Local Elections: What voters really want from their councils
With voters heading to the polls tomorrow, a recent YouGov survey reveals what local issues matter most — and the answers are not always what you might expect.
Public audit will soon need a spring clean
21/02/2019 John Tizard and David Walker make the case for a new way of auditing how public money is spent that uses evidence before spending decisions are made. |
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Importance of imparting information
02/04/2015 ‘Town hall Pravdas’? No. Information is the lifeblood of local government and constricting its flow will cause injury and even death, writes David Walker |
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Where else to turn?
17/08/2011 Only local authorities have the flexibility and common sense to organise the practical help communities need during times of crisis, says David Walker |
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A reality check for localism
21/07/2011 The Dilnot report is a ‘1948 moment’ as it favours finding a centralist solution to social care rather than making it to a truly local responsibility, says David Walker. |
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Making room at the top
20/06/2011 The new leader of the Local Government Association will face an uphill battle making sure its voice commands the attention of Government, says David Walker. |
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Seize the time
18/05/2011 The civil service is at a low ebb. Morale is at rock bottom and ministers are moaning, but the worst thing is the realisation in Whitehall that prime minister David Cameron’s criticisms contain a grain of truth. And it’s all the fault of local govern |
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Mapping out needs
20/04/2011 Poverty and affluence exist side in many areas leaving councils with little choice but to act as local instruments of social justice, suggests David Walker |
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Peering into the abyss
25/02/2011 Councils are not all identical when it comes to assessing needs and resources, so even the best-laid plans for self-regulation could lead to splits in local government, suggests David Walker |
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What will happen to auditing once the commission exits?
27/01/2011 As the fall-out from the proposed abolition of the Audit Commission rumbles on, David Walker, former communication chief, gives his own take on what happens next. |
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Why the CAA died friendless
01/12/2010 The Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) was launched 12 months ago – and scrapped six months later. David Walker gives his view why the CAA was buried with hardly a murmur of dissent from the sector |
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Don’t shoot the messenger
13/09/2010 As the LGA announces it is no longer planning to recruit a communications director, David Walker – one himself – says now is not the time to downgrade the function |
