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.
City region deal to be signed
25/02/2020 The Stirling and Clackmannanshire city region deal will be signed by council leaders and representatives of the UK and Scottish governments today. |
Local agencies 'woefully ill-equipped' to stop child abuse
04/02/2020 Children are being left at risk because local agencies – including social care – are often ‘woefully ill-equipped’ to prevent and respond to child sex abuse in families, four inspectorates have warned. |
Seven out of 10 councils overspend on homelessness
28/01/2020 Seven out of 10 English councils overspent their homelessness budgets in 2018/19 by a combined total of nearly £115m, Local Government Association (LGA) analysis has found. |
Oxford and Reading top city performance list
11/11/2019 Cities have largely recovered economically from the 2007/08 financial crisis but must now focus on housing affordability and health-related issues, according to PwC and Demos. |
Think tanks calls for public health funding to be linked to NHS budgets
05/11/2019 Public health funding should be linked to increases in the NHS budget, a briefing published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggests. |
Government launches care recruitment drive
16/10/2019 The Department of Health and Social Care is set to launch the second phase of its advertising campaign to help fill 122,000 vacancies in social care. |
Care green paper delay causing 'instability'
15/10/2019 The care regulator has accused the Government of aggravating the funding pressures in adult social care by stalling on the long-awaited care green paper. |
Queen's Speech 19: Councils promised new powers to tackle pollution
14/10/2019 The Queen’s Speech promised an Environment Bill which will establish a ‘world-leading’ independent regulator, the Office for Environmental Protection, and hand some new powers to councils. |
Council to bask in glow of solar farm cash
27/02/2019 Warrington Council expects to generate an estimated operating surplus of £150m over 30 years after buying two UK solar farms. |
MPs pile pressure on Government over business rates reform
21/02/2019 MPs have urged ministers to assess specific proposals for reforming business rates by the autumn. |
LGA faces financial headache
25/01/2019 Smith Square has acknowledged the financial challenges it faces as it freezes subscriptions while grappling with declining Government grants and a pension scheme deficit. |
Auditors bid to explain real cause of difference in councils' spend on kids
23/01/2019 A nine-fold variation in spending on children’s social care could largely be down to ‘differences in characteristics’ between councils, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) study. |
Anderson quits Northern Powerhouse Partnership in frustration
10/12/2018 Former chancellor George Osborne has voiced sympathy with Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson’s decision to quit the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. |
Don't dump the rule book under pressure, ombudsman warns councils
04/12/2018 Councils have been warned not to let budget squeezes and disruption caused by change programmes to land them in trouble with the Ombudsman. |
At least 160 youth centres have closed since 2016, FOI reveals
03/12/2018 At least 160 youth centres have closed since 2016, a report based on Freedom of Information Act requests by Unison claims. |
UK cities ‘need housing and transport strategies’
07/11/2017 UK cities are becoming more prosperous but success comes with a price tag of less affordable housing and longer commutes, according to research by PwC and Demos. |
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.
