4/22/2021

Paul Wheeler looks at how the Super Thursday electoral feast is shaping up. He highlights the key trends that are marking these ‘postal vote elections’.

8/31/2018

If local government is to have a future, we need to be more confident in supporting directly-elected mayors at all levels, writes Paul Wheeler.

1/12/2017

Paul Wheeler on why the Government's plans requiring voters to present identification upon voting are in danger of becoming a form of voter suppression.

8/30/2011

The Coalition is adopting a ‘tight-loose’ management style when it comes to announcements on local government, says Paul Wheeler.

5/24/2011

With the political focus shifting to the 2012 elections, voters have left all the main political parties to absorb some important lessons, says Paul Wheeler

11/24/2010

Following the furore surrounding Phil Woolas’s disqualification from Labour over his political campaign, Paul Wheeler asks what impact the case could have on local government elections

9/13/2010

11/25/2009

The current local political status quo is ill-suited to providing the necessary cross-sector leadership for Total Place, says Paul Wheeler

9/27/2009

Local government can be proud of the interest shown in the Total Place project by the wider public sector.

10/1/2008

Sometimes it’s the personal which can put abstract policy into perspective, says Paul Wheeler

9/10/2008

Remember the saying nothing happens in August? Well, apart from a small war in Georgia, we also saw the abrupt departure of Tim Parker from the London Mayor’s office.

8/7/2008

I hope my non-London readers will indulge me if I mention two recent events in the capital – they have a wide relevance to the future of local democracy...

5/15/2008

Congratulations to all those new councillors elected last week – and commiserations to those who fell foul of the mood for revenge on your national parties...

4/15/2008

Here’s an interesting one for future enthusiasts of the game, Trivial Pursuits. What was the news that the unfortunate government adviser, Jo Moore, was trying to bury on 9/11?

3/19/2008

Sometimes life is about hard lessons. If we don’t want to see the majority of councillors become full time and we do want to see councillors being representative of the working population then the attitude of employers, large and small, is critical..

2/21/2008

To-day we are all encouraged to be ‘story-tellers’, so it’s interesting to look at the perspective of one of the great story-tellers of our time.

9/21/2007

Travel broadens the mind. Well that was certainly true of my recent visit to Vancouver...

7/18/2007

Well it¹s certainly all change at the Department of Communities and Local Government. With a former councillor as a secretary of state and a well connected local government minister we have a formidable team. Plus a new and dynamic chairman of the LG

4/10/2007

As the Councillors Commission, set up to find ways of attracting younger and more diverse members, holds its first meeting, Paul Wheeler writes an open letter to its chair, Dame Jane Roberts.

2/23/2007

The whistle has gone for the latest round of unitary status bids in shire England. Paul Wheeler asks a more general question on political governance.