IPPR
Help councils unlock their true power
With LGA plans for a local government White Paper gathering pace, Lord Bichard reiterates the importance of councils being afforded a genuine partnership with central government – something he feels the next government must establish as a matter of priority.
Home Office 'chaos' leaves thousands of illegal arrivals in 'perma-backlog'
The Government’s struggling asylum policy has heaped significant demand on cities’ housing services, experts have warned.
‘Bad health blackspots’ hold back growth
Stark health inequalities are restricting economic growth, new research has found.
The dire state of local government finances risks undermining devolution
'Failing to put local government finances on a sustainable footing could undermine the progress both parties have made towards devolving power to communities', says Zoë Billingham.
Ending the uncertainty
The North could reap the benefits of a focused long-term industrial strategy for meeting net zero, explains Ryan Swift.
The next level begins
Last month saw the Levelling Up Act receive Royal Assent, but what will that actually mean for local authorities? Martin Ford takes a look.
Devolution debates dominate
At the Labour conference, devolution was a major theme of Keir Starmer’s speech. It was reassuring to see regional rebalancing lives on but there are still big questions to answer on all sides of the political spectrum, says Zoë Billingham.
EXCLUSIVE: Home Office struggle to deliver Sunak's asylum backlog pledge
Home Office officials are struggling to deliver Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s promise to clear a huge backlog of legacy asylum cases this year, figures shared with councils have suggested.
Asylum ‘perma-backlog’ to impact councils
Reforms to the UK’s asylum system are likely to pile more pressure on councils struggling to support unaccompanied children, a new report has found.
Centralisation is the real problem in the ULEZ debate
While mayors are grappling with the implications of facing the important issue of air quality, central Government is making local action to clean up the air we breathe as difficult as possible, says Zoë Billingham.
Gender equality: we still have a problem
In the Liverpool City Region, all seven members of the combined authority board are now male, says Rosie Lockwood. With women 'still locked out of power', she sets out three ideas for ensuring devolution does democracy better than before.
Unpredictable polls
There are reasons to expect this next set of local election results will be more unpredictable than usual, writes director of the think-tank IPPR North, Zoë Billingham.
Asylum seekers could be left in 'limbo' by Bill
Ministers risk leaving vulnerable asylum seekers in ‘limbo’ and reliant on scarce council funding unless amendments are made to the Illegal Migration Bill, experts have warned.
Funding atomisation must be fixed
Jack Shaw says that by atomising the funding for tackling inequalities, Whitehall have a partial image of the challenges facing local authorities. Fixing this is essential and devolution must be part of the vision, he believes.
Labour urged to boost National Wealth Fund
Labour has been urged to boost its proposed National Wealth Fund and take a ‘strong locally-led approach to investment’.
The Government needs to be bold on devo to ensure levelling up success
Rosie Lockwood says a single grant for mayoral combined authorities could pave the way for a more progressive and effective way of doing devolution.
Call to 'hardwire' levelling up into law
A call has been made for levelling up to be ‘hardwired into law’ by a coalition of councils and businesses in the north of England.
A route to more resilient communities
Amreen Qureshi highlights new research looking at the causes of social isolation and loneliness amongst migrant communities in Yorkshire and Humber, and what can be done to promote connections.
Solace: Capital spending will shrink overall
Capital spending in local government will still shrink overall despite chancellor Jeremy Hunt declaring infrastructure a ‘growth priority,’ senior officers’ group Solace has said.
It's never too late to turn things around
Amreen Qureshi says Truss can yet commit to, and deliver, the levelling up agenda by prioritising skills, health and the quality of our homes while committing to delivering backbone infrastructure to the North.