Local democracy
Grenfell fire council to discuss blaze in private
Senior members of the council heavily criticised over its response to the Grenfell Tower fire will discuss the blaze behind closed doors.
Lower-tier councils pull out of Sheffield devolution deal
Bassetlaw DC has become the second lower-tier council to back away from participation in the Sheffield city region’s devolution bid.
A manifesto for local government
Professor Colin Copus thrashes out his own ‘manifesto for local government’ after seeing the low key focus on the sector given by the big political parties in their election statements.
Building trust in a post-truth age
Local government must lead the way in a new world where truth is no longer the gold standard, writes Dr Jonathan Carr-West
The beating heart of politics now rests in the suburbs and shires
In spite of the urban centres growing in population, we will see a transfer of political representation from the towns to the shires on an unprecedented scale from 2018 onwards, claims Paul Wheeler.
We have to marry our numbers and our words correctly
Getting the narrative right on our annual finances, as well as the potential future impact, is more important than ever, writes Adele Taylor.
Chiefs back electoral registration changes
Council chief executives have backed calls for improvements to electoral registration amid reports that some areas were bombarded with duplicate applications.
Strengthening local democracy
In a final article written before he died last month, George Jones and fellow author John Stewart argued that local representative democracy is being eroded.
Tory ID check plan could 'put people off voting'
Plans in the Conservative manifesto to introduce voter identification across the UK are ‘overbearing and counterproductive,’ electoral campaigners have argued.
Resetting our relationship with residents
What is the role of the state? Alex Bailey explains how Adur and Worthing councils are creating platforms upon which communities can build happy, healthy, prosperous and connected places.
Respecting the will of the people
Misreading the newly-invigorated electorate has become far too common. The political debate has been reframed through the Brexit prism and the wishes of the people need to be respected, writes Claire Fox.
Labour is sick but it is not yet terminal
Labour is like a very ill patient that refuses to die, but Ben Page predicts the party's demise is some way off.
Burnham’s integration vow over GM health and care
Andy Burnham has vowed to drive ‘further and deeper’ integration in Greater Manchester as he pushes health and social care towards a single system.
We need to involve people in difficult decisions about services
Involving residents in developing, delivering and evaluating controversial proposals, such as hospital closures, from the outset can only enhance plans, argues Ewan King.
Flying into Brexit times
Brexit is one of the key issues of our time and ought to be among the top issues for people on which to decide their vote, writes Dan Corry.
Ex-Oldham leader urges ‘constitutional protection’ for local government
The public will feel ‘stitched up’ if central government doesn’t deliver jobs, housing and prospects in the aftermath of Brexit, according to Labour local government spokesman Jim McMahon.
‘Large deposits for mayor are undemocratic’
The ‘excessively large’ deposits needed to run to be a combined authority mayor are a ‘travesty of democracy,’ the leader of the Local Government Association’s independent group has said.
Fears as new era of metro mayors dawns
Local government big hitters have voiced concerns about the accountability, effectiveness and necessity of the incoming combined authority mayors.
Election fever and engagement
The chances of things changing dramatically are slim if we continue, as citizens and as public servants, to treat elections as a transactional function of democracy, writes Dr Jonathan Carr-West.
Metro mayors can become integration 'champions'
The new metro mayors will be well-placed to become integration ‘champions’ for their areas, a report has said.