Whitehall
'Systemic and persistent' failures in council's children's services
Worcestershire CC has said it has invested an extra £5.1m into improving children’s social care this year after a damning report from a government commissioner.
Cut the benefit bill by investing in social housing
It is rare for ministers to plan beyond the lifetime of a parliament. There are exceptions: automatic pension enrolment introduced from 2012 by the then Liberal Democrat minister Steve Webb is one example of a politician taking a long-term view about a difficult issue.
Challenging the system
Shadow communities secretary, Andrew Gwynne, talks to Dan Peters about devolution, fiscal change, and his hope to represent the sector in a far more positive light
EXCLUSIVE: ‘I want to be the best partner for local government’
Heather Jameson talks to communities secretary Sajid Javid about the progress of devolution, future funding, partnership working with the sector and that speech at the LGA conference...
Devolution is dead: Long live devolution
Rumours of the death of devolution have been greatly exaggerated, it would seem, if the secretary of state is to be believed.
Out-of-borough children home placements rocket
Department for Education figures have shown a 78% increase in youngsters placed in children’s homes out of their borough.
Universal Credit halt calls grow
Ministers have come under renewed pressure to halt the rollout of Universal Credit as housing rent arrears soar under the flagship welfare scheme.
Lib Dems fight for post-Grenfell action
The effective ‘privatisation’ of building control has led to a watering down of fire safety checks, the Lib Dems have claimed.
Name and shame threat hangs over councils
Councils that fail to get business rates relief schemes in place by the beginning of next month could be named and shamed by the Government.
Jones: Government fully committed to rates retention
Local government minister Marcus Jones has insisted the Government is ‘still fully committed to proceeding with’ business rates retention.
Joint research for kids’ services costs
Local government will work with Whitehall to commission research to understand the drivers of increasing demand and costs in children’s services, The MJ understands. Growing pressures face children’s services, with an estimated £2bn funding gap.
‘Business as usual’ for councils despite Whitehall’s silence on reorganisation
Councils waiting for the Government to decide on their reorganisation bids have vowed that it is ‘business as usual’ despite the uncertainty.
Local authorities lending weight to staff pay rise calls
Councils are piling on the pressure to give local government staff a pay rise by backing trade union calls.
Former diplomat replaces Tambini
Ex-diplomat and Treasury adviser Daniel Mouawad has taken up the post of Spelthorne BC chief executive following the departure of Roberto Tambini after 11 years.
Devo could boost the economy by £90bn, say Core Cities
Devolving more power to our cities could boost the country’s economy by up to £90bn a year, the Core Cities have suggested.
Pay cap pressure grows
Trade union Unison has issued fresh pleas for the Government to scrap the public sector pay cap.
Back in business
While politicians have been enjoying a summer break, Diary was relieved to hear that the business of politics has been continuing.
Disaster resilience strategy to spotlight local authorities
Local government is bracing itself for an over-the-top reaction from Whitehall as it works to develop a new strategy for resilience in major disasters.
MPs back social care system overhaul
A poll of 100 English MPs has found just one in 10 believe the current social care system is suitable for the UK’s ageing population.
Government reveals details of building regulations review
The Government has today published the terms of reference for the independent review of building regulations and fire safety following the Grenfell Tower disaster.