9/7/2012

Outsourcing alone will not solve all the problems local authorities face in juggling the pressures of budget and service demands, according to a roundtable debate organised by The MJ and Interserve, reports Dermott Calpin.

5/1/2012

A major reduction in the number of social housing starts has led to a 4% fall in the latest Glenigan Index of construction projects.

4/11/2012

The growth of academy schools leaving local authority control is to come under scrutiny of a ‘Speed Commission’ set up by the Royal Society of Arts and the Pearson Centre for Policy and Learning.

4/5/2012

The High Street Innovation Fund, has come under fire for allocating cash unfairly and leaving hundreds of high streets without hope.

4/5/2012

A total of 102 finalists have been selected for this year’s The MJ Local Government Achievement Awards, which attracted the highest ever number of entries.

4/3/2012

Prime minister David Cameron has announced discounts of up to £75,000 will be available in a ‘new-style’ right to buy scheme for council and housing association tenants.

3/29/2012

A new report examines the growing public support for energy efficient homes, and explains how local authorities can drive forward the zero carbon agenda.

3/6/2012

The public sector faces a very difficult year with continued pressure to cut staff levels, reduce pay and freeze recruitment, new figures suggest.

3/6/2012

A report to be published later this month concludes that around 90 per cent of all tenancy fraud in council homes goes undetected.

2/24/2012

Local government finance officers have mounting concerns about council finances and public services delivery faced with a new round of budget cuts.

10/24/2011

The City Finance Commission has urged Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to re-think his proposals for the local retention of business rates.

9/23/2011

MPs' verdict on HS2 is likely to prove a key test for the Government’s streamlining of the planning process, says Dermott Calpin.

9/8/2011

Staffordshire’s pioneering single portal for information on social care and health service which has proved a popular hit with local people, writes Dernmott Calpin.

9/8/2011

The New Local Government Network has warned that councils may undergo a radical but shrinking process of ‘Californication’ in response to the pressure of budget cuts.

8/17/2011

Local authorities will be at the cutting edge of Government plans for a major expansion of broadband in rural areas.

8/10/2011

One particular organisation has had a major influence on the popularity of mutuals and employee ownership, as Dermott Calpin reports

8/10/2011

The Audit Commission has clashed with Tory-controlled Birmingham City Council over a critical verdict on the quality of its housing services for council tenants.

8/5/2011

Dermott Calpin reports on a recent, detailed analysis of applications for the Creative Council programme

8/2/2011

London’s largest public sector landlords has warned that Government housing policies could trigger an exodus of low income families from the capital.

7/28/2011

A new study by the National Audit Office suggests the complexity of funding formulae used to calculate council grant funding reduces transparency, reports Dermott Calpin.