Coronavirus
Councils gain COVID enforcement powers
Councils are to be given new powers to issue businesses with improvement notices and close premises if they breach coronavirus restrictions.
Burnham calls for national-local reset
Greater Manchester’s Labour mayor Andy Burnham has called for a ‘reset’ between national and local government after going to war with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Levelling up or pushing down?
Stoke-on-Trent has been the victim of the repeated failure of regional economic policy, say Steven Griggs, Stephen Hall and Martin Jones. They ask if localism can deliver alone for the city or anywhere else.
Chancellor announces new support package for businesses
The chancellor Rishi Sunak has increased support for workers and jobs hit by tougher COVID-19 restrictions following a barrage of protests from businesses, particularly those in Tier 2 areas.
Jenrick announces allocations for £1bn council funding
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed allocations for individual councils from the £1bn of extra funding announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Advocacy services remain crucial despite COVID pressures
Councils must ensure social care providers understand that the legal obligations to refer to advocacy services remain fully in place during COVID, says Jonathan Senker.
This is not devolution – this is not even centralism
‘Once the poster-child for devolution, Manchester is now being treated as the bad boy of politics – on the naughty step for daring to ask for a good deal for its residents’, says Heather Jameson.
Coronavirus leads to scrapping of three-year Spending Review
Plans to create a three-year settlement for public spending have been abandoned as latest figures show the havoc coronavirus is wreaking on the public finances.
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.
Persist and survive
We will get through and beyond the ‘six-month wall’ and survive this crisis by working together and looking out for each other, says president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services James Bullion.
Working together to protect care homes in Leicester
Leicester’s success in stopping COVID-related deaths in care homes is due to data, system working and trust , says the city council's strategic director for social care and education Martin Samuels.
Thinking correctly under pressure
'Connecting, communicating and collaborating with our teams has never been more important than now,' says Kathy O'Leary.
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.
Where are the homes this winter?
COVID has shown we need even more affordable housing and further government initiatives to tackle rising levels of homelessness made worse by the pandemic’s economic impact, writes Robert Pollock.
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’.
Lancashire deficit to reach £79m
The financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has left Lancashire CC facing a deficit of £79.3m by 2023/24.
Tiers of trouble
More than half of England’s population is now living under high or very high-alert postcode COVID-19 restrictions. Ann McGauran asks if the new measures are sufficient, and looks at their impact on centre-local relations.
Greater Manchester will move into Tier 3 as talks collapse
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Greater Manchester will head into Tier 3 restrictions on Friday after talks with local leaders broke up without a deal.
EXCLUSIVE: IT frustrates district access to shielded patient list
An IT shambles frustrated government attempts to share the shielded patient list (SPL) directly with district councils, The MJ has learnt.
