Funding
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.
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.
Counties warn of test and trace ‘missed opportunity’
Calls for more support for local contact tracing have been redoubled after the national system’s success rate plummeted.
Councils told to tackle funding through diversity
Increasing the level of diversity in local government is key to tackling the sector’s funding gap, according to one expert in the field.
Report calls for fundamental reform
The handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the ‘dysfunctional relationship’ between central and local government, a report has argued today.
Manchester predicts £136m budget gap
The city council is braced to take a hit to its income from its airport investments in 2021/22.
Croydon leader resigns amid financial turmoil
The leader of Croydon LBC has stood down as the council prepares a bid to the Government to stave off a Section 114 notice.
Budget cancellation ‘unacceptable’
The cancellation of the autumn Budget has created 'huge uncertainty,' the Scottish Government has said.
Councils secure £10m to help homeless this winter
Councils will receive a new £10m Cold Weather Fund to help rough sleepers stay safe this winter.
Trust districts to do what’s needed
A lower PWLB borrowing rate would make a significant difference to the viability and deliverability of regeneration schemes, argues Simone Hines.
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.
Fixing local government’s financial plumbing
The inevitable result of the funding framework for councils is a disempowered local government, underserved citizens and wasted public money, says Lizzie Insall. She says the sustainable solution lies in ‘fixing the plumbing of local government finance’.
Digitising the front door to care
A new 'white paper' report by consultancy Agilisys outlines how technology can help lead the rethink of the care sector. Author Steve Morgan talks to Michael Burton of The MJ about some of the solutions.
Dorset Council braces for £43m overspend
The coronavirus crisis has cost the council around £60m.
Joint call for increased funding to help rough sleepers
A host of health and homelessness organisations have implored the Government to take ‘bold action’ and help councils bring rough sleepers off the streets this winter.
Cities have 'gone backwards towards a centralising tendency'
Cities have ‘gone backwards’ towards a centralising tendency in response to COVID-19 and in relation to the proposals in the Planning White Paper, says Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
Together, we can strengthen the UK's economic recovery
The LGA’s Spending Review submission sets out how councils can be the driver to achieve shared priorities between central and local government, says Cllr James Jamieson.
It’s time for Government to level up
There's still time to avoid levelling up becoming Boris Johnson’s Big Society, writes Sir Bob Kerslake - and two papers from the LGA and UK 2070 should be warmly welcomed by the Government as valuable contributions to their goal to build back better.
Grappling with the long tail of the pandemic
It doesn’t matter how much the capacity and availability of testing is increased or how much the contact-tracing system is improved if people are simply going to ignore the instructions, says Claire Kober.
Bexley faces £13m overspend
The London borough has forecast this year’s budget will be exceeded by almost 10% in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
