Martin Ford
Tory mayor claims Whitehall blocking devolution
One of the biggest challenges to devolution comes from civil servants, the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, James Palmer, has claimed.
Doubts raised over mass testing rollout
Public health officials have questioned the feasibility and effectiveness of extending mass COVID-19 testing in tier three areas.
Flood funding for councils may not be enough, watchdog finds
The Government is unable to prove councils have enough funding for flood defences, a spending watchdog has discovered.
Recovery plans key to levelling up
Government ambitions for levelling up depend on councils being given funds to fulfil local recovery plans, the All Party Parliamentary Group on devolution has been told.
Ofsted warns of unseen child abuse
Opportunities to protect children at risk of harm are being missed due to the pandemic, Ofsted has warned.
Spending Review: Public sector pay increase for low earners
Public sector worker wage increases will be limited to the lowest paid, the chancellor has announced this afternoon.
Croydon's property firm ‘entirely dependent’ on council funding
Croydon LBC has come in for heavy criticism over the performance of its property company.
Bedford chief calls time on 43-year career
The chief executive of Bedford BC, Philip Simpkins, has announced he will be stepping down from the role.
Derbyshire to appoint managing executive director for a year
Since 2017, three executive directors have effectively shared the role of chief executive at Derbyshire in a ‘collective leadership’ model.
PPE supply for care workers was 'inadequate'
The social care sector was ‘left to fend for itself’ during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an investigation into supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Exit pay cap legal proceedings begin
Council workers face an anxious wait as legal proceedings have been formally launched against the Government over its exit pay cap.
Portsmouth no longer taking in asylum seeking children
The council is providing support to three times its quota of children.
Surge support required for local test and trace
Council-run test and trace systems cannot entirely replace the national system, the Local Government Association (LGA) has conceded.
Watchdog mauls asylum system
Councils are being given little or no notice when asylum seekers are moved into their areas, a report has found.
‘Challenges’ remain despite Brexit funding
Concerns remain about the looming end of the Brexit transition period despite councils receiving £10m to aid preparations.
Councils uncovered COVID-19 figures error
An error in recording the location of COVID-19 cases has been rectified by Public Health England (PHE) weeks after it was discovered by councils.
LGA presses to move powers out of London
Moving powers from the capital to the regions is more important than moving civil servants, the chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
Care staff concerns as demand set to peak
Concerns have been voiced about staffing levels in children’s services as the COVID-19 second wave takes its toll.
Government accused of 'political' COVID funding
Officers at Hampshire CC have accused the Government of awarding funding based on politics rather than financial need.
Remove 'adversarial' funding to level up regions
Removing competition from local authority funding is needed to level up the country, a think-tank has concluded in a new report.
