Coronavirus leads to scrapping of three-year Spending Review
October 21, 2020
Plans to create a three-year settlement for public spending have been abandoned as latest figures show the havoc coronavirus is wreaking on the public finances.
News
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Greater Manchester will move into Tier 3 as talks collapse
October 20, 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Greater Manchester will head into Tier 3 restrictions on Friday after talks with local leaders broke up without a deal.
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Reorganisation battle lines drawn over think-tank report
October 20, 2020
The bitter war of words between counties and districts over reorganisation stepped up this week as battle lines were drawn around a new think-tank report.
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EXCLUSIVE: IT frustrates district access to shielded patient list
October 20, 2020
An IT shambles frustrated government attempts to share the shielded patient list (SPL) directly with district councils, The MJ has learnt.
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Streamline local government under plans to save £30bn a year, think-tank argues
October 21, 2020
Streamlining local government and selling off high-value council properties could save billions every year, according to a think-tank.
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Hammond: COVID has sealed the fate of centralism
October 19, 2020
The COVID crisis has ‘sealed the fate’ of centralised public services in the UK, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has warned.
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Council housing to return to met
October 20, 2020
Senior Kirklees MBC councillors have approved plans to transfer the management and maintenance of the borough’s council housing back to the local authority.
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Care workers gained autonomy in pandemic
October 20, 2020
Care workers benefited from extra ‘autonomy’ from commissioners during the COVID-19 lockdown, MPs heard today.
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Fears over growing data regulation
October 20, 2020
Finance chiefs warn public sector will suffer due to misuse of data by private firms.
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Health MJ: Lockdown helps smokers quit
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Health MJ: Pandemic halts mental health help
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Race for reorganisation gathers pace in Surrey and Somerset
The race towards reorganisation is gaining pace more plans emerging in Somerset and Surrey – while south Essex says it wants to keep its districts.
Clarke vows to 'finish the job' on mayors and create more unitaries
Local government minister Simon Clarke has emphasised the Government’s commitment to introducing more elected mayors and unitary councils.
From the archive
Ministers must address rural funding gap, campaigners urge
Report claims countryside councils pay 'rural penalty' of lower central grant and higher council tax bills for fewer services.
Cost of MPs’ expenses regime under fire
Watchdogs overseeing Parliament’s controversial expenses system have been criticised for their administration of the reformed scheme, introduced following the 2009 scandal – sparking fears the new regime is too costly.
‘Long way to go’ for fiscal devo
A ‘world of far-reaching, competitive fiscal devolution’ is some way off, according to new analysis by the House of Commons Library.
