Heather Jameson
Heather Jameson is editor of the MJ
Ministers in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
The letter on councils’ productivity, sent by local government minister Simon Hoare this week, borders on farcical, says Heather Jameson.
Agency will need to work with councils
Homes England chief executive Peter Denton has vowed to refocus efforts on delivering new housing in a market that desperately needs it, says Heather Jameson.
How to build a healthy economy
Social care, often seen as a millstone for councils facing financial challenges, has been turned into an opportunity by Stockton-on-Tees BC to create inclusive growth and tackle health inequalities all at once, writes Heather Jameson.
Has the time come to go ‘full Nye’ and innovate?
Reform has called for health to be given to local government. Heather Jameson says: 'It is unlikely under the existing government, while Labour currently looks more likely to centralise social care than localise national health.'
Crises to continue as we lurch towards a General Election
The MJ's 24-hour Future Forum summit cantered through a collection of catastrophes, says Heather Jameson. 'Perhaps we ought to conclude that watching local government is more like the Anatomy of a Fall. But at least it’s not quite Oppenheimer. Yet.'
Solace at 50
As Solace hits its 50th anniversary – alongside the anniversary of the 1974 local government reorganisation – Heather Jameson looks at the highlights of an essay collection launched to mark the occasion.
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.
Brum may turn to MD to cover chief exec exit
Birmingham City Council could hire a managing director to replace its departing chief executive, The MJ understands.
Structures should be 'rationalised,' Hoare tells DCN
Council funding should have been reformed by now and structures need to be ‘rationalised’ the local government minister told the District Councils’ Network (DCN) conference.
Cadman steps down as Birmingham chief
Deborah Cadman is to stand down as chief executive of Birmingham City Council after almost three years at the council.
A quick fix – but is there any choice?
With news of capitalisation directions being given to several councils, Heather Jameson asks if this risky measure – designed to provide fiscal support – will ultimately provide greater problems down the line.
Has the levelling up agenda died or is it only resting?
Levelling-up's recent political incarnation was designed to appeal to voters with a four-year attention span, says Heather Jameson. 'It was only a matter of time before the public noticed there was little life in the bird.'
Budget: Chancellor launches productivity push
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has unveiled a Budget with little respite for local government but demands for increased public sector productivity.
'Scorched earth' Budget likely to offer little for local government
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to unveil a ‘scorched earth’ Budget today, slashing National Insurance and leaving little left for public services.
Easing finances creates perverse incentives for failure
Capitalisation directions reward councils that are financially failing with the ability to raise taxes and borrow more - lumping future generations with a legacy of both inherited debt and decades of underfunded services, says Heather Jameson.
What are the chances of a Budget boost?
New SIGOMA analysis highlights the huge decline in funding in recent years and the sector desperately needs a boost, says Heather Jameson. 'But the chances of one arriving in a tax-slashing pre-election Budget are slim.'
Birmingham 'worse' than commissioners feared
The situation in Birmingham City Council is worse than commissioners expected, a report to the secretary of state has claimed.
Council tax bands need a regional overhaul
Heather Jameson asks: 'Will any incoming government rush to reform council tax? Will they be braver and take on wider public finance reform?'
Local government figures made peers
Local government has been recognised in the latest round of peerages, with two senior figures heading to the House of Lords.
It’s time for a ‘big bang’ to fix our workforce
'There is a need to rethink workloads across the public sector, to harness new technologies to do the grunt work while staff focus on the things only people can provide', says Heather Jameson.