The Government’s consultation on planning system reform has already attracted much criticism. And rightly so, writes Jonathan Carr-West, as it attempts to bypass councils and local communities.
LGIU members can join us for a new book club. We’ll be reading the non-fiction books that are making waves and look at how they matter to local government.
As local authorities begin to think about e-scooter trials Zachary Wang, CEO and Co-Founder of Australian e-scooter provider Neuron Mobility, talks about the rollouts in Australia and possible lessons for the councils here.
Green space has always been a valuable commodity, especially for those in urban areas. However, amid the Covid-19 crisis, the privilege of access to such spaces has been thrown into especially sharp relief. As we look beyond the crisis, can urban gardens be an important tool for health and resilience?
Cllr Iain Malcolm, Leader of South Tyneside Council, writes on how councils in the UK might alter their electoral systems for a post-Covid world, in order for local elections to be safe and accessible to all.
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.
