Ian Miller
Counting the costs of the 'break-neck speed' EU elections
Returning officer Ian Miller writes in a personal capacity about the lessons Government and the House of Commons must learn after two major elections within three weeks - and he backs the recent Localis call for five-year terms for councillors.
Counting the costs of the EU Exit process
When the dust settles on the UK's departure from the European Union there will surely be a formal public inquiry into how the government has handled the process, says Ian Miller
Counting the cost of Defra's waste plans
A plethora of issues affecting districts keeps emerging from Whitehall, says Ian Miller - but making it easier for those with two homes to know which bin to use is not a sensible basis for policy development.
A wasteful proposal
A universal free garden waste collection service cannot represent an efficient use of Government resources, even if funding could be extracted from packaging producers, says Ian Miller
Let's have fiscal levers for local areas
The Government should take steps to enable local areas to fund services through various fiscal levers and such flexibilities would not cost it a penny in extra grant, says Ian Miller.
Ups and downs for districts
Ian Miller gives an overview of the latest decisions and indecisions to affect district councils.
Our economies are constrained by centuries old boundaries
Ian Miller calls for a bottom up approach to LEP boundaries in the future.
Calls for a new Audit Commission are an affront to localism
Ian Miller rejects recent calls for the reinvention of the Audit Commission.
Truth hates delay
The Government can’t keep using the 2017 General Election and work on Brexit as excuses for inaction, writes Ian Miller.
Let's hope the ministry works with us on finance
Ian Miller analyses the impacts of the finance settlement on districts.
Ian Miller: my biggest gripes at the moment
Ian Miller rounds up the biggest frustrations for district chiefs as another year draws to a close.
Planning authorities demand radical financial reforms
Ian Miller calls for planning authorities to be allowed to set fees on the basis of full cost recovery and charge a large multiple of council tax on incomplete homes.
What districts want
Ian Miller on what district councils would like to see from the Budget and local government finance settlement.
Where are district councils left under a minority Government?
Ian Miller demands early clarity on local government finance reform.
What the Tory manifesto means for district councils
Ian Miller breaks down the Conservative manifesto and analyses how, if the Tories are in power, their policies will impact on district councils.
Districts do far more than just collect council tax
Ian Miller rejects recent comments about the role of districts and highlights the important duties they carry out.
Questioning priorities
Taking evidence from the Autumn Statement, Ian Miller considers whether the Government's supposed priorities stand up to scrutiny.
Pressure on parishes
Government proposals on council tax referenda are worrying and parishes need to voice their concern, says Ian Miller
Billing authority role must remain
The Department for Communities and Local Government consultation paper, Self-sufficient local government: 100% Business Rates Retention, has been required reading this summer, writes Wyre Forest DC chief executive Ian Miller.
A threat to decision making
Ian Miller identifies worrying trends in the Government's drive towards standardisation of data