Poverty
Likely rent rises are ‘ticking time bomb’
Social housing rents could rise by up to 10% next April as tenants face a battle to survive the cost of living crisis.
Actions speak louder than words
Ross Mudie and Annabel Smith argue that plunging yet more people into hardship will lead to a rise in deprivation within the places most in need of levelling up – and make achieving several of the Government’s levelling up missions unfeasible.
The voluntary sector is not a surrogate for the state
Councils can and must show leadership to tackle the deep challenges of the years ahead – but a healthy and dynamic relationship with the local VCS also has a critical role to play, explains John Tizard.
Doing the right thing for children
With the direction of the Government’s policies for schools and SEND becoming clearer, the new president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services Steve Crocker speaks to Ann McGauran about his priorities for the next year.
Councils need radical thinking at a time of crisis
Professor Richard Murphy says councils need to cooperate to tackle the multiple crises faced by communities, and he puts forward four ways of addressing social need.
Using data to face the poverty crisis head-on
New analysis by Policy in Practice highlights that a million more people are expected to fall into poverty this April, says Mary-Alice Doyle. But the work also shows the potential for councils to unlock the power of their data.
The cost of living crisis needs a strong locally-led response
We need to use more collective imagination to build a more adaptive and empowered local state that can work in new ways with people to respond to current crises, says Jessica Studdert.
Cost of living crisis risks leaving levelling up ‘dead on arrival’
The Government’s levelling up agenda could be undermined by a deepening North-South divide exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, a think tank has warned.
The appliance of science
Nesta’s behavioural insights team have developed a toolkit to help councils run projects to increase engagement with childcare services. Fionnuala O’Reilly and Dave Wilson explain the approach.
Pushing on for community power
The Government has ‘disabled communities and then blamed them for their own inability to prosper’, according to Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner. Ann McGauran reports from this week’s Stronger Things event.
Districts deserved better planning from the centre on UKSPF cash
It will be interesting to see how councils can produce a complementary approach to local investments when they still don’t have the prospectus for the UKSPF or funding allocations, says Ian Miller.
Sunak’s statement misses the mark for the most vulnerable
The Government has made this mini budget more about political gestures than effecting real change, says Joanne Pitt at CIPFA.
Future Forum North: local government still lacks a plan for delivering sustainability
Local government still lacks both a plan for delivering sustainability and a way of measuring the impact of investment, says a Northern council director.
The implications of war for the world and our public services
Chris Tambini outlines the four main implications of the war in Ukraine for UK public services.
A cruel April looms
Even if support from the chancellor falls short, this is a time when councils still have an ability to mitigate the effects of the rising cost of living on the most vulnerable, says Dave Innes of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Help is at hand in Calderdale
Calderdale Council is offering a broad range of help to residents being hit by the cost of living crisis, says Cllr Tim Swift.
No green shoots from the Spring Statement
Sarah Longlands says that Westminster may be retreating to a pre-COVID state of policy inertia on the cost of living crisis, but there is no reason why local government should follow.
Will the current crises put paid to levelling up?
Local government is used to complexity, but what does the current crop of crises do for the domestic agenda, asks Heather Jameson - and just where are we now when it comes to levelling up?
Crisis planning in a time of change
We are now considering the impacts that the war in Ukraine may have on our local places, alongside the cost of living crisis, says Kersten England. It’s time for the Civil Contingencies Act to pivot its focus, she believes.
A testimony to optimism
Darra Singh ponders the legacy of good leadership, and the human resilience and compassion displayed in local communities during the last decade. He also considers how to make progress together on the challenges that blight society.
