Guardian Local Leaders Network: The 2013 spending review lacks the initiative to localise public spending
Once again local government is asked to take the biggest cuts in the spending review announced by the chancellor, writes Jonathan Carr-West.
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Once again local government is asked to take the biggest cuts in the spending review announced by the chancellor, writes Jonathan Carr-West.
Facing a further 10% cut, councils need radical autonomy on how they spend and raise money. Today’s Spending Review did not deliver that, says Jonathan Carr-West.
Meeting long-term challenges such as caring for an ageing population; driving local economic renewal; ensuring that young people have the skills they need, and mitigating and adapting to the impact of climate change will require local innovation, not one-size-fits-all central initiatives.
Laura Wilkes reports on work with Kingston RLBC, testing the limits of how public services are designed and managed to deliver services. (£ subscriber only content).
Local government minister Brandon Lewis has dismissed as ‘absolute hogwash’ criticisms that the community budgets programme lacks ambition and is under-resourced. (£ subscriber access only).
Can a localised, yet connected, approach to public service innovation help us to meet complex social, political and financial challenges? Asks Jonathan Carr-West.
Long-term complex challenges facing society and the economy must inevitably involve deeper localism and radical public service transformation through networks of local innovation, the Local Government Information Unit has suggested. (£ subscriber only content).
Give people influence over the places they live in, the public services they use, and bring them together to share ideas and resources, argues Jonathan Carr-West.
LGiU inquiry highlights strong support for the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) but calls on the Ombudsman to provide a distinct offer to elected members. LGiU have published a new report which looks at the role of the Ombudsman and how it might best use the information it holds to enhance local accountability. Following a survey…
The complaints body for local government has broad support across the sector but must develop a distinct offer for councillors, the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) think-tank has reported today. (£ subscriber only content)