Communities
Bracing for the ASB challenge
Rebecca Bryant says the rise in anti-social behaviour since the start of COVID-19 restrictions must be addressed – but the tools to tackle it head-on ‘are available at our fingertips’.
Nurturing a close community partnership
Community solidarity and social activism should not be seen as a willingness by the voluntary and community sector to step in where the State should act and provide, says John Tizard.
COVID continues to threaten our statutory obligations to our communities
If Government enforces Tier 3 then it must be prepared to support local councils to protect the vulnerable and those whose incomes will be severely affected, argues chair of Core Cities UK Cllr Judith Blake.
Building a New Local
NLGN has changed its name to New Local. Professor Donna Hall says the network will have the same objectives, but they will be expanded to welcome a wider range of sectors. But there will be ‘no watering down of the focus on local government’.
The power of small things
Elinor Ostrom was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in economics. Simon Kaye argues that her ‘criminally neglected’ work could be a ‘call-to-action for a new type of society that prioritises local democracy and autonomous communities’.
Councils’ bonding role in relationships
Since the start of the pandemic, 10 million more citizens are spending time each week helping their neighbours, says Tony Clements. He looks at councils’ ‘important but nuanced role’ in sustaining this activity.
An online lifeline for Watford's high street
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor has announced a new partnership pilot that will see Watford become the UK’s first-ever WhatsApp High Street.
Seeing social care through a different lens
Social care is much more than elderly people and hospital discharges, says Cllr David Fothergill. Many people are working-age adults with severe learning disabilities, and the Government needs to widen its scope of what care encompasses.
Is there a local government blueprint?
If the sector misplaces its energies into structural reform, the point of what matters most may be missed, says Nathan Elvery. He argues that local government should perhaps instead select what works, and shape places and enable lives accordingly.
The importance of ‘getting’ all the tiers of the local
A belief that central Government doesn’t ‘get’ councils was a theme at The MJ Future Forum. But Jonathan Flowers argues we need to look at our own localism issues.
Central government needs to stand back
Dr Jonathan Carr-West asks if anyone has any sense of a sustained strategic focus on tackling the pandemic from government, and he feels only local government can manage the alignment of social, environmental and economic recovery that we need.
Any further loosening of planning laws would be a disaster for towns and cities
Cllr Faisal Rana of Rochdale MBC argues that the government's planning White Paper will have a devastating impact on all Greater Manchester’s local communities.
Towns Fund selection ‘warps economy’
Controversy over the selection process for the Towns Fund has led a campaign group to call for an end to ‘first past the post politics’.
Barrow urged to ‘maintain momentum’
New ways of working and increased staff capacity will be required to tackle the challenges faced by Barrow BC, a corporate peer challenge has concluded.
How councils can reshape the future of high streets
Local authorities—many of whom are landlords — now have a unique opportunity to regenerate and transform our high streets for the future, say Andrew Knowles and Leena Gillespie.
New Inclusive Growth Network to drive local economic recovery
Launched today, the Inclusive Growth Network will showcase the successes of local leaders in delivering a better, bolder vision for people and places across the UK, says Charlotte Alldritt.
Devolution must back our success in delivery
The pandemic has proved again that bigger Government is not always better, says John Fuller. 'We have to celebrate the differences across our towns and cities, connecting and firing up engines of growth that have so far missed out from devolution'.
Time 'lost' when centre and local at odds over COVID
Effective global responses to COVID-19 depend on local leadership as the 'critical convenor' and time is lost when national and local authorities are ‘at odds with each other’, according to international policy experts.
Inspiring a new generation
Future First works with state schools and colleges to link young people with alumni and employers, making it the perfect fit this year as the official charity for the The MJ Awards, says Nancy Scott.
Whole-place approach for a COVID-ready city
Globally, it has been shown that local leadership is the critical convenor in effective responses to COVID-19, say David Nabarro and John Atkinson, adding that time is lost where national and local authorities are at odds with each other.
