News:
'It's no way to run a country,' says Miller
The current state of public finances are ‘no way to run a country’, SOLACE president Jo Miller told council chiefs at their annual conference.
'Don't screw it up' on housing
Dame Louise Casey gave council chiefs a stark warning when it comes to the push for new housing: ‘Don’t screw it up.’
CIPFA to seek compromise over resilience index
The controversial proposed financial resilience index is likely to be a ‘compromise’ between critics who believe it is unhelpful and supporters who welcome its timing, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) chief executive Rob Whiteman.
Commercialisation crackdown warning
Marsham Street’s top civil servant has warned councils the Government could crack down if commercialisation trends continue.
EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs warning to May if austerity not lifted
More councils face scaling back services to a minimum statutory offer if prime minister Theresa May reneges on her promise of ‘better times ahead,’ local authority chief executives have warned.
Dawes rejects NHS cash grab idea
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) top civil servant has encouraged council chief executives to be bold in their asks from Whitehall.
Councils are at the back of austerity queue
Councils are at the ‘end of the queue’ when it comes to receiving funding from the Treasury, the chief executive of Brighton & Hove Council has said.
Miller calls for social value approach change
Council chief executives have heard a rallying cry for them to bring their influence to bear on increasing social value’s role in procurement.
Chiefs to take on key policy roles for SOLACE
The Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) plans to strengthen its leadership team with a string of high-level appointments covering key policy areas.
Opinions:
Positive powers amid adversity
Local government chiefs say budget cuts, managing citizen expectations and the reducing workforce are the top three challenges they face. Dan Peters reports on our The MJ/SOLACE survey
Taking solace in SOLACE
Being a public service leader has never been more difficult, according to Jo Miller, who – in the build up to this week’s Society of Local Authority Chief Executives conference – says that strong leadership is as important and rewarding as ever
Learning from the emergency life cycle
When it comes to emergency response there are ‘no second chances’ says Stephen Baker of SOLACE. The organisation has linked up with the LGA to launch a new guide to learning throughout the life cycle of emergencies
Shifting the foundations of social housing
The Social Housing Green Paper shows the Government is listening to the sector on some key issues – and as SOLACE spokesman Martin Swales reasons, councils should not feel constrained in their submissions to the consultations
Let’s talk post-Brexit policy
Piali Das Gupta says the sector needs Government clarity on policies concerning the impact of Brexit on local government
Future shocks
It is our job as public service leaders to be ambitious for our places and optimistic about their future, even though local government is going through very tough times, writes Gavin Jones
