http://www.lgcplus.com http://www.lgcplus.com http://www.lgcplus.com/magazine/graphics/logo.png http://www.lgcplus.com http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/a-kick-in-the-ballot-box/5058322.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/a-kick-in-the-ballot-box/5058322.blog Council tax risers were warned they would get kicked out of office in this election. So how did they fare… ruth.keeling@emap.com (Ruth Keeling) Wed, 8 May 2013 07:00 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/the-risky-business-of-innovation/5057245.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/the-risky-business-of-innovation/5057245.blog Nesta, together with the Local Government Association, is supporting innovators in local government across England and Wales through its Creative Councils programme. In the final blog of the short series, Greg Wilkinson discusses how to overcome the gravitational pull of the status quo. Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:13 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/sponsored-sections/capsticks-social-enterprise/more-power-to-the-patient-voice/5057240.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/sponsored-sections/capsticks-social-enterprise/more-power-to-the-patient-voice/5057240.blog Robert Francis QC said that the focus of the Inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has been relentlessly on the need to protect patients from unacceptable and unsafe care. One of the ways to help protect patients is to better value the views of the persons who have actually used the service. They have front-line experience, they have been in the trenches. Tue, 9 Apr 2013 19:30 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/the-local-energy-programme-of-stoke-on-trent/5057048.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/the-local-energy-programme-of-stoke-on-trent/5057048.blog Nesta, together with the Local Government Association, is supporting innovators in local government across England and Wales through its Creative Councils programme. In the second blog of the series looking at the latest stages of the progammes, Hywell Lloyd looks at how Stoke-on-Trent council is revisiting an area where local government was once pioneers to deal with the tough challenges that they currently face. Fri, 5 Apr 2013 11:11 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/elvis-and-snow-local-authorities-go-digital/5057070.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/elvis-and-snow-local-authorities-go-digital/5057070.blog The NAO report last week – Digital Britain 2 – identified the increasing need to ensure people without internet access are not excluded from the move to digitalised public services over the coming years. Although the NHS, local councils and the Police are not yet included in the public services identified for online evolution, the move to a 24/7 digital Britain is surely only a matter of time for today’s local authorities. Fri, 5 Apr 2013 11:10 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/learning-by-taking-risks/5056973.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/learning-by-taking-risks/5056973.blog Nesta, together with the Local Government Association, is supporting innovators in local government across England and Wales through its Creative Councils programme. As the programme approaches its latter stages, Melani Oliver kicks off our short series and discusses the bold ideas that are beginning to generate significant learning for the wider sector. Wed, 3 Apr 2013 14:14 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blueprint-for-a-co-operative-decade/5056315.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blueprint-for-a-co-operative-decade/5056315.blog The co-operative movement is big. Worldwide, one billion people are members of co-operatives Wed, 6 Mar 2013 11:15 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/it-takes-two-local-authority-partnerships/5055497.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/it-takes-two-local-authority-partnerships/5055497.blog The launch of the Transition Challenge Award, encouraging councils to team up to deliver frontline services, highlights the growing pressure councils face to make efficiency savings. Incentivising councils to become ‘super savers’, the award makes extra credit available for those that go even further in delivering services for residents through shared operations and management structures Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:43 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/planning-for-an-uncertain-future/5054444.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/planning-for-an-uncertain-future/5054444.blog This week’s NAO report provides a stark insight to the varied impact of government spending cuts at a local level and the increasing concern of financial failure – a risk that we ranked as having a high likelihood in 2010 in our ‘Tough Choices’ report. This means local authorities face a precarious balancing act; forced to make spending reductions while maintaining their obligations and prioritising services required by their local residents. Fri, 1 Feb 2013 11:25 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/what-are-british-values/5054090.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/what-are-british-values/5054090.blog A fascinating report out today on the nation’s values, corroborates some trends which have been visible for a long time, writes Geoff Mulgan Fri, 25 Jan 2013 10:13 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/council-tax-intentions-in-2013/5053536.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/council-tax-intentions-in-2013/5053536.blog Freeze? Increase? Cut? What are local authorities planning for council tax in 2013? ruth.keeling@emap.com (Ruth Keeling) Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:55 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/user-inspired-preventative-care-services-and-social-enterprises/5053696.article?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/user-inspired-preventative-care-services-and-social-enterprises/5053696.article There is great challenge out there for service providers, to respond to the key issues of prevention, service user and carer involvement in preventative systems and providing care in an integrated fashion across health and social care. Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:51 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/expertise-and-patient-centredness-the-keys-to-success-for-social-enterprises-in-the-health-sector/5053695.article?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/expertise-and-patient-centredness-the-keys-to-success-for-social-enterprises-in-the-health-sector/5053695.article Central government is promoting social enterprise as the solution to many problems in statutory-sector delivery, as part of a larger move towards localism and distributed responsibility. Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:48 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/leading-from-the-front/5053082.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/leading-from-the-front/5053082.blog DCLG has lead from the front on many savings measures - but what about their suggestion to scrap subsidised council canteens ruth.keeling@emap.com (Ruth Keeling) Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:51 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/a-localist-future-needs-national-fairness/5052805.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/a-localist-future-needs-national-fairness/5052805.blog A recent government progress report on Localism and decentralisation highlights some advances made.  However, will localism herald in a new positive future for the UK, or given the growing and deep social and economic inequalities, merely serve to make it worse? Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:26 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/sponsored-sections/capsticks-social-enterprise/legal-form-asking-yourself-questions/5051300.article?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/sponsored-sections/capsticks-social-enterprise/legal-form-asking-yourself-questions/5051300.article The old chestnut when it comes to setting up a new business Thu, 1 Nov 2012 16:09 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/pension-potential-for-local-regeneration/5051055.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/pension-potential-for-local-regeneration/5051055.blog There has been some easy talk about the potential for using Local Government Pension Funds for local impact investment and regeneration.  A new report has created some clarity and highlighted the possibilities. Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:49 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/local-government-is-starting-to-get-serious-about-innovation/5050466.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/local-government-is-starting-to-get-serious-about-innovation/5050466.blog Nesta’s Philip Colligan closes the first Creative Councils’ blog series which has explored how local authorities can develop and implement radical innovations. Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:07 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/a-new-era-of-service-delivery-requires-a-firm-grasp-on-community-capability/5049973.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/a-new-era-of-service-delivery-requires-a-firm-grasp-on-community-capability/5049973.blog Against a new policy context of opening up public service provision, recent reports by Localis and the CBI provide further evidence that outsourcing in the public sector is here to stay. The days of core council-provided services are at their end and instead local authorities must work collaboratively with private and voluntary sectors as they seek the best route to provide services to and, in some cases, with the community. Tue, 2 Oct 2012 10:30 GMT http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/ring-fencing-the-reserves-piggy-bank/5049210.blog?referrer=RSS http://www.lgcplus.com/blogs/ring-fencing-the-reserves-piggy-bank/5049210.blog Last week Sir Merrick Cockell warned that cash reserves for even the most prudent of councils will run dry within five years. The LGA’s latest data shows that at present councils hold £17bn of reserves and worryingly some have had to reduce their levels over the past year. However of most concern is the changing priorities for how reserves will be spent. Several councils it seems are now forced to use their reserves to cushion the blow of the cuts and continue providing key services Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:55 GMT