Transformation
Northants two years on: Commissioners report underspend
Two years into it intervention, Northamptonshire CC is set to end the 2019-20 financial year with a £640,000 underspend, the commissioners have stated.
Ministers urged to create a 'green bank'
Ministers have been urged to create a Green Bank to fund climate change investment as part of the Government’s multi-billion pound infrastructure investment programme announced earlier this week.
The new local - taking a sector-led approach to restructuring
Ben Ward, partner at Ameo and Lesley Seary, non-executive director at FutureGov reflect on the future shape of government at a local and regional level
Blueprint for recovery
Norwich City Council has approved a framework to steer recovery. CEO Stephen Evans outlines how the authority will recast its transformation programme to learn lessons from COVID-19.
Digital engines – the ‘new normal’ in local government?
Digital engines will become a staple of every local authority’s digital provision moving forward into the ‘new normal’, says John McMahon.
Hand health powers to elected mayors, says report
Health powers should be handed to elected mayors as part of a ‘rejuvenated and fortified wave of devolution,’ a think-tank report has suggested.
COVID and Change: Beware the cowardly lion
As councils begin to navigate recovery and renewal, the characters in the Wizard of Oz appeal to Alex Khaldi as an analogy for finding ways to work together, and ‘get us all back to Kansas’.
Melting the boundaries after COVID
In our first virtual round table alongside recruiters Faerfield, chiefs from across the sector talk to Heather Jameson about the opportunities ahead to ‘build back better’ and reshape public services.
Successful community initiatives should not depend on having friends in high places
Success in working with councils depends on knowing committed insiders, says Luca Tiratelli of the New Local Government Network.
What have we learned from London councils’ response to COVID-19?
Rebecca Eligon and transformation lead colleagues from councils across London write of their ‘deep pride’ in the way local government has ‘really stepped up’ in response to COVID-19.
The Future of Local Government – no way back
The findings of a survey on the future impact of COVID-19 on councils provide an opportunity to consider ways to level up how services are delivered, says John Knight.
We have an opportunity to radically reinvent ourselves
Our new coronavirus-shaped world has changed beyond recognition, says Gill Kneller - and If we’re going to thrive, recovery will be key, 'but we simultaneously need to reinvent ourselves'.
Towns and cities as a testbed for innovation
Tom Bridges and Siri Arntzen explain how testbeds can be successfully used to experiment our way towards the high streets of the future.
Registering the impact of COVID-19
The impact of COVID-19 on registrars services has been massive, says John Rooney. Here, he outlines how staff adapted swiftly to put vital new processes in place at Rochdale BC.
Watchdog urges faster improvement at Argyll and Bute
The council has been told it must ‘significantly increase’ the pace of improvement by the Accounts Commission.
Superstars delivering in the face of adversity
When the pandemic hit, South Somerset DC quickly decided to redeploy staff in changed or closed services to carry out duties related to the local coronavirus response. Kirsty Larkins explains the approach.
Why future system resilience must be built into recovery plans
In thinking forward to recovery, there is no better time than the present to learn from the experience of the pandemic and build future system resilience into recovery plans, argues Jon Ainger.
Can councils convene local systems to develop resilience against future shocks?
In the very near term there are enormous challenges in London, not least of the capacity of public transport to move a reasonable number of people around safely to jobs and schools, says John O'Brien.
What are you imagining?
As councils re-examine their transformation plans in the light of the possibilities on the other side of lockdown, Dr Catherine Howe highlights some points worth reflecting on.
Transformation delivers flexibility in a crisis
Craig Cusack and Rob Powell talk to Ann McGauran about how Warwickshire CC’s transformation programme meant it was ‘pretty much ready for the pandemic when it arrived’.
