Breaking down England's fiscal devolution plans
David Phillips of the IFS tells LocalGov why England's regional finance reforms are modest by global comparison and what ministers still need to get right.
Why councils should not wait for Westminster to fix social care
22/07/2026 More funding from a new PM won't fix adult social care. Councils need to rethink how they commission care, says Alice Semark, Senior Researcher, Re:State. |
Tackling Rising Costs in Children’s Social Care Through Procurement
20/08/2025 With rising care costs, councils must rethink procurement to secure better value, improve provision, and deliver stable homes for children in care. |
Keeping the safety net
09/09/2021 Local authority leadership is invaluable to Transitional Safeguarding and councils are ideally placed to enable complexity-attuned commissioning, says Dez Holmes. |
Charity warns funding for refuges ‘inadequate’
17/02/2021 A charity focusing on supporting women and children who have survived domestic abuse has warned that existing funding arrangements for refuge services are ‘inadequate’. |
Councils' commissioning must boost communities says report
15/04/2020 The public sector should adopt Community Value Charters as a standardised way of evaluating social value and improving the lives of local residents, a new report has urged. |
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Councils pledge to 'keep it local'
04/03/2020 Eleven councils have pledged to move away from big outsourcing contracts and keep local services in the hands of local community organisations. |
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Handyperson Services ‘unsung heroes’ in supporting independent living
20/02/2020 A new report has called for the work done by Handyperson Services in keeping vulnerable people safe to be fully recognised by commissioners. |
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Local authorities will continue to commission public health services
10/06/2019 Councils will continue to commission local public health services, a government review has concluded. |
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Clinical Commissioning Groups ‘failing to function effectively’
20/12/2018 An inquiry into the role of Clinical Commissioning Groups has been launched after a report warned many were ‘failing to function effectively’. |
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Clinical commissioners making ‘positive contribution’ to local economies
14/12/2016 Clinical commissioners are making a ‘positive contribution’ to their local economies, new report finds. |
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Survey reveals 70% of councils using Social Value Act to meet challenges
28/11/2016 Seven out of ten councils are using the Social Value Act when commissioning or procuring services, according to the results of our local government survey. |
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New guidance for local commissioners published
26/09/2016 A new skills and employment commissioning guide has been released in order to help local commissioners take advantage of the devolution agenda. |
