Eighteen is known as an exciting age. It is an age synonymous with unprecedented freedom, when the phrases ‘the world is your oyster’ and ‘what’s next is up to you’ are never far from earshot. While some eighteen-year olds would agree with this as they look forward to going on to further education, into employment […]
This article first appeared on the Local Government Chronicle on 11th May 2018 Dear James, welcome to the strangest job in Whitehall. You are now leading a sector that is consumed by four big issues over which your department holds limited responsibility at best: economic growth, adult social care, children’s services and funding. It’s got […]
Recent data on the Government’s Right to Buy (RtB) housing policy has cast further doubt on the initiative’s feasibility. With councils having been unable to channel the resources provided from the sale of housing stock on new homes, as well as further spending restrictions, the policy is reducing the volume of local government-held housing stock. […]
This was first published in the Local Government Chronicle on 8th May 2018 After the celebration of victory comes an eye-opening and somewhat shocking week for new councillors elected last Thursday. Many of the pressures they will hear about in their initial briefings and inductions will not come as news: absurdly tight budgets, further cuts, […]
NLGN is today launching our latest Innovation Briefing, exclusively for our members. This focusses on how local authorities are using co-production to transform their services and make sure they meet the needs of the people who use them. For more information about NLGN membership and the range of benefits involved, please contact Richard Nelmes, Head […]
We know our staff are our biggest asset and at a time of limited resources we need to ensure we are utilising their full potential. We deploy operational staff in communities every day, collecting the bins, cutting the grass and picking up litter. These people know the local area they work in, they recognise the […]
The UK Government has consistently maintained that there is ongoing dialogue with local government on Brexit. However, there are growing question marks over the extent to which this ‘dialogue’ is giving local government a platform to inform and assist central Government’s Brexit preparations. Recent evidence clearly indicates that local government leaders are feeling sidelined from […]
This article first appeared in the LGC on 17 April 2018 The news that the British National Party no longer has any representation in local government following the resignation of its last remaining councillor has been welcomed across the political spectrum. It is probably the last nail for a Party that a decade ago could […]
