Gary Porter
County areas chase devo dream
County areas are lining up to strike one of the first tranche of devolution deals.
EXCLUSIVE: Porter intervention in waste plans
A former Conservative chairman of the Local Government Association has angrily criticised the Environment Bill’s waste reform proposals.
Porter’s building legacy
Diary favourite, Lord Porter, has been appointed as a non-exec director by communities secretary Robert Jenrick.
LGA removes criticised fire safety guidance from website
The Local Government Association (LGA) finally removed fire safety guidance hosted on its website that had been heavily criticised after the Grenfell Tower blaze.
Lack of data is hampering local responses to new virus variant, says Lord Porter
District councils are unable to deliver a local response to the new variant of COVID-19 due to a lack of ‘accurate, good quality data’, according to Lord Porter of Spalding.
Only chip shop chips will do
At these times of social distancing, the local government Twitterati have perhaps been more active than normal.
Support right across the political divide
In the middle of a ‘brutal’ General Election campaign, Paul Wheeler pays tribute to the Local Government Association’s 20 years of cross-party political leadership programmes and peer reviews
Government's building safety appointment was 'a mistake', says Porter
Former Local Government Association (LGA) chairman Lord Porter has branded the appointment of Dame Judith Hackitt as government adviser on a new building safety regulator ‘a mistake’.
‘Reform of this broken system cannot come soon enough’
The first phase report of the Grenfell public inquiry may have focused on the weaknesses in the fire and rescue service’s response, but there was much for local authorities to take away, says Paul Marinko.
Confidence collapses as statutory services face meltdown
Research by LGA reveals councils will struggle to meet legal obligations within three years.
The clock is ticking on the push for devolution
There will be little bandwidth for local government policy in the coming months, says Heather Jameson. Her lesson to the victor of the LGA's very own leadership election is: don't wait.
Bringing in the changes
If the Government fails to adequately fund local government there is a real risk to the future financial viability of some services and councils, writes Mark Lloyd as the LGA annual conference gets into full swing.
Councils must fill the vacuum at the top of government
Some might argue that central Government should be the sector to provide the reassurance to local government that it has a clue about what to do next, says Michael Burton
Jamieson beats Simmonds and Fleming to take over from Porter
Central Bedfordshire Council leader James Jamieson will be the next Local Government Association (LGA) chairman, The MJ understands.
LGA politics in a time of turmoil
As the sector descends on Bournemouth for the Local Government Association conference this week, the four political groups outline their priorities for the coming year.
Devolution agenda ‘going backwards’ – Lord Porter
The devolution agenda has ‘gone backwards,’ the outgoing chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), Lord Porter, has said.
Last orders
Lord Gary Porter of Spalding, chairman of the Local Government Association, is getting ready to step down after his four-year term. Heather Jameson talks to him about his legacy – and the highs and lows of his time at the top.
Gary’s leaving his mark
Local Government Association (LGA) chairman Lord Porter has got to be local government’s comeback king, hauled back from the brink of retirement more times than Frank Sinatra.
Are LA housing companies the way forward?
Councils are increasingly creating companies to deliver their social housing needs, The MJ and Norse recently organised a round table debate to discuss the barriers to delivering housing delivery through these vehicles. Michael Burton reports
United view?
Chair of the LGA Lord Porter says the smaller unitaries have ‘probably a larger number of councils close to the edge’. But as Ann McGauran reports, it may be hard to generalise about the financial health of this ‘disparate group’.
