Andy Burnham threatened to pull Greater Manchester out of the asylum resettlement scheme - igniting the debate about refugee dispersal. But forcing councils to take on more families without more funding will make the problem worse, says the sector.
A survey of local authority chief executives and directors by The MJ and BT found strong resistance to transformational change among their management teams. The issues were discussed at a round table with senior staff in the Midlands
Exclusive: A new survey of London councillors shows digital exclusion is seen as their biggest challenge – and suggests there is some way to go before most residents fully trust public sector bodies to handle data securely. Ann McGauran reports
How can local authorities best harness the talents of their future workforce – and could councils be replaced by entirely new sorts of organisations? Ann McGauran reports on a recent round table debate hosted by Penna considering the big questions
Artificial intelligence could streamline the delivery of council services but are local authorities or indeed their residents ready for such change? A recent round table debate hosted by The MJ and Zurich Municipal examined these key questions as [..]
The disparity in cuts to real term spending throughout England and in London demonstrates the postcode lottery effect of austerity, says Ciara Cook
What started out as a conversation with his chief executive, resulted in a dissertation on the impact of commercialisation on local authorities. Robert Weaver delves into the aspects of non-financial risk and its implications
New CIPFA president Sarah Howard talks to Dan Peters about the recent financial problems facing the sector, the controversy over the proposed financial resilience index, and how transparency and trust are key to getting back on track.
Women working in the construction industry are very much in the minority, but they could be a valuable source of much-needed skills especially post-Brexit. Mark Whitehead reports on a round table discussion attended by executives from industry and [..]
Although the focus of social services budgets is on adult care costs, it is children’s services that are rapidly becoming an even greater challenge for hard-pressed education authorities, especially when it comes to the bill for looked-after [..]
How can council workforces become more diverse, especially at the top? A group of senior local government directors and chief executives debated the challenges at a round table debate hosted by The MJ and Green Park. Michael Burton reports.
Make sure you are aware of all the issues before you attempt to reorganise, is the message from George Jones and John Stewart
Achieving national economic growth requires more local infrastructure powers, argues Richard Dawson.
William Hague, former foreign secretary, has quit politics for a new career as public speaker and biographer – and his first major engagement was last week as presenter of The MJ’s awards. He speaks exclusively to Michael Burton
