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Dr Jonathan Carr-West says the story of a city in Columbia can be seen as a warning of what can happen if local government does not have an active leadership role and the resources to act upon it,
Climate change is a challenge, but the trick will be to harness the agenda to redesign our towns and cities for the future, says Heather Jameson.
Paul O'Brien says the public will be fairly unforgiving if, having raised their expectations on public spending during the election campaign, they don't start to see evidence of this happening locally..
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Friday the 13th is usually seen as an unlucky day, says Tony Kirkham - but he hopes the next one is 'the first step on a safe transition, starting with a budget settlement which leads to a sustainable future for local government'.
Attempts to increase the range and diversity of election candidates in the US build on the work of the Local Government Association (LGA) Be a Councillor campaign, says Paul Wheeler.
What do senior managers do when they are very good at their role but realise they are increasingly unlikely to fulfil their ambition, asks Blair Mcpherson.
The arguments for creating large unitary authorities have not been developed in an evidence-based way, say Steve Leach and Colin Copus. How can the persistence of ‘reorganisation by stealth’ be explained?
An anonymous writer ponders the incongruity between what the centre expects from local government and the ‘nature, breadth and ferocity’ of the challenges councils are facing.
Nadira Hussain asks how the sector can future-proof continuous improvement when technology and ‘need’ evolve all the time.
Blair Mcpherson ponders a recruitment software package to be used in conjunction with video interviews which analyse a candidate’s performance. He would rather place his faith in the traditional panel interview.
Kate Kennally argues that, for Cornwall to catch up with the rest of the UK, the Shared Prosperity Fund must do exactly that: share prosperity. But she says real devolution of decision making to a local level is equally important.
The Turnaround Project aims to improve outcomes for primary aged children who are presenting with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties at school, says Charles Ellis.
Chancellor George Osborne should make a firm choice as to whether his election platform is one of austerity Toryism or one-nation Conservatism, writes Michael Burton.
The demise of local media is a loss for democracy. Michael Burton urges ministers and local authorities to work together to address the deficit.
