Author Profile

Paul O'Brien

Paul O'Brien

Paul O'Brien is chief executive of APSE

Articles by Paul O'Brien

The clock is tickling

By Paul O’Brien | 19 September 2021

Local government is awaiting the outcome of some important announcements in the next couple of mo...

Let's see some fair play

By Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson | 14 September 2021

A new report makes the case for a radical new approach to secure their future of local sports and...

'Growing our own' jobs will require investment in local councils

By Paul O’Brien | 27 July 2021

If Government wants to maximise the bang for its buck in levelling up the country, then it must s...

System reset required: go to settings

By Paul O'Brien | 21 July 2021

As the APSE Local Government Commission 2030 launches its findings, Paul O’Brien says we need a b...

Reaping the benefits from urban green space need not cost the earth

By Paul O’Brien | 02 June 2021

Urban areas, even those that are densely populated, can still play host to biologically diverse p...

How do we empower and support councillors?

By Paul O’Brien | 08 April 2021

With Super Thursday looming on May 6, Paul O'Brien argues that a radical system reset may be need...

Small steps matter on climate change

By Paul O’Brien | 09 February 2021

Tackling climate change is becoming fundamental to everything we do. Knowing how your service can...

Councils are key to our climate goals

By Paul O'Brien | 02 February 2021

There is universal agreement that climate change targets can’t be achieved if councils are exclud...

The sector needs to reflect the trust placed in us by the public

By Paul O'Brien | 03 December 2020

The message from the public is loud and clear, says Paul O’Brien. ‘They like, value and trust loc...

Another false dawn?

By Paul O’Brien | 24 November 2020

Next month’s energy White Paper and a longer-term comprehensive spending review than currently p...