Connected Councils: A Digital Vision of Local Government in 2025
How can digital technology improve services for residents and communities? The NESTA report summarised here sets out a vision of where councils might be in 2025 and highlights examples of good practice in local authorities.
Connected Councils: A Digital Vision of Local Government in 2025
This re-circulated briefing summarises this NESTA report from its public service transformation network. Written for LGiU in England, LGiU Scotland recipients may find it of interest. We will be looking at this issue from the Scottish perspective in a future briefing.
High street performance and evolution: a brief guide to the evidence
The Future High Streets Forum, a group of stakeholders and experts convened by Government in 2013 to advise on and champion policies to support high streets and town centres, has commissioned an evidence review on the issues affecting high street performance and competitiveness, carried out by the University of Southampton and co-funded by the Economic…
Envisioning the library of the future: a report commissioned by Arts Council England
Envisioning the library of the future is a 2012 programme of research commissioned by the Arts Council to help develop a long-term vision for public libraries in England. Envisioning the library of the future Phase 1 and 2 full report is an independent report by Ipsos Mori and Shared Intelligence. A review of innovations in…
Children and Families Act 2014 (No.2)
This briefing updates the CSN Policy Briefing Children and Families Act 2014 (provisional) issued just after the Parliamentary stages had been completed on 10 February 2014 and before Royal Assent was granted on 13 March 2014. This briefing reports on the final shape of the Act with mention of significant amendments during it year-long passage…
Baseline assessment comparability study and DfE response
Undertaking systematic nationally prescribed assessments of pupils on entering primary school has been established practice for over 20 years. The challenge has been yo fiind a way of linking these assessments to those when pupils leave primary school in order to measure 'pupil progress'. The DfE has announced that its current plans will not now…
City Deals – launch of wave two invitations and progress on wave one
On 29 October 2012, twenty cities and their wider areas were invited by Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and Minister for Cities, Greg Clark, to bid for ‘radical new powers to boost local economic growth’ Government has also signed off – on 18 September 2012 – the eight wave one deals covering the ‘core cities’…
All you wanted to know about Local Government Finance but were afraid to ask: Part Three – Budget Pressures and Choices
The third in our "all you need to know about finance" series, this article looks at some of the pressures Councils have faced in recent years, examples of the areas in which Councils come under pressure to intervene and the choices Councils are making in order to balance the books.
Australian public libraries: Adapting to Covid-19 lockdown
This Briefing explores how Australian public libraries have responded to the Covid-19 lockdown by reinventing the services they provide.
Local government and COVID-19: information and commentary
Coronavirus affects everything local authorities do – as community leaders, public health authorities, education authorities, employers, partners and service deliverers. This is the first of two briefings considering the wider leadership role of local government, the implications for communities and services, and at advice and support. We have made all Covid-19 briefings available to Members…