Heather Jameson
Heather Jameson is editor of the MJ
Local government must lead the way on change
Britain post-Brexit won't be a mythical land like Game of Thrones, says Heather Jameson. But there will be much to do. Why wait for Whitehall to come up with the answers when so many solutions lie at a local level?
Council of the Year shortlist revealed
Five councils are in the running to be named as Local Authority of the Year 2019, it has been revealed as The MJ publishes its awards finalists.
Councils must do better when it comes to housing
Local government must bear some of the blame for the housing crisis, says Heather Jameson - with sector experts pointing to a lack of progress in producing local plans, and a '30 year retreat from the streets'.
Progress amid the pain
In the aftermath of the Grenfell tower tragedy, progress at Kensington & Chelsea can only go as fast as the grief of the families involved, Dr Barry Quirk tells Heather Jameson
Forget the clickbait – the ‘Rich List’ shows fair pay
Another year, another TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) 'Town Hall Rich List' hits the headlines, But the vast majority of chief executives are awarded fair pay for an increasingly complex, high profile, high risk role, says Heather Jameson.
Travelling on the long road to improvement
After the big developments of the past week – with the improvement team finishing its intervention and a stern report warning of the work still to be done to stabilise Birmingham’s finances, Heather Jameson talks to chief executive Dawn Baxendale
How chiefs can lead digital change
At a round table debate in Manchester, The MJ and BT discussed the implications of digital transformation for senior management of local authorities. Heather Jameson reports.
Brum improvement team issues final damning judgement and walks away
Birmingham City Council’s intervention team has issued a final, damning report on the crisis-hit council and walked away – despite admitting its job is not complete.
Bucks districts drop legal battle over reorganisation
Chiltern and South Bucks DCs will not go ahead with their legal battle over local government reorganisation, they have announced.
Nottingham City narrows gender pay gap
Nottingham City Council has narrowed its gender pay gap to a mean average pay gap of 3.1%, down from 4.2% last year.
Westminster insources housing service
Westminster City Council is bringing its housing stock back in house from 1 April, it has said.
Councils defend council tax hikes
Councils have had ‘little choice’ but to raise council tax to protect local services, the Local Government Association has said, after the latest tax rises were revealed.
Let’s not replace Brussels with Whitehall
As local government stays stuck in the inertia of Brexit, wouldn't it be better to imagine a devolved world, asks Heather Jameson. If the Government wants councils to rebuild places after Brexit, it will need to be swift, she adds.
Treasury official to join MHCLG
A Treasury official has been appointed as director general at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Local income tax best bet for fiscal devo - IFS
Local income tax would be the best option for fiscal devolution if the Government wanted to hand more powers to local authorities, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) argued today.
A taxing problem
Heather Jameson looks at the latest report from the IFS’s Local Government Finance Commission, which suggests a local income tax would be the best option for fiscal devolution.
Investing in people always pays off
As this week's report on the Troubled Families Programme shows, investing in people always pays off and failing to do so just impacts on the public purse further along the line, says Heather Jameson
Waiting for Godot and the Social Care Green Paper
Public finances are outperforming expectations, but the post-spring statement briefing from the Institute for Fiscal Studies highlighted the need to sort out taxation and those other topics that did not get into the speech. Heather Jameson reports.
End 'lazy language of austerity,' sector urged
Government’s choice to target councils for cuts rather than austerity is to blame for local government’s financial woes, leading finance experts have argued.
EXCLUSIVE: Avoiding the precipice
As councils seek ways to meet the funding gap, Martin Reeves and Rob Whiteman look at the implications for the future of public services and how we need a mature debate on prevention, accountability and joined up services. Heather Jameson reports