Sir Merrick Cockell
Managing with No Overall Control: tools for collaboration
With a large number of councils declaring No Overall Control Sir Merrick Cockell and Luke Muir look at the challenges and the lessons that can be learnt to effectively implement the will of their electorate.
Some sorely needed investment
Sir Merrick Cockell asks how will volatility in the financial markets impact on local government pension funds?
When your bond is your word
Sir Merrick Cockell examines New Zealand’s municipal bonds agency and asks what lessons can be learned by the UK
Creating an ideal partnership
Pooling public sector pension funds is the way forward for investment in infrastructure argues Sir Merrick Cockell, but there needs to be an efficient mechanism in place to match projects with sponsors
Where the funding falls
Former LGA chair Sir Merrick Cockell casts his expert eye over the Spending Review and explains how local government has fared
Looking beyond Westminster: the local picture
Sir Merrick Cockell ponders the significance of last week's local elections.
Fixed-cost political opportunities?
Local government, which is no stranger to fixed-term administrations, should take advantage of a likely minority government to innovate, collaborate, and drive a revolution in local public services provision, argue Sir Merrick Cockell and David Rees.
The general election is a sideshow: look local
With the wall-to-wall coverage of the build up to the election campaign, you could be forgiven for thinking that local politics is on hold. Nothing could be further from the truth, writes Sir Merrick Cockell.
Technological triumphs for everyday use
2014 was the year of wearable technology – from smart watches to intelligent glasses – with over 19 million devices sold globally. The trend is likely to continue, with forecasts suggesting that 130 million devices will be sold by 2018. David Rees and Sir Merrick Cockell scrutinise the benefits for local government
Divided devolution
Sir Merrick Cockell says the chancellor's warm words for local government in the Autumn Statement belied the prospect of more painful spending cuts and a failure to properly tackle the question of English devolution.
Keep party politics out of our message
Sir Merrick Cockell reflects on his accomplishments as chairman of the Local Government Association and urges the sector to continue on the cross-party path to finish what has been started.
Time to make a commitment
Sir Merick Cockell wants a central government pledge for grown-up local government
Foundations for the future
In times as tough as these, it feels like every LGA conference takes on a greater sense of importance than ever writes Sir Merrick Cockell.
