Local Government Chronicle
19 April 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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‘A front office for government’
Post Office Ltd has £1.34bn to spend. It wants to work with councils and become the public face of transactional services for local and central government. -
A measured approach to metro mayors
In Gulliver’s Travels, the inhabitants of the floating island of Laputa dream up all sorts of fantastical inventions, but cannot make them come to fruition. It feels a bit like that with the debate about elected mayors at the moment. -
A new public service partnership to drive transformation
When I was asked to come and do some work for the Post Office I was delighted for two reasons. Firstly, I am acutely aware just how high a value my constituents place on having real access to the Post Office and all its services. Secondly it signalled to me a very different relationship between the Post Office and councils. -
Battle for single standard code ends... with two standard codes
First there were two standards codes, then there was one… and now there are two again. -
Bolder TIF strategy to restart growth
In a Budget clearly targeted at promoting businesses and growth it was good to see the Chancellor acknowledge the role councils can play in national economic recovery. But we need to see even more ambition and support shown for local government in this vital area. -
Building on brand loyalty
Ask people what facilities they believe should be in their local community and 99% will say a Post Office. For many the most important transaction at their local Post Office isn’t just about their benefits or even buying a stamp, it’s the reassurance of local contact - a conversation across the counter with someone who knows them. -
Care reform demands new dialogue
Ten years ago I was part of an initiative between directors of social services and trade bodies to find common ground in increasing rows about fee level negotiations. -
Committee system could now be outdated, councils warned
Councils will not be able to resurrect committee systems exactly as they were 12 years ago, the Centre for Public Scrutiny has warned, after finding more than 40 councils considering such a switch. -
Councils are seizing a unique opportunity for digital transformation
What would you do with a share of £250,000 to deliver positive change for your council and community? -
Health and wellbeing boards will be more than talking shops
“All politics is local” declared former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill many years ago, in a warning to Washington politicians that the doorstep concerns of ordinary citizens matters more than the current hot issue on the floor of Congress. -
Holding up a mirror
All of local government is judged by its outliers. As such, it is incumbent on all to hold up a mirror -
Inside Out - Dog mess
An unusual thing happened on the way to work. I stepped in dog poo. It was exceptional as stopping dog mess on our streets has been one of our major victories against antisocial behaviour. -
Kent leader says a chief could be ‘appropriate’ if council ‘lost direction’
The leader of the largest ‘chiefless’ council has claimed councils with “pretty competent” senior officers have no need of a chief executive. -
LGC View - Post offices
For several years, the Post Office has been known for its programme of closures, and in many communities the impact of losing a valued service was considerable. Many councillors will have been involved with their communities in fighting such closures. -
Mayors 'just part of wider change'
May will be the month for mayors. Two cities elect mayors for the first time. Ten will hold referendums on a mayoral system. Most visible is the contest for a London Mayor with powers added since 2008. -
Mediawatch - Another tired time bomb metaphor…
If the TaxPayers’ Alliance had its way, local government staff probably wouldn’t be paid at all, let alone receive pensions. -
Post Offices: Lancaster case study
Lancaster City Council covers a large rural and coastal area whose residents have had to travel to service centres at Lancaster or Morecambe for most cash transactions with the council. -
Post Offices: Westminster case study
Westminster City Council has swapped three one-stop shops for 26 post offices as its main outlets for transactions with residents. -
'Senior sceptics' pose transparency risk
Politicians often fall out of love with transparency quite quickly. Their enthusiasm for openness wanes once in power. Yet from the Treasury to the smallest Town Hall the key to making FOI and now open data work is leadership. -
The prospect of very different policing
Director, Greater London Group, London School of Economics -
Waste messages risk missing the mark
I like the waste industry, but if we have a blind spot, it is the focus on what I call running a fleet of ambulances at the bottom of the cliff, rather than putting a fence at the top. We love our kit, vehicles, and machines and in some circles it’s only proper waste management if it can be driven, squashed, crunched and moved about with big machines. -
Whitehall issues welfare resource warning ahead of reform roll-out
Chief executives overseeing reductions in revenues and benefits services have been warned to think about the resources needed for forthcoming welfare reforms.
