As its annual conference closes, and a flurry of new policy announcements add to last year’s manifesto, Labour’s agenda continues to take shape. While Brexit negotiations still dominate these unpredictable political times, how far is it possible to identify in practice what a Labour Government might mean for local government? Patching together the “known knowns” […]
It has become so rare to hear national politicians talk about returning power over schools to councils that Angela Rayner’s forthright speech to the Labour conference came as something of a surprise. In an agenda-setting intervention, the Shadow Secretary for Education, declared academisation and free schools dead and attacked multi-academy trusts. Instead, a Labour Government […]
What would a No Deal Brexit mean for the UK? With only six months remaining until the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019, this is the burning question currently preoccupying the UK Government. At the time of writing, 52 papers outlining the likely impact of No Deal on various aspects of UK economy […]
At the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales we are often challenging local authorities around commissioning and contracting and how too often it excludes or marginalises small and local charities. We will continue to make the case that councils should make greater use of grants and do more to support and work with local […]
The relationship between councils and communities is shifting. The traditional role of the council as primarily a “service deliver” has diminishing impact in a context of reduced budgets, rising demand and shifting public expectations. There is increasing recognition that council role needs to become that of an “action enabler” – not always directing or leading, […]
At the heart of any social mobility agenda lies the notion that there is a route out of poverty. For many, it is our education system that equips those from disadvantaged backgrounds with the necessary skills and qualifications to compete in the labour market. Although 2017 marked the year that 18 year olds from all […]
The demand pressures on children’s services have been rising up the policy agenda. There have been repeated calls to the government to allocate more resources to supporting children’s services. The LGA, National Children’s Bureau, the Children’s Society and Action for Children have all warned the government about an “unprecedented surge in demand leaving services across […]
Local government finance has been making headlines recently, for all the wrong reasons. As news broke that Northamptonshire County Council is now considering a “radical plan” to cut back services to the minimum, increasingly questions are being raised about the wider health of the local government sector. The Northants case is an outlier, having issued […]
