Local Government Chronicle
9 August 2012
View all stories from this issue.
-
‘Think locally for global results’
I am in a mild disagreement with one of my fellow councillors, Peter, about the recession. This has led us into some interesting discussions around the economy. I suspect such conversations take place in most larger councils although far fewer at a town level. -
A long climb towards service restructuring
Director, Greater London Group, London School of Economics -
Care awareness to improve provision
There has been a lot of political and media debate recently about particular aspects of the care system – namely adoption and children’s homes. -
City vision underpins map of delivery
Manchester has seen a remarkable transformation over the past 15 years. -
Getting the money to follow the proposals
Health care and support do not stop at the door of the NHS. A bad transition between services is as frustrating for a cancer patient going home as for every other citizen. -
Going out to market for a chief executive
Despite local government ministers questioning their value in these austere times, common sense tells us any successful organisation needs strong professional leadership and good corporate governance. -
Going without a chief executive
It is almost a year since we took the decision in Wiltshire to adopt a new model of leadership that removed the post of chief executive and appointed three corporate directors to work with the administration to lead and manage the council. -
Inside Out - Voluntary sector a cheap private sector?
Everybody is off on holiday, the Olympics are thrilling all, and I’m stuck with the leader arguing about next year’s budgets and especially how we fund the community and voluntary sector. -
Keeping it in the family
Last month Southwark took the decision to appoint Eleanor Kelly as our new chief executive. -
Large-scale infrastructure lessons
I’m getting very excited about the Olympics. After hours spent online when tickets went on sale at various times during the year, my family and I have been going to a number of events, although few it has to be said where we know much about the sport we’re watching. -
LGC View - Senior pay
For football fans, August is transfer season. This means hours spent perusing the back pages of newspapers and scurrilous fans’ websites for hints and gossip about who might be going where. For those in local government, August is usually more sedate. -
Mediawatch: A civil service for the future - under construction...
How do you radically change an organisation that has a heavy say in the matter? -
Medical model offers strategic steer
I’ve recently undergone fairly complex surgery for my knee. The surgeon is brilliant and has produced a new set of structures that have anatomically reconstructed a fairly damaged joint. -
Probe detail on CTB and business rates
Bills can take a long time to progress through parliament. Although some can find this frustrating, there is a benefit in slowness. It permits reflection and clarification, as the detail is probed. -
Recalibrating public expectations
Curiously, there has been little focus on collaborative procurement more generally -
Senior pay: the top line and the subtext
New chief executives are continuing to be appointed on salaries about a tenth lower than those of their predecessors, according to LGC’s latest salary tracker. -
Shared services not enough to bridge funding gap, LGA claims
The LGA has launched another salvo in its battle to persuade ministers that the sector cannot absorb further cuts of the magnitude delivered by the last spending review. -
Shire demand for business rate rethink
Two-tier areas are demanding ministers rethink reforms to the way in which councils are funded after officers discovered an “astonishing” quirk in the proposals.
