SOLACE | LocalGov

Future Forum North: Devolution is here to stay

12/5/2025

Devolution ‘can feel like a marriage with no prospect of divorce’ but is ‘here to stay’, the president of senior officers’ group Solace has told The MJ’s Future Forum North.

New strategic authorities should 'embrace' disagreement

10/17/2025

Areas moving towards devolution deals have been advised to ‘embrace’ inevitable disagreement between councils and new strategic authorities.

SOLACE: Funding fails to offset the years of lost cash, claims president

10/16/2025

Central government funding for regeneration is positive but ‘can only go so far in offsetting the long years of lost funding', Solace president Robin Tuddenham has claimed.

Sector call for council tax review

12/13/2024

Local government has called for a ‘fundamental review of council tax' in a long-awaited report.

Council recruitment drive launches across England

11/4/2024

A national recruitment campaign has launched to encourage people to work for their local council.

Solace: Underfunding councils ‘ultimate false economy’

10/14/2024

Failing to properly fund councils is ‘the ultimate false economy’ because it forces them to make ‘repugnant’ cuts which lead to greater problems in the future.

Scottish councils face critical workforce gaps

9/5/2024

Local authorities in Scotland are facing critical workforce gaps in multiple areas, in particular in social care and social work, a new report has found.

King recognises council chiefs in honours

6/17/2024

Current and former local authority bosses have been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. 

Guildford issues ‘heartfelt apology’ after £13.5m contract overspend

5/9/2024

Guilford Borough Council is at ‘serious risk’ of failing to deliver Best Value after overspending by millions on a housing contract, reviews have found.

Officer warning over street votes

2/6/2024

Council officers have issued a scathing response to plans for street-level planning votes – dismissing the idea as a costly ‘proliferation of polls’.

Local government recruitment drive launches

1/10/2024

Councils in the North East of England will pilot a new campaign to encourage people to take up a job in local government.

EXCLUSIVE: Sector to plot solutions for 'broken' finance system

10/18/2023

Local government is planning to collectively come up with some innovative ideas about how the ‘broken’ finance system could be improved, The MJ has been told.

Chiefs' new professional development framework launched

10/17/2023

The first version of a new professional development framework to keep local government chief executives ‘ahead of the game’ has been launched.

Wales to consider funding bids straddling English border

9/11/2023

Wales’ economy minister has said he would consider funding bids from a new council partnership that crosses the Welsh and English border.

Croydon elections 'secure' despite 'justified' criticism

8/8/2023

A review of Croydon’s 2022 elections has backed chief executive Katherine Kerswell’s handling of the delayed result but said some criticism was ‘justified’.

Pension changes could ease recruitment pressure

3/21/2023

Changes to the pension rules could ease the pressure on senior recruitment in local government, sector figures have suggested.

Stark Solace survey gives thumbs down to Autumn Statement

11/21/2022

Nine in 10 council managers believe the Autumn Statement will impact negatively on residents, with many frontline services expected to be axed.

Solace Summit: recruitment crisis laid bare

10/13/2022

The scale of the recruitment crisis facing councils has been laid bare at the Solace Summit.

EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall risk warning over election reforms

4/29/2022

Whitehall officials have privately admitted councils could be overwhelmed by one of the largest sets of electoral reforms ever seen by local authorities, The MJ understands.

Northern Irish councils in devolution call

11/24/2021

The sector is pressing for increased powers to help the country to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pushing for real reform

1/21/2021

The pandemic was a game changer for the central/local government relationship, says Joanne Roney, who has started her two-year stint as president of Solace.

May elections to go ahead as council chiefs call for indemnity

1/21/2021

Local elections will go ahead on 6 May despite the ongoing pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled.

Town hall rich list branded 'inane and distasteful'

4/15/2020

Attempts to criticise local government salaries have been branded as ‘both inane and distasteful' by chief executives’ body Solace.

Sector fumes over lack of pre-Brexit briefing

2/21/2019

Councils have threatened to walk away from Government attempts to engage with them on Brexit amid growing frustrations about the response to their concerns.

Nearly £1bn cut from Scottish authorities in past eight years

2/5/2019

Funding cuts are finally beginning to take their toll as Scottish councils can no longer protect services, according to report published today.

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