SOLACE
Meeting the modern leadership challenge
At Solace Scotland last week, with colleagues who are just now entering a world with a lot less money across public services, I said that now more than ever we needed bold and brave leaders, willing to take risks, to disrupt the status quo to deliver for residents in these straightened times.
Council wins court battle days after Gove intervention
Sheffield City Council has won a court battle against people protesting about its tree-felling programme.
Exclusive: Councils face 'daily' struggle to place vulnerable kids
The state of the children’s care market has been described as a ‘scar on the conscience of our country’ amid warnings over the lack of placements available for vulnerable young people.
An uncomfortable truth
Mark Rogers says the sector is not regulating itself properly and offers a suggestion for a revamped sector-led improvement scheme.
Regulation needs an approach with ‘bite’
Mark Rogers has called on local government to ‘put improvement before being friends’ amid fears the sector is not regulating itself effectively enough.
The People's Powerhouse ploughs ahead
After the success of the People's Powerhouse last week, Jo Miller outlines some of the best pieces of wisdom to have emerged from the event and spells out what is next for the movement.
Miller attacks Whitehall’s welfare reform policies
The president of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives has launched a scathing attack on the Government’s welfare reform policies.
We can help you achieve your objectives, Westminster
Jo Miller looks at the current state of the state and argues local government could make best use of the public purse because it understands the unintended consequences of Westminster policies.
Sector demands clarity after hung Parliament
Local government figures have demanded clarity on the future of public services after Theresa May’s hopes of a majority were dashed.
Countering the post-truth narrative
Good scrutiny can be a powerful lever for the greater and better use of evidence by councils to inform their decision-making, writes Abdool Kara.
Tired, but defiant, officials ready for polling day
Polling stations have opened their doors for the General Election today, with exhausted-but-defiant council officials prepared for security threats following a series of terror attacks.
Chiefs back call to improve state of electoral registration
Council chief executives have backed calls for improvements to electoral registration amid reports that some areas were bombarded with duplicate applications.
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.
Cyber security must be managed and understood at all levels
It is not a question of if we will be threatened by a cyber attack, but when, writes Jo Miller.
Electoral teams under 'severe strain'
Electoral administrators are under severe strain as they prepare for a snap General Election just a month after local and mayoral polls, The MJ has been told.
Councils should be shouting from the rooftops about UC
Jo Miller says the roll-out of Universal Credit is a scandalous waste of public money - and the sector must be more vocal about it.
The sector must be heard
Mark Rogers says campaigning in the run-up to June’s General Election and the ongoing Brexit process must not overshadow the countless agendas that genuinely affect people’s lives.
Call to arms: sector must speak with one voice
Local government has been urged to shine a spotlight on the important agendas likely to be crowded out by Brexit wrangling and the General Election.
UC becoming a ‘scandalous waste’ claims SOLACE chief
The implementation of Universal Credit (UC) is ‘nothing short of a scandal,’ the president of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives has argued.
Redress the balance on lack of diversity
Following the results of an exclusive The MJ/PPMA survey, Heather Jameson says the sector must look to diversity in its leadership if it is to address the new sets of challenges ahead.