LGiU
Majority of councils expect to spend more on Brexit than Government has allotted
More than half of chief executives (56%) expect to spend more on Brexit preparations than the Government has allotted to their council, with a quarter (26%) expecting to spend significantly more.
Building from the ground up
Dr Jonathan Carr-West says the energy directed at Brexit could have been focused on other things - and councils should have a settlement with their communities so they can build a stronger national constitutional framework from the bottom up.
Brexit guidance 'inadequate'
Guidance provided by the Government in relation to the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit on children’s services and education is ‘inadequate,’ a think-tank has claimed.
Fuelling the future
Hiba Mahamadi looks at how the two councils who have stepped in to the energy market have fared so far and at whether the future lies in striking up white label partnerships.
Emergency settlement call as councils face financial cliff-edge
Calls have been made by a think-tank for a one-year emergency local government settlement with councils facing a ‘financial cliff-edge’.
Bringing new members up to speed on funding
England’s new cadre of councillors need to navigate a perfect storm of financial challenges. How can finance directors help them cope successfully with the complexities they face? Ann McGauran reports
Rolling out a new institutionalism
Dr Jonathan Carr-West wonders if, alongside new localism, we need a new institutionalism too?
Combined strategy call to tackle homelessness
The Government should commit to a coherent combined housing and homelessness strategy, a report published today by a commission of experts has urged after a year-long investigation.
Government bidding culture attacked
The growing trend of forcing councils to bid for small, policy-specific grants has been attacked as an ‘inefficient use of public resources’ by a think-tank.
The local is where the repairs begin
The things these elections should really be about – homes, schools, high streets, care and children’s services - are being fatally undermined by dysfunctional national politics, says Dr Jonathan Carr-West.
Further delay to devolution drive
The Government’s repeatedly-delayed devolution framework will not be published until after Brexit, minister Jake Berry has admitted.
Government to push ahead with 75% rates retention in 2020/21
Whitehall will push ahead with plans to implement 75% business rates retention in 2020/21 despite calls for a one-year delay, The MJ understands.
Fighting back against homelessness
A year ago the Local Government Homelessness Commission (LGHC) was launched by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU). Ann McGauran looks at what evidence it uncovered and what recommendations are likely to emerge.
Whitehall pledges Brexit improvement
Civil servants have insisted they are working to improve information sharing with local authorities around Brexit.
Squeezed and broken
Dr Jonathan Carr-West urges local government to make a unified case for greater funding, by seizing the moment in the run-up to the Spending Review
EXCLUSIVE: Down to the core
Six out of 10 senior council figures admit their authority is now only delivering a basic core offer of service, The MJ and LGiU think-tank’s annual local government finance survey has revealed.
Mind the gap
The MJ/LGiU survey exposes the growing gap between the public’s expectations and councils’ ability to deliver – with nearly two-thirds of respondents (61%) providing only ‘a little bit more’ than their statutory obligations.
Mets feeling deprived over funding formula
Can the sector reach a consensus on the weighting given to deprivation in the fair funding formula? Ann McGauran examines the local government reaction
LGA backs deprivation in fair funding row
The Local Government Association (LGA) has broken its silence to back the importance of deprivation in the fair funding debate that threatens to divide the sector.
Female empowerment is in need of a boost
Women are under-represented in local government leadership roles and the West Midlands is behind the rest of the UK. Ann McGauran examines how this imbalance can be rectified