Opinion The MJ
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Bright future for the West Midlands
July 9, 2020
Growth in the West Midlands has been badly impacted by COVID-19, says Deborah Cadman – but she believes the region also has ‘one of the greatest potentials to recharge and grow in 2021’.
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Building on citizen power
July 9, 2020
The Local Area Co-ordination Network is dedicated to helping people find solutions to complex challenges through local resources rather than service interventions, as Professor Donna Hall and Nick Sinclair explain.
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‘Give places the funding to rebuild’
July 9, 2020
Nigel Riglar says we need to aim for more than a simple recovery, as our problems are too pressing, and councils must respond collectively to make the case for greater funding.
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Delivering despite difficult odds
July 9, 2020
Karen Bradford’s first 100 days as chief executive of South Kesteven DC started just three weeks before lockdown. Here, she looks back on what’s been achieved.
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The London Assembly: 20 years of a unique scrutiny model
July 9, 2020
Twenty years old, and in the depths of a pandemic, the London Assembly is now facing exceptional circumstances. Chair Navin Shah considers what the future holds.
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Using collective intelligence to boost cycling and walking in cities
July 8, 2020
In the latest in an essay series on how the wisdom of citizens could help councils manage after COVID, Peter Baeck and Sophie Reynolds consider how to make cities better for cycling and walking.
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Making ‘green’ core to every policy and activity
July 8, 2020
Davy Jones and John Tizard present a plan for nurturing greener accessible places in ways that are equitable, tackle inequality, secure decent jobs and address sustainability.
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Let's hold on to what we've learned
July 8, 2020
John O'Brien says that for 'all of the enormous and well documented challenges, people at the local government front line have achieved remarkable things at pace and scale'. We must hold on to what has been learned, he adds.
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Building back greener growth needs a joint effort
July 8, 2020
It seems that even the business lobby is now on board with devolution, says Heather Jameson - and now 'we will need national, local and regional government working with the private sector to tackle the climate change and the economic crises ahead'.
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Who are the losers?
July 8, 2020
At least in terms of public opinion, local government itself has come out of the pandemic crisis better than the civil service, says Ben Page – with 55% saying local authorities did a good job compared to 47% for the civil service.
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Public health leads ‘playing “whack-a-mole” blindfolded’
July 7, 2020
Dr Lisa McNally says the absence of workplace information from data on COVID-19 testing leaves councils without the knowledge they need to break the chain of transmission early.
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People don’t need tethering to a place
July 7, 2020
The way forward for embracing remote working and liberation from the office is now clear following the response to coronavirus, says director of services at Basildon Council Mandie Skeat.
