PPN 04/20 – What’s changing and how can we plan for the future?
Lucy Woods explains what contracting authorities should do to prepare for new PPN 04/20 guidance.
Leicester locks down after surge in coronavirus
30/06/2020 England’s first local lockdown will begin in Leicester this week in a bid to combat a surge in COVID-19 cases. |
Racism raises the risk from COVID-19 for minorities
17/06/2020 Racism has raised the risk of people from black and ethnic minority communities developing COVID-19 and dying from the disease, says an official report. |
EXCLUSIVE: 'Make local elections a "mini-referendum" on fair funding'
16/06/2020 The main parties at the Local Government Association could turn next year’s local elections into a ‘mini referendum on fair funding for all councils’, according to the director of the Political Skills Forum. |
Covid-19 death rates significantly higher for social care workers
11/05/2020 Men and women working in social care both have significantly raised rates of death involving COVID-19, according to new analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). |
'High risk' staff are being forced back, claims Unison
04/05/2020 Unison is demanding Milton Keynes Council steps back from what it says is a ‘rogue local plan’ to order staff in high risk categories back to work. |
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. |
Leeds City Council fast tracks plan for temporary mortuary
08/04/2020 Leeds City Council is to build a £800,000 temporary mortuary as part of emergency planning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Government announces ‘biggest changes to building safety in a generation’
03/04/2020 The Government has announced steps to further reform building safety, including mandatory sprinkler systems and consistent wayfinding signage in all new high-rise blocks over 11 metres tall. |
CQC issues COVID-19 guidance on DBS checks
03/04/2020 The Care Quality Commission(CQC) has issued interim guidance on the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and other recruitment checks in response to coronavirus. |
Budget 2020: 'Record’ £5bn broadband investment for hardest to reach areas
11/03/2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced in the Budget a ‘record’ £5bn investment to get gigabit-capable broadband into the hardest to reach parts of the UK. |
Report identifies 16 policy levers for promoting inclusive growth
11/02/2020 Inclusive growth requires a ‘sustained campaign for change across multiple fronts,’ according to a new report that identifies 16 policy levers councils can pull. |
Council leadership needs to have oversight of the entire AI system
10/02/2020 Council leaders need to provide ‘proper accountability’ for AI technology and staff cannot take a ‘computer says no’ approach, according to the chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. |
NLGN study highlights concerns over air quality
22/01/2020 Unitaries are much less likely than Metropolitan councils and London boroughs to consider taking action on air quality as ‘extremely or very important’, the latest quarterly NLGN leadership index survey has found. |
Reorganisation in Somerset would 'cut waste and save money'
08/01/2020 A single, unitary authority for Somerset would deliver a predicted saving of £35-£47m, according to new research. |
Landscape to deliver growth 'needs simplified'
26/11/2019 The head of the Institute of Economic Development has hit out at England’s ‘dazzling array of bodies and schemes’ to deliver growth that are ‘confusing even to seasoned commentators’. |
Only 5% of council leaders optimistic about Brexit
29/10/2019 Councils are increasingly downbeat about the impact of Brexit, with nearly three quarters (71%) of chiefs expecting it to have a ‘negative’ or ‘very negative’ impact on their local economy. |
It’s time to reboot localism, says think tank
23/09/2019 Local authorities should formally commit to including the neighbourhood in all decision making processes, says Centre for London. |
Financial risk for children's services across London is 'unsustainable'
22/07/2019 Children’s services across London are facing an unsustainable level of financial risk, a new report commissioned by London Councils has warned. |
Harnessing the best of the West
18/07/2019 Ann McGauran reports on the launch of Metro Dynamics’ report making the case for the creation of the UK’s next wealth generator – the Great Western Powerhouse |
Austerity 'could end at the Spending Review'
11/04/2019 There is a ‘genuine chance’ austerity will end at the Spending Review, according to upbeat director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Johnson. |
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.
