Reorganisation
Local government loses 'strongest advocate' Rowsell
Tributes have been paid across the local government sector following the sudden death of Paul Rowsell.
Wanted: fiscal reform not fiscal frustration
'To bemoan any Government’s inability to take difficult political decisions when it has been in power for 14 years is to wriggle out of collective responsibility', says Heather Jameson.
Councils moved through crisis with warmth and grace
Local government’s regulatory decision-making framework may often be perceived by those outside of its service as cumbersome, but look at the alternative, says Mo Baines.
Goodbye two-tier
Without a big injection of cash to sustain it in existence, a two-tier structure of councils will be deemed no longer sustainable, says former levelling up secretary Greg Clark.
Bigger may not be better
In their new book Steve Leach and Colin Copus conclude there is no consistent or conclusive evidence that increases in council size improve performance.
Learning the stark lessons from a crisis
Slough Council’s sacked chief executive Josie Wragg reflects on ways to predict organisational instability and the risks of a tragic outcome as pressures on local government’s top officers increase. Ann McGauran reports.
The art of retaining staff in difficult times
Martin Tucker and Emma Haddleton share their views on the positive leadership steps that can ensure your top talent continues to grow with your organisation.
Building a post-merger Bucks
Clive Jones describes how merging five councils into one unitary authority led to a streamlined revenues and benefits service with potential savings of around £725,000 and improved services
The size conspiracy
The journey towards implementing the recommendations in the Redcliffe-Maud report is based on the fundamentally flawed idea that bigger local government is always better than its smaller counter-parts, argues Colin Copus.
Clark: Time to simplify local government
The time has come for local government reorganisation and for councils to be given more power, former levelling up secretary Greg Clark has said.
Unfinished business
Greg Clark has been local government secretary twice. He speaks to Heather Jameson about the need to do more on devolution, why intervention should be a last resort and the need to talk about a simpler system of local government.
Manchester 'frustrated' at pace of devolution
Manchester’s leader has said there is ‘a long way to go’ to meet the city’s devolution ambitions.
Districts hit back at compulsory unitarisation call
District councils have defended their role in revitalising local economies after a think-tank advocated wholesale unitarisation.
Off the grid
Westmorland and Furness was among the new unitary councils to officially come into being this month, but it has not been without its hiccups.
Planning officers 'unsupported' following reorganisation
A lack of preparation during reorganisation left West Northamptonshire Council’s planning department ‘ill equipped’ and ‘unsupported,’ members have admitted.
Giant county unitaries run counter to people power
The challenge to the new unitaries is to prove that, far from being a distant monolith, they can indeed be a force for localism, says Sam Chapman-Allen.
Raring to go
Councils are preparing to celebrate becoming unitaries on 1 April. Paul Marinko talks to the key players and gets advice from those who have been through the process.
A cheer for Vesting Day
As councils gear up to become unitaries on 1 April. Andy Starkie offers advice on how to make the most of this momentous change.
Lincolnshire districts back unitary idea
A partnership of three district councils has backed the idea of becoming a unitary to help secure a Lincolnshire-wide devolution deal.
An agent of change
Unitarisation was a positive thing for Buckinghamshire, says chief executive Rachael Shimmin. Dan Peters talks to her about the reorganisation process, why levelling up is the right policy and the importance of making a difference.