Sharpening the commercial edge
The case for well-managed council commercial activity is one that needs to be defended if we want a mature and sustainable local state, argues Jonathan Werran.
LGiU report calls for a local government-led Building Back Better commission
16/06/2021 A local government-led Building Back Better commission should be part of a new place settlement after the pandemic, a new report from the LGiU think-tank has urged. |
Queen's Speech: No funding pledge on social care reform
11/05/2021 The Queen’s Speech fell short of including a Social Care Bill and there was no pledge on funding. |
Gazing up at the future of community power
29/04/2021 Following on from a three-day event in March, New Local's Building Stronger Things looked at how to put the ideas of the community paradigm into practice locally. Ann McGauran reports. |
Children and families need £12.5bn over three years, says new ADCS president
22/04/2021 The growing number of children and families who need support 'to thrive, not just survive in the wake of the pandemic' will need investment of around £12.5bn over three years, says England's new children’s services chief. |
Shielding scheme took too long to identify up to 800,000, says PAC
20/04/2021 MPs have hit out at the Government’s ‘quickly drawn up’ COVID-19 shielding programme for taking too long to identify up to 800,000 people who may have missed out on help. |
New 'Singapore-style' Office will tackle leading health risks
29/03/2021 A new 'Singapore style' Office for Health Promotion will systematically tackle the ‘top preventable risk factors causing death and ill health in the UK’, the Government announced today. |
Fewer than half of local audits done by deadline, watchdog finds
16/03/2021 Fewer than half of local public bodies’ 2019-20 audits were completed by last November, despite a deadline already pushed back due to COVID, says a spending watchdog. |
Budget 2021: Sunak freezes VAT rate to support hospitality and tourism
03/03/2021 Support for hospitality and tourism businesses was underpinned in the Budget by a freezing of the current 5% rate of VAT for another six months until the end of September. |
Social care should remain delivered by councils, says new report
10/02/2021 Tens of thousands of people could live more independent lives if councils keep hold of social care under government plans to overhaul health services, a new report has insisted. |
Conservative MPs refuse to vote down hike in council tax
26/01/2021 Conservative MPs last night refused to vote against a rise in council tax that a poll says is opposed by nearly half (48%) of adults in England. |
Babies’ needs overlooked in COVID response
19/01/2021 A generation of babies risks being damaged by the fall-out from the pandemic without a concerted effort from local support systems to improve outcomes, says a new report. |
Cheshire leaders put concerns to Government on jabs, lockdown and schools
13/01/2021 Council leaders in Cheshire and their partners have written to the Government laying out their concerns about the vaccination rollout, the current lockdown arrangements and schools. |
Lack of data is hampering local responses to new virus variant, says Lord Porter
24/12/2020 District councils are unable to deliver a local response to the new variant of COVID-19 due to a lack of ‘accurate, good quality data’, according to Lord Porter of Spalding. |
Survey shows public trusts councils more than Government on COVID
30/11/2020 The findings of a new opinion poll show the public trusts councils more than Government on the response to COVID, says APSE. |
Local government 'must have parity' with NHS on pay
20/11/2020 The chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board says the hard work of the sector during the pandemic must be recognised as the chancellor moves to put a squeeze on public sector salaries. |
Youth and BAME jobs hit hardest by lockdown
28/10/2020 Young people, BAME workers and those on insecure contracts have lost out most as a result of the changing jobs market during the COVID-19 crisis, says new research from the Resolution Foundation. |
Barking & Dagenham offers same-day testing to key workers
26/10/2020 Barking & Dagenham LBC is thought to have become the first in England to set up a same-day COVID testing service for key workers, to sidestep delays in the national system for tests and results. |
Chancellor announces new support package for businesses
22/10/2020 The chancellor Rishi Sunak has increased support for workers and jobs hit by tougher COVID-19 restrictions following a barrage of protests from businesses, particularly those in Tier 2 areas. |
Greater Manchester will move into Tier 3 as talks collapse
20/10/2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Greater Manchester will head into Tier 3 restrictions on Friday after talks with local leaders broke up without a deal. |
Greater Manchester's mayor will not 'roll over' on COVID cash
19/10/2020 Greater Manchester’s standoff with government on moving to new tier three COVID-19 restrictions continues today, with mayor Andy Burham saying he will not ‘roll over’ at the sight of a cheque. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
