Comment: Council cuts show Pickles’ brazen dishonesty
Tis the season to be jolly – but for local government and the communities we serve, there won’t be much festive cheer. By Cllr David Sparks This week we were dealt a heavy blow by Eric Pickles, who gave with one hand and took with another. No sooner had he unveiled the Localism and Decentralisation […]
Comment: The localism bill empowers us to build the big society
New powers and freedoms will give both councillors and the people they represent a greater say over how their services are run in what could be the building blocks for the Big society. By Cllr David Shakespeare The Localism Bill, which was published on Monday, has its origins in the detailed policy development work that […]
‘More for less’: Cuts fears dominate radical local reforms
By Peter Wozniak Eric Pickles has announced dramatic changes to the way local government is organised, amid the backdrop of significant cutbacks in grants. The decentralisation and localism bill as also unveiled in the Commons this afternoon. The local government secretary said he would demand that councils do “more for less”. The communities secretary announced […]
Not so fast, chum: Pickles risks ‘lipstick localism’
By politics.co.uk staff The government’s commitment to decentralising power in its localism bill set to be unveiled this week runs the risk of being “cosmetic”, a thinktank warns. The left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) argued that although the localism agenda was promising, it will be largely meaningless unless the coalition delivers “real powers […]
Comment: Council cuts will hit deprived areas hardest
The government has claimed to be championing itself as a protector of the most vulnerable in the spending review. A closer look at cuts to local government reveals that less affluent areas stand to lose out most. By Dave Watts MP When the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA) launched its latest document – […]
Govt steps up push for ‘big society’
By politics.co.uk staff David Cameron’s flagship ‘big society’ policy was set in motion today as the new communities czar sets out her plans. Over the next year Baroness Newlove will visit local projects to identify the best practise for “community activism” and then report to the government on how to remove barriers from the state. […]
Comment: Elected mayors can reinvigorate our democracy
Britain has become over-centralised, with local government largely faceless. Elected mayors can bring our democracy back in step with the rest of the world. By John Stevenson MP The topic of elected mayors is a significant one, and yet despite its enormous potential to profoundly affect our democracy, it often tends to fly below the […]
Cost-saving ‘super-council’ planned
By Peter Wozniak Three London boroughs are pursuing plans to merge into one ‘super-council’ by sharing service provision to save money. Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City councils claim they will be able to save between £50 and £100 million through the plans. Stephen Greenhalgh, leader of Hammersmith and Fulham council, defended […]
Spending review: Communities and culture take damage
By Peter Wozniak Local government and the department of culture, media and sport are some of the biggest losers from the spending review, with 33% and 24% respectively by 2015. Despite David Cameron’s Big Society rhetoric, cuts to Jeremy Hunt’s department will hit organisations delivering communities schemes. The cuts total is stated as 15% for […]
Poll: Councils’ anti-social behaviour funding backed
By politics.co.uk staff The funding local government spends on tackling anti-social behaviour should be protected, a poll has indicated. The ComRes poll for the Local Government Association (LGA) suggested overwhelming support for councils’ self-professed “triumph” in dealing with low-level disturbances. According to the survey, 77% of people agreed that funding for the councils’ strategies ought […]
