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Member policy briefings- Reform of 14-16 Performance Tables from 2014 (date: 13/02/2012)
- A good education for all: Ofsted consultation on amended inspection arrangements (date: 15/02/2012)
- Delivering the free entitlement to education for three- and four-year-olds: NAO report (date: 10/02/2012)
- Education and training – Raising the Participation Age – consultation on policies that will form regulations (date: 07/0...
- Building Engagement, Building Futures : 16-24 year olds in Education, Training and Work (date: 25/01/2012)
- High Speed 2 rail infrastructure project (date: 13/02/2012)
- Health Select Committee report on Social Care (date: 20/02/2012)
- Public car parking and local government: key trends and developments for 2012 (date: 16/01/2012)
Category Archives: Local democracy
Urban autonomy? ‘City deals’ and elected mayors – part 2
Part 2: How much new power is being devolved and what strings are attached? This is part of two of this post on city deals and elected mayors. The first post can be found here. In many ways the ‘city deals’, and the accompanying emphasis on elected mayors, give a solid and welcome geographic focus [...]
Urban autonomy? ‘City deals’ and elected mayors
Part 1: City-regions and Local Enterprise Partnerships Liverpool’s city deal highlights some important questions about how cities’ potential new freedoms will fit with the wider role of cities within a region, including their role in providing jobs to a wider Travel to Work Area (TTWA). Government guidance on city deals recognises that ‘in some areas the lowest appropriate [...]
Localism trumps secularism on council prayers
This article was first published by Total Politics. The recent High Court ruling that councils have no statutory right to hold prayers before meetings has continues to reverberate in local government. The decision follows an action bought against Bideford Town Council in Devon by a former councillor. Media prominence for the case was ensured by the [...]
How much of a risk is localism?
Glyn Gaskarth, a policy manager here at LGiU, took part in a Guardian debate last week on the potential risks involved with localism? A summary of his points can be found below: UK local councils actually run quite a tight fiscal ship: We need to ensure that central government cannot force local government to perform [...]
“The Localism Act – over to you”
Today we’re in Bristol hosting a major one-day policy conference for the south-west and west midlands. The Localism Act – over to you brings together Local Government Minister Andrew Stunell, Cities Advisor Lord Shipley, with a range of local councillors and officers as well as senior officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government. Speakers include Andrew Stunell [...]
The year local government takes charge
This article was first published by Total Politics. This year, many of the coalition’s localist policies come into effect. What will this mean for how we see local politics? 2012 looks like being a big year for local politics. Strangely, this may turn out to be a mixed blessing for local government. Media attention in this country [...]
Community Organisers and Local Government
Earlier this week, we posted an overview of the second session of the Civil Society Innovation Network. To continue the discussion from this session, the Community Organisers programme have provided us with a guest blog, where they outlines how Community Organisers work and why they aren’t a threat to representative democracy. ——– The Community Organisers programme aims [...]
Civil Society Innovation Network: event 2
The second session of the LGiU Civil Society Innovation Network took place on 23 January 2012, and brought together members of the Network, with Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Minister of State for Decentralisation and Cities, London Borough of Sutton, the University of Manchester and Locality to discuss issues around knowing and developing communities. There was a particular [...]
Oral Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Question session will take place today at 2.30pm. LGiU will cover the oral questions live and will produce a briefing available to member authorities. 1 Mr Douglas Carswell (Clacton): What steps his Department has taken to increase transparency in (a) local government and (b) departmental spending. 2 Sir Bob Russell (Colchester): What plans he has to [...]
Tags: benefits, business rates, communities, housing, localism act, NPPF, spending data, welfare |
Super Thursday and elected mayors
Patrick Wintour reports on the Greg Clark’s plans to hold mayoral and police commissioner elections on the same day – Thursday 15 November, now being called ‘Super Thursday’. The government’s tactics in bringing forward elections to November seem designed to generate some momentum and interest around the country, as well as forcing the hand of those Councillors [...]
Introducing… Changemakers
LGiU had some new neighbours move into the next office over the holidays. We are very excited to work alongside Changemakers as we believe their aims match ours - empowering people to take a lead and strengthening communities. As a way to introduce them to our network, we have asked them to write a guest blog outlining the great work they do, and how you [...]
Tags: Changemakers, communities, young people |
Making the reform agenda work: LGiU seminars Spring 2012
The LGiU is running a series of seminars this spring that will focus on some of the key areas of the government’s reform agenda for local authorities.
Local Government Finance Bill
Later today, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Governemnt, Eric Pickles, will introduce legislation which will take forward proposals designed to encourage local economic growth, reduce the financial deficit, promote welfare reform and drive decentralisation of control over local government finance. DCLG have put out four documents recently that are of use to all. You [...]
Tags: finance, Local Government Finance, localism |
Andy Sawford’s thoughts on what lies ahead for local government in 2012
This post was first published by Public Finance. Crystal-ball gazing about what 2012 holds for local councils is not an exact science. But we can be sure of one thing – the going will get even tougher Looking beyond Christmas can be gloomy. January is the month of diets and abstinence, dark days and cold nights. But [...]
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