Ian Miller
Clause 16 could 'emasculate' districts
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill 'makes unacceptable provision to transfer district functions to a county combined authority by regulations', says Ian Miller. The 'howling gap' is the lack of requirement for districts' consent, he adds.
Districts deserved better planning from the centre on UKSPF cash
It will be interesting to see how councils can produce a complementary approach to local investments when they still don’t have the prospectus for the UKSPF or funding allocations, says Ian Miller.
Still in the dark on help with energy bills
If help for those facing increases in energy costs was going to be delivered via councils it might have been better for Government to pay for council tax bills to be reduced, says Ian Miller.
The white paper wait seems worth it for districts
The Government should be applauded for recognising – at last – that Whitehall does not know best and that local areas are best placed to determine what is most likely to contribute to delivering the levelling up missions, says Ian Miller.
The problems with the finance settlement
Ian Miller examines the risks and uncertainties for districts in the provisional settlement, and lists the uncomfortable topics he says ‘cannot be avoided for much longer’.
Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig need to cut Peppa Pig some slack
Did the secretary of state Michael Gove signal last week that some functions or powers are going to be stripped away from districts and gifted to elected mayors, asks Ian Miller.
Is there much rigour to the Spending Review?
The District Councils’ Network’s clear requests include a year-on-year, real-terms increase in Government-funded spending power across the Spending Review, with the certainty and stability of a multi-year financial settlement, says Ian Miller.
Why we want chief executives to be treated fairly
The offer of a 1.5% pay increase for chief executives is ‘a move away from arrangements that have successfully operated since 2016’, says Ian Miller.
Significant procurement challenges lie ahead for districts
Procurement is likely to involved significant challenges for district councils now and in the years ahead, says Ian Miller. 'It remains to be seen whether national or local priorities will govern councils' purchases'.
Composting in gardens is better for the environment
If funding is less than the cost of free garden waste collection, households without gardens will have to contribute for a service they can never receive, says Ian Miller.
Local elections 2021: The process demands too much of teams
Ian Miller ponders the impact of Super Thursday on the mental health of electoral teams, and says the demands are excessive, even in a ‘normal’ election.
The dreamy world of local government
Ian Miller waxes lyrical on a local government sector transformed into a paradise of five-yearly council tax revaluations, binned bidding rounds and mature joint working between district and county councils.
Local government settlement shows Government is not in listening mode
It is clear from the final local government settlement that the Government did not pay attention to the submissions of councils, including districts, says Ian Miller. The consultation with the sector on council tax increases 'seems a sham', he adds.
The devolution waiting game
The Prime Minister has said that ‘devolution…should be used as a step to pass power to local communities and businesses to make their lives better’. Is this the sort of devolution that councils expect, asks Ian Miller.
The Government cannot keep kicking the can down the road
Despite manifesto commitments, there will have to be tax rises to repay that massive debt, writes Ian Miller - and support for well-funded public services has found a new voice during the pandemic, he adds.
We're not the 'parents'
District and shire county councils would all face abolition if the Government’s formula for the devolution White Paper is implemented, says Ian Miller. And let’s hope Whitehall doesn’t think town and parish councils will need 'parenting', he adds.
The Government has moved away from undertaking to meet the pandemic's costs
The finances of districts and other councils, already under strain before the pandemic, may deteriorate further, writes Ian Miller. - and questions about which services can be sustained are among those that will come to the fore.
We need to be ready to cope with the next shock
When the opportunity to reflect comes, Ian Miller feels the conclusion may be reached that the UK was not well prepared for COVID-19.
Councils need a breathing space
Councils’ priorities are now focused on fighting coronavirus, says Ian Miller – and this urgently requires a Government-wide approach suspending policy and legislative initiatives for at least three months.
Sharing of powers is not devolution
District councils need a broader range of fiscal devolution, starting with the taxes, fees and charges that councils already collect, says Ian Miller.