Investment
County announces two major property investments
Cambridgeshire CC has announced the details of two major property investments in deals worth more than £60m.
Leader lobbies ministers over Youth Zones
Barking & Dagenham LBC’s leader, Cllr Darren Rodwell, has appealed to ministers to help provide a network of Youth Zones up and down the country.
Transforming public services
The decision five years ago to wind up Whitehall’s Transformation Unit resulted in a loss of capacity and expertise, according to Pat Ritchie. Now, the new Prime Minister must embrace post-austerity place-based deals, she believes.
Woodford investors should have had clearer warnings
Kent CC and other investors in City heavyweight Neil Woodford’s fund should have been given clearer warnings about the risk of suspension before it happened, it has been claimed.
A vital new voice from the edge
Britain’s Leading Edge is a new collaboration to strengthen the voice of rural areas with no major cities. Cornwall Council chief executive Kate Kennally explains why this is important for the post-Brexit era
MPs: Government waste strategy overly-prescriptive
The Government’s proposed waste strategy is ‘overly-prescriptive’ and local authorities should be given the freedom to tailor their approach, MPs have said.
Harnessing the best of the West
Ann McGauran reports on the launch of Metro Dynamics’ report making the case for the creation of the UK’s next wealth generator – the Great Western Powerhouse
Promised housing cash withdrawn
Millions of pounds of housing investment announced with great fanfare by the Government has been withdrawn.
£65m Growth Deal is 'game-changer' for Moray
Moray has secured £65m for its Growth Deal in an agreement that has been heralded as a ‘game-changer’.
The pitfalls of risk and return
Kent CC hit the headlines after it tried to withdraw £263m of its pension pot from the Woodford Equity Income Fund, but had its investment frozen. Heather Jameson looks at whether Kent made a mistake – and asks what other councils can learn.
Pensions Infrastructure Platform optimistic despite Brexit
A vehicle designed to encourage council pension schemes to invest in UK infrastructure will not launch a fresh fund this year but remains optimistic.
No new cash for Greater Manchester local industrial strategy
A former senior civil servant and council chief has questioned the impact of Greater Manchester’s local industrial strategy after it came with no new money.
Woodford moves to reassure Kent after trading suspension
City heavyweight Neil Woodford has sought to reassure Kent CC and other investors after they were blocked from withdrawing from his multi-billion pound fund.
Accessing key drivers for partnership working
Access to skills, technology and investment were among the key reasons for local authorities to work with the private sector says a recent survey jointly commissioned by The MJ and Serco. Michael Burton reports
Municipal bond grants launched
Grants to help councils invest in a new type of municipal bond for funding environmentally-friendly, low-carbon infrastructure projects have been launched.
Contractor Kier announces profits warning
Shares in outsourcing specialist Kier have been sent tumbling following a profits warning announcement yesterday.
Income generation project rakes in £5m
A project launched by Test Valley BC five years ago to combat a decline in Government grants has generated more than £5m for the authority.
'Lessons learnt' from Essex social impact bond
Investors behind the first council social impact bond (SIB) in the world have said what has been learnt from the project will be implemented elsewhere.
Hull commits £2m to improve ‘inadequate’ children’s services
Hull City Council has promised to ‘accelerate’ its improvement plans and invest an extra £2m into its children’s services after they were rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.
Keep making the investment case for prevention
John O'Brien says that whether we end up with a one year Spending Review or a longer one, it's important to make the wider investment case for preventative services programmes such as Troubled Families.