Local Government Chronicle
5 July 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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‘Set the agenda for children’s services’
We are in the midst of a torrent of children’s services publications and announcements. And there’s much worth burning the midnight oil to read. -
A chance for central and local government to achieve, together
The troubled families programme will demonstrate better outcomes come from working collegiately -
A new social contract for the 21st century
With local government facing a perfect storm, Leeds City Council established a commission to create a vision for the future. Members were drawn from across local government, academia and the private and voluntary sectors. Evidence was received from 140 organisations. After months of intense debate, the commission has compiled a final report and recommendations and agreed 14 commitments to action with organisations across the sector. Here the commission summarises its work. -
Automate for effortless improvement
Why do most council websites look the same on Monday morning as they do on Saturday night? -
Business information modelling: the right information at the right time
Having recently been highlighted by the UK Government as the process that is becoming integral to the public sector, Business Information Modelling (BIM) is finally making an impact across the UK. -
Clark launches city deals
Cities minister Greg Clark has said the process of negotiating city deals with England’s eight core cities has been a “learning process” for Whitehall. -
Council admits intentions to divert troubled families funding
The government’s troubled families tsar Louise Casey has voiced fears that some councils are failing to engage with the government’s drive to turn around the lives of 120,000 problem families. -
Councillors voice concern over clinical commissioning group ban
Councillors have expressed frustration at the NHS Commissioning Board’s refusal to allow them to sit on the boards of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). -
CTB proposals failing equality test
Given everything else local government has to deal with, localisation of council tax benefit really is a hospital pass. -
Decentralisation: a distracting, distant dream?
Additional freedoms for cities may be the nearest England ever gets to devolution. -
Districts battle upper-tier financial focus
District councils have expressed concern about the way the LGA’s prediction of a funding crisis by 2020 focused on the financial pressures faced by top- and single-tier authorities. -
Empowering communities to engage in shaping services
When we took our first steps as a commission it was important for me to start from the understanding that local government and public service are the beating heart of a community, helping shape its health and wellbeing. -
Funding for the future
Increased collaboration and use of technology will help meet the targets, but many doubt it will be enough. Alex Blyth reports. -
Inside Out - The council manager model
We are in the middle of the most challenging decade of change and yet again the people who can help make it happen are being shot. -
Making every contact count
I’ve had the opportunity to visit a number of health and wellbeing boards recently and have been impressed by the progress they are making, given they are still in shadow form until April next year. -
Managing demand: the moment of truth
Local authorities face another moment of truth. -
Mediawatch: Explain a change or be quizzed on a U-turn...
Ah, the good old policy U-turn; something that happens all the time and yet something that we all like to play down. -
Pickles tells councils to ‘lobby hard’ for larger rates share
The proportion of business rate growth retained by councils could increase within just a few years, communities secretary Eric Pickles has hinted. -
Rif rather than tif to boost growth?
The Treasury’s enthusiasm for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) appears to have waned. -
Tougher Ofsted checks catch councils out
Councils have been taken by surprise by tougher inspections of children’s services departments that have caused a spike in the number found to be failing. -
Troubled families targets for blame
For communities secretary Eric Pickles’ sake, let’s hope Bananarama were wrong. -
Unison defies colleague unions to back plan for merged pay talks
The largest union representing local government workers looks set to back a move to a single set of terms and conditions for all council staff.
