemic.
Shielding improvements on agenda for LGA and Whitehall
The Local Government Association is working with Whitehall to improve the support system for the more than two million people being shielded from coronavirus.
Bristol to bring back chief executive
Bristol City Council will bring back the role of chief executive – three years after scrapping the position.
LGA 'rapidly refocuses' improvement work
The Local Government Association (LGA) has ‘rapidly refocused’ its improvement work to help councils deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
KPMG criticised for rejecting Northamptonshire public interest report pressure
Northamptonshire CC’s commissioners have criticised the council’s former auditors for deciding not to issue a rare public interest report.
The sector has continued to benefit from Best Value
Before COVID-19, Brexit, austerity and the recession came Best Value inspection - and the more objective chiefs now speak fondly of those days, and the net benefit of the regime, says Abdool Kara.
Council taking too long to tackle 'critical weaknesses'
Gloucestershire CC is taking ‘too long to address critical weaknesses’ identified by inspectors two years ago, an Ofsted report has found.
IfG: Extend outsourcing reforms to councils
Government reforms of outsourcing to avoid another Carillion collapse must be extended to local government where commercial skills lag behind Whitehall, a report from the Institute for Government (IfG) think-tank has said.
Government advisers to be sent into council
The Welsh Government will send specialist advisers to Merthyr Tydfil CBC after a review found a ‘debilitating lack of capacity and resilience’ throughout the council.
EXCLUSIVE: Council rejects budget control review
Warrington Council has rejected a number of findings from an independent review of its approach to budgetary control.
Scottish councils’ improvements ‘stalling’
Spending on culture and leisure, economic development, and roads all fell by around a quarter last year, according to a study.
Ofsted highlights 'serious and widespread failures' at council
Children in Middlesbrough are being left at risk for too long because of failures in practice and leadership, Ofsted has warned.
Ofsted chief in 'blind spots' warning
Ofsted’s chief has warned of ‘blind spots’ in the children’s services inspection system that could mean youngsters are ‘potentially coming to significant harm’.
LEPs start to buckle after overlap threat
Local enterprise partnerships (LEP) are finally succumbing to a threat by ministers to withhold funding from them if they refuse to remove overlapping boundaries.
Shining a strong light
The Local Government Association is about to launch a review of its peer challenge process. Paul Marinko asks whether the approach is robust enough to meet the demands of a tough financial climate.
Government: Commissioner no longer needs to oversee Wakefield children's services
The Government has agreed that a commissioner no longer needs to oversee Wakefield Council’s children’s services.
Boston urged to ‘shout loudly’
The council has been told it should be proud of its achievements following a corporate peer challenge by the Local Government Association.
Another senior management restructure for Warrington
Changes to Warrington Council’s senior management structure will be made, senior councillors have decided.
Peer review proposal for pensions
The Local Government Association peer review programme could be expanded to include council pension schemes, a new report has suggested.
