A new report provides the first tally of minority ethnic councillors in the UK. It is important we carry on counting so that we can monitor progress, writes Jane Sankarayya. Lack of access to local government by any part of a community has serious implications for exacerbating current inequality and disadvantage.
Recent guidance published by the Scottish Land Commission places wellbeing at the core of business cases for developing vacant or derelict land. Kathie Pollard of the Scottish Land Commission makes the case for why opportunities to bring sites into productive use need to be looked at in broader economic, social, and environmental senses.
In his latest column for The Municipal Journal, Jonathan Carr-West discusses the importance of trust in public services and analyses the worrying signs that the Government will push councils into the firing line in the wake of the Covid-19 health crisis.
Dr. Andy Johnston, Chief Operating Officer for the LGIU, covers the launch of a new flooding policy statement from Defra and an associated Flood and Coastal Erosion Management (FCERM) strategy for England from the Environment Agency. Both documents are hard-wired into the new Environment Bill 2020 and the Agriculture Bill 2020
It was always going to be difficult to remove party politics and populist demands from the pandemic. Initial calls for and early evidence of a mature, non-partisan approach did not last long. In this opinion piece, Profesor James Mitchell explores the political landscape of Covid-19 responses, with emphasis on education.
Connor Smith, LGIU Associate, goes over the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s ‘Plan for Jobs’ announced on Wednesday 8 July, highlighting the key green elements of the announcement and discussing the implications for working towards a sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Phil Woolas is an advisor to the 2020 Initiative to end rough sleeping. Here the former DCLG Minister of State explains why this is a pivotal moment in the fight to end homelessness and summarises the LGIU online event on the topic with Dame Louise Casey.
Covid-19 has highlighted the cracks in our current food supply, but also presents an opportunity for harnessing – and acting on – collective enthusiasm over rebuilding sustainably. Sarah Duley, Head of Food at Soil Association Scotland, encourages local authorities to consider the social, economic and environmental benefit to shortening supply chains and sourcing food locally.
How are councils planning and working to deliver recovery? What will recovery look like? Jonathan Carr-West and Ingrid Koehler discuss the LGIU’s Post Covid Councils work including the latest strand on sustainable development and how you can get involved. We also speak to Councillor Gavin Callaghan, the leader of Basildon Council about their plans for…
Georges River Council is currently implementing its Economic and Social Recovery Plan. It is made up of three key phases in response to the unprecedented impacts of Covid-19 on local businesses and communities and complements packages being rolled out by the State and Federal governments.