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Martin Ford

Martin Ford

Articles by Martin Ford

Future Forum North: Redmond urges faster audit reform

By Martin Ford | 08 December 2023

Sir Tony Redmond said reforms should be introduced more quickly to resolve the crisis in local au...

Future Forum North: Dispelling AI 'doom and gloom'

By Martin Ford | 08 December 2023

A call was made to shift the focus of the artificial intelligence (AI) debate to its potential be...

Future Forum North: Questions over sector regulation

By Martin Ford | 08 December 2023

Questions have been raised about the role of regulation in the local government sector at the MJ ...

Future Forum North: Higher taxes bring little cheer for public services

By Martin Ford | 08 December 2023

The future for funding public services looks bleak despite record levels of taxation, the MJ’s Fu...

Future Forum North: Councils need to be 'part of the solution'

By Martin Ford | 08 December 2023

The local government sector must take a role in finding long-term solutions to the challenges fac...

Future Forum North: Monitoring officers need 'seat at top table'

By Martin Ford | 08 December 2023

More work is needed to bolster the role of the monitoring officer in councils, the MJ Future Foru...

Gove in 'crying wolf' claim

By Martin Ford | 06 December 2023

Local government secretary Michael Gove has claimed some people in the sector have ‘been crying w...

Minister shrugs off election concerns

By Martin Ford | 06 December 2023

Fears that pressures on elections officials will leave them overwhelmed at the next General Elect...

One in five councils 'likely' to issue section 114

By Martin Ford | 06 December 2023

Almost one in five councils believe bankruptcy is likely within two years, while doubt hangs over...

Election fears raised with ministers

By Martin Ford | 05 December 2023

Concern among council officers was detailed in a new Government-commissioned report on the implem...