Innovation
Ensuring our places’ success
The Sustainable Growth Index rankings reflect a dominant focus on economic growth over the past 20 years, says Rob Turner. He provides a checklist for ensuring strong economic performance goes hand-in-hand with broader measures of success.
Council chief executive or chief anthropologist?
Professor Donna Hall asks: Why not be a true anthropologist leader in search of the essence of what makes humans human?
The thoroughly modern approach to public finance
Geoff Mulgan says the public sector needs innovation and experimentation in money every bit as much as in other functions – and he outlines some of the important ideas for bringing it up to date.
Ready for the revolution?
With the rise of technology in the workplace, Nesta and The MJ asked local government frontline workers and staff about their councils’ approach to innovation. Heather Jameson reports on the results.
Time and resources biggest barrier to innovation - survey
Only a third of frontline staff think their council is ready to innovate to face the challenges of the next decade, a survey by Nesta and The MJ has found.
Hitting the accelerator on integration
A new report launched today at the Healthcare Innovation Expo outlines 15 practical actions for accelerating integrated care. Ewan King and Fiona Russell explain how the resource aims to help practitioners make better use of available evidence.
Future of work survey to inform thinking
Local government workers have been invited to take part in a new survey on the future of work.
A robot takeover? Why the future of government is about innovation not machines
Vicki Sellick explains why Nesta is launching a survey ahead of its Government Innovation Summit next month on how skilled public servants feel about making change in their role.
Council contributes to first UK sandscaping scheme
North Norfolk DC has contributed to the UK’s first sandscaping scheme to prevent further erosion and flooding along its coastline.
First council to run water services in-house
Nottingham City Council expects to save an estimated £64,000 a year after it becomes the first local authority to run its own water services in-house.
'Mean, nasty, brutish and short'
A recent reunion of the original cast of the late Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) has led Paul Wheeler to ponder the 'barriers and pitfalls that have been erected in the path of future progress'.
Are reserves such a bad thing?
The public naming of 11 councils deemed at risk of running out of cash reserves has thrown the spotlight on how this money should be spent. Gary Fielding says careful use of reserves can be the solution to a range of issues.
EXCLUSIVE: Improvement model proposed for troubled Brum
Troubled Birmingham City Council has come up with plans for a new improvement model in its latest plans to avoid Government intervention.
EXCLUSIVE: Brum's Baxendale quits for New Zealand
Birmingham City Council chief executive Dawn Baxendale is departing to take up a new post at Christchurch City Council in New Zealand after just over a year in post.
ADCS conference: Children's services are in the red zone
Children’s services are in the ‘red zone’ and could be ‘overwhelmed’ next year in the event of a one-year Spending Review, a senior director has warned.
Building a shared movement of local government pioneers
Nesta is bringing together a pilot group of senior council officers who will test out new operating models to find more effective and sustainable ways to meet citizens’ needs, says Jenni Lloyd.
Improvement and innovation at your fingertips
Dr Andrew Larner says iESE has developed an improvement and innovation model to support exchange of the latest local government practice that is inclusive and easy to use.
From customer experience to thriving community
A design approach is still important to maintain, but the design rules for a community-centric approach can be fundamentally different to those of a customer-centric approach, says Dr Andrew Larner of iESE.
EXCLUSIVE: New protocol to ease council tensions
A protocol encouraging best practice between councils will be drawn up by the Local Government Association (LGA) as tensions grow around increasing out of area placements, The MJ understands.
Standing out from the crowdfunding
CrowdFund London was developed by the GLA and Spacehive. James Parkinson says the public sector has an important role in enabling civic projects to come to fruition in this way – and the approach features in Nesta’s innovation compendium