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Paul O'Brien

Paul O'Brien

Paul O'Brien is chief executive of APSE

Articles by Paul O'Brien

Putting parks at the heart of our places

By Paul O’Brien | 08 November 2022

When the going got tough during the pandemic, local parks and green spaces were seen as the jewel...

Will the new PM trust councils to develop policy solutions and deliver them?

By Paul O'Brien | 15 September 2022

This winter many will turn to councils for support, says Paul O'Brien. 'The Government, now led b...

Time for a system reset

By Paul O’Brien | 19 July 2022

Paul O'Brien says the new Prime Minister should think about a system reset away from a failed cen...

Planning for the Future

By Fiona Howie | 07 June 2022

Paul O’Brien and Fiona Howie outline the key findings from a report that argues the UK will not m...

Let's work together on the most important agenda of our time

By Paul O’Brien | 25 May 2022

Paul O'Brien says policy on permitted development rights 'continues to work against a co-ordinate...

Think big, act local, start now

By Paul O’Brien | 29 March 2022

Communities will look to their local authority for further support with the cost of living crisis...

'Roaring Twenties' could end up as a whimper

By Paul O’Brien | 01 February 2022

'As with the 1920s, today's economic and political landscape is strewn with messy public policy i...

Will funding land next month to help levelling up?

By Paul O’Brien | 17 November 2021

Councils will await with interest December’s annual financial settlement to see where funding lan...

Good Cop or Bad Cop?

By Mo Baines | 16 November 2021

Financial predators may already be circling in answer to the question of where local government’s...

It is the right time to invest in all of our futures

By Paul O'Brien | 24 October 2021

As we head towards COP26, Paul O’Brien says we should not settle for anything less than a key rol...