LGiU
A whole lot of papers
December has been a tale of two White Papers. The one that is and the one that is yet to be, writes Dr Jonathan Carr-West.
Halting a rise in hatred
What can be done to deter incidents of abuse and harassment of local politicians, and to sanction those responsible? Ann McGauran reports.
Making the right connections
COP26 has raised awareness of the actions climate change requires. Dr Jonathan Carr-West argues that councils are ideally placed to act as a connection between individuals and the state to make transitions accessible to communities.
Gove in major review of new department
A wide-scale review of every single programme is underway at the new Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), The MJ understands.
Sector ‘right to be concerned’ about levelling up
Local government should be wary of the contents of the levelling up White Paper, a think-tank has warned.
Let’s ground levelling up
The LGiU has set out the six core principles that must inform the approach to levelling up from now on. Dr Jonathan Carr-West explains.
Councils must be at heart of levelling up, report argues
Councils must be at the heart of the Government’s levelling up agenda, a new report has argued today.
It’s not all about the money
It is dangerous if we let the discussion about the reform of social care become exclusively about funding, says Dr Jonathan Carr-West.
Section 114 chief: We will not be the last
Slough Council’s chief executive this week urged other sector bosses to ‘trust your intuition’ to avoid their local authority following in her Section 114 footsteps.
Getting on with it
Sarah Longlands has returned to CLES – the Centre for Local Economic Strategies – as chief executive. She’s scathing about the Government’s approach to levelling up and believes it’s time for local places to seize control of their own destinies. Ann McGauran reports.
Place is the crucial lens
Dr Jonathan Carr-West looks at how we might make levelling up and devolution work together.
LGiU report calls for a local government-led Building Back Better commission
A local government-led Building Back Better commission should be part of a new place settlement after the pandemic, a new report from the LGiU think-tank has urged.
Government warned of 'soaring summer of homelessness'
The Government will fail to fulfil its manifesto commitment of ending rough sleeping for good by 2024 without a cross-Whitehall strategy for reducing homelessness, it has been warned.
Local elections 2021: Look behind the big story
A closer look at the Super Thursday outcomes reveals a series of more complex stories, and suggests a centrally-driven levelling up agenda would be an error, says Jonathan Carr West.
Coming up for air – what councils need to think about
John Fowler looks at the range of ways in which councils can help children and young people recover from the impact of the pandemic.
Pandemic forces finance reform rethink
Whitehall plans for local government finance reform were thrown into doubt this week after civil servants indicated the pandemic would force them to rethink.
Unfinished business
The vision in Budget 2021 focused on a global, green, high tech economy, ‘but there was no sign of local government, local public services or local institutions of any sort’, says Dr Jonathan Carr-West.
Electoral workers should get the jab
Vaccination would vastly increase the safety and confidence of poll workers and reduce the likelihood of local elections becoming super-spreader events, argues Ingrid Koehler.
The problem with polls
Local government has finally learned that two years’ worth of elections will take place on ‘Super Thursday’ 6 May, with a ‘high bar’ for any delay. Martin Ford talks to the sector about the challenges ahead.
Will May be a missed chance?
The Prime Minister wants the elections to go ahead. But Dr Jonathan Carr-West says that whether a U-turn ‘has already happened or is still to come, we have missed an opportunity to make an early and clear decision’.
