LGiU
Thick document; thin vision
Dr Jonathan Carr-West says it’s not that the measures in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill are bad in and of themselves, but it feels like a missed opportunity to ask bigger questions about the function and form of local government.
Shifting local elections to the spotlight
Dr Jonathan Carr-West says local elections represent a chance for people to express their views about national politics, but they deserve more than being treated solely as a backdrop to the Westminster soap opera.
No major gains expected as local elections loom
Labour and the Conservatives are unlikely to make any huge wins at next week’s local elections, insiders have suggested.
EXCLUSIVE: Barriers hold back councils from playing a strategic health leadership role
A host of barriers are hampering local government's ability to play a strategic leadership and coordination role within local health systems to improve outcomes, a new report has revealed.
The great rebuild
With local elections just around the corner, Jonathan Carr-West fears we are in a dangerous moment for democratic engagement and the process of rebuilding trust must start locally.
Government is failing to set out councils' role in delivering net zero, say MPs
MPs have hit out at the Government’s ‘apparent lack of urgency’ in clarifying how it will work with local government to achieve net zero.
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.
