Data

  • Home Office admits 'more we can and need to do'

    30 November 2023

    More needs to be done to share data and improve communications with councils, Home Office mandarins have admitted.


  • Making sure accountancy stays rewarding and exciting

    29 November 2023

    'Technology and social value are with us now, but we are reacting, not leading. We need to start planning to use it to retain and attract talent', says Michael Hudson.


  • Curating a good council and government system

    21 November 2023

    Ed Hammond says Oflog has the potential to make Government's actions and interventions more predictable and evidence-based.


  • A call for clarity on Oflog

    20 November 2023

    The Office for Local Government has sparked a flurry of passionate views within the sector. Stuart Hoddinott calls for clarity over how it will balance a more interventionist approach alongside a role as a ‘good faith convenor’ of councils.


  • EXCLUSIVE: Oflog pushes ahead with early warning system

    13 November 2023

    Senior Oflog officials are pressing ahead with their plans to create an early warning system for councils in trouble despite continuing Local Government Association (LGA) resistance, The MJ understands.


  • Wales struggles to spend UKSPF cash

    13 November 2023

    Wales has topped the list of regions for the amount of UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) cash unable to be spent in 2022-23.


  • Supported housing struggles exposed in PAC report

    10 November 2023

    The strained supported housing sector is blighted by fraud, inadequate financial resources and missing data, a damning report has found.


  • Prevention is still better than cure

    08 November 2023

    Solving the public health crisis means preventing the next one, and looking beyond the NHS, according to Ruth Luscombe.


  • Autumn Statement: why we need real reform

    30 October 2023

    As the Autumn Statement draws closer, Simon Christian says only complete fiscal reform will unlock the revenue funding needed for core public services, but the debate cannot stop at financial changes alone.


  • Oflog moves to expand remit

    27 October 2023

    The new Office for Local Government (Oflog) watchdog has proposed to widen its scope to five new service areas.


  • Keeping a closer eye on the data

    23 October 2023

    Are councils making use of data to streamline services? Certainly the Government, in launching Oflog, believes there is more potential. At a recent round table debate data experts from local authorities discussed the challenges. Martin Ford reports on the highlights.


  • How to unlock £19bn in benefits

    18 October 2023

    As councils grapple with the cost of living crisis, Deven Ghelani explains how they can use data to help residents access benefits and ease the pressure.


  • Scottish and Welsh councils outperform England for ethnicity data

    17 October 2023

    Scottish and Welsh councils are outperforming their English counterparts for publishing workforce ethnicity data, a new report has revealed.


  • Have your say on the future of population and migration statistics

    13 October 2023

    Councils’ input is critical to providing evidence for the ONS’ recommendations on the future of population and migration statistics and the census, says Jen Woolford.


  • Home Office under fresh asylum pressure

    10 October 2023

    The Home Office came under fresh pressure this week to overhaul the mandatory National Transfer Scheme (NTS) for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC).


  • Solving the school run

    05 October 2023

    Contrary to popular opinion, active travel isn’t the only answer to school run congestion - data can help too, says Pooya Kamvari. 


  • Top Talent: HR & OD

    04 October 2023

    Starfish Top Talent celebrates the up and coming HR and OD stars in the sector - and here are just some of them.


  • EXCLUSIVE: Council warning over asylum communication

    03 October 2023

    ‘Limited’ Home Office communication over asylum – including poor data sharing - continues to stymie efforts to resolve accommodation problems, councils have warned.


  • Combatting colossal challenges - future-proofing local authorities

    03 October 2023

    With the right partner, cloud-based solutions are a more cost-effective route to modernisation than many in the public sector expect, says Anton Roe.


  • The sound of overstretched elastic bands snapping?

    02 October 2023

    The budget setting process provides an insight into how sensitivity to the political undercurrents plays into the role of the chief executive, says Blair Mcpherson.