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A New Year’s resolution for partnerships between the public and private sectors
This article first appeared on Room 151. As 2018 draws to a close, it has ended in much the same way as it started for partnerships between the public...
By Sarah Lawson, Policy Researcher, NLGN
18th December, 2018
How does the North of Tyne Devo Deal help local people?
This month, three councils in the North East came together to create a Combined Authority and start the next phase of our devolution journey. Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland...
By Norma Redfearn, interim mayor of the North of Tyne Combined Authority and elected mayor of North Tyneside
7th December, 2018
Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Systems
Raising the HRA borrowing cap is long overdue – but is it enough?
The announcement in the recent budget that the Government will be lifting the borrowing cap on Local Authorities’ Housing Revenue Accounts has been much welcomed and is long overdue....
By Joe Wills, Research Intern
26th November, 2018
In-house versus Outsourcing: What is the future of partnerships between the public and private sectors?
Billed as a juicy political debate pitting the Labour Party’s preference for in-housing against the Conservative Party’s continued commitment to the role of the private sector on outsourcing, the...
By Trinley Walker, Senior Policy Researcher
22nd November, 2018
North of Tyne: Deal, not much Devolution
Blink and you might have missed it. Amid the fireworks of last week’s Budget, we had some positive devolution news. On Friday 2nd November, the North of Tyne devolution...
By Charlotte Morgan, Policy Researcher, NLGN
7th November, 2018
A budget that leaves councils at the mercy of Boris Johnson
The Chancellor was clearly feeling the hand of history on his shoulder. A new chapter and a turning point were declared as Phillip Hammond informed the House that austerity...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
30th October, 2018
The Budget must overturn a catastrophic policy error made eight years ago
In 2008, Alistair Darling’s Autumn Statement as Chancellor of the Exchequer contained two bombshells. The first being that he was spending £200bn to keep the economy afloat following the...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
24th October, 2018
Is the answer to the UK’s productivity puzzle a focus on area type?
As policymakers scratch their heads over how to tackle the UK’s productivity challenge, is a focus on regional disparities too blunt an approach? As this blog argues, an understanding...
By Melissa Macdonald, Research Intern, NLGN
23rd October, 2018
Taking local action on climate change
Last week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released their report into the effects of global warming and confirmed what many have suspected for some time – that...
By Mathew Jellings, Business Development Director, ENGIE
16th October, 2018
Transforming the relationship between councils and citizens
On 18 July 2018, NLGN partnered with FutureGov to host our latest Innovation Exchange at their offices in London. All of our Innovation Exchanges produce a detailed Insights Report...
By Matt Skinner, Managing Director, FutureGov
12th October, 2018
A route map to changemaking partnerships between the public and private sectors
The role of the private sector in the delivery of public services has been under intense scrutiny of late. It has been a year overshadowed by high-profile failings, perhaps...
By Sarah Lawson, policy researcher, NLGN
9th October, 2018
£240m won’t do it. Councils need a share of the £20.5bn promised to the NHS to make social care sustainable
It’s become a familiar scene. Minister makes “major” announcement of new funding for social care in the realm of many millions. Sector responds that what is needed is in...
By Jessica Studdert, Deputy Director, NLGN
2nd October, 2018
Labour’s plans for schools: right direction but needs to go further
It has become so rare to hear national politicians talk about returning power over schools to councils that Angela Rayner’s forthright speech to the Labour conference came as something...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
26th September, 2018
What would a Labour Government mean for local government?
As its annual conference closes, and a flurry of new policy announcements add to last year’s manifesto, Labour’s agenda continues to take shape. While Brexit negotiations still dominate these...
By Jessica Studdert, Deputy Director, NLGN
26th September, 2018
What would No Deal mean for councils?
What would a No Deal Brexit mean for the UK? With only six months remaining until the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019, this is the burning...
By Charlotte Morgan, Policy Researcher, NLGN
20th September, 2018
New analysis reveals rising demand and reducing resource means council spend is shifting away from prevention and towards crisis intervention
At the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales we are often challenging local authorities around commissioning and contracting and how too often it excludes or marginalises small and...
By Duncan Shrubsole Director of Policy, Communications and Research, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales @duncanshrubsole @LBFEW
14th September, 2018
Councils need to learn to step back, as communities increasingly step up
The relationship between councils and communities is shifting. The traditional role of the council as primarily a “service deliver” has diminishing impact in a context of reduced budgets, rising...
By Pawda Tjoa, Senior Researcher, NLGN
13th September, 2018
A persistently high demand for children’s services
The demand pressures on children’s services have been rising up the policy agenda. There have been repeated calls to the government to allocate more resources to supporting children’s services....
By Pawda Tjoa, Senior Researcher
16th August, 2018
Why are there still so few women in the cabinet?
As Brexit rows continues to dominate the news, feminism may not be high on the agenda of the current Prime Minister, Theresa May. There are many competing interests the...
By Vanessa Schneider, External Affairs Officer, NLGN
27th July, 2018
Preventing violence on our streets needs early intervention and local leadership
The surge in violent crime over the last year has left policy makers scrabbling to respond in a meaningful way. The plethora of initiatives announced over the last year...
By Geethika Jayatilaka, CEO, Chance UK
20th July, 2018
New youth group helps young people cope with stresses of the day
It can be challenging to be a young person today. The issues causing stress amongst our teenagers range from community to community. We’ve learned that young people involved in...
By Councillor Jenny Bullen, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People’s Services, Wigan Council
19th July, 2018
Building more than public trust in public private partnerships
Last week saw another report released in the wake of Carillion’s collapse. “After Carillion: Public sector outsourcing and contracting”, a new report from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs...
By Sarah Lawson, Policy Researcher, NLGN
17th July, 2018
The Brexit board gives local government a seat on the floor
The announcement that made headlines in an otherwise low-key speech from MHCLG Secretary of State James Brokenshire at this year’s LGA Conference concerned the establishment of a board to...
By Charlotte Morgan, Policy Researcher, NLGN
5th July, 2018
Brokenshire must go public on council funding
This article first appeared on The Local Government Chronicle website on 2nd July 2018 Let’s face it, the bar is not exactly high. As long as James Brokenshire manages...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
3rd July, 2018
Does being a leader need to be a full time job?
As the local government clans gather in Birmingham this week, let me offer a view counter to the apparent increasing trend for local political leaders to work full-time in...
By Dame Jane Roberts, NLGN Chair, Research Fellow in Public Leadership, The Open University Business School
2nd July, 2018
Leaving Care, Leaving Well: how can outcomes be improved?
11,000 young people leave care every year, including foster and residential placements, and start their transition to adulthood. For many, this is a difficult journey. Not only do young...
By Hannah Jump, Social Finance
20th June, 2018
The social impact of devolution must not be overlooked
There is nothing new about English devolution being couched in economic terms, particularly as the UK Government has pinned the devolution agenda in England firmly to the spatial framework...
By Charlotte Morgan, Policy Researcher, NLGN
19th June, 2018
The ageing story is growing old
A quarter of millennials think it’s normal for older people to be unhappy or depressed, and two thirds don’t have a friendship with an age gap of 30 years...
By Sarah Lawson, Policy Researcher, NLGN
18th June, 2018
The public services “quadruple whammy”
This post first appeared in The Local Government Chronicle on 12th June 2018. Welcome to the Quadruple Whammy: the confluence of factors rearing into view that could push local...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
13th June, 2018
Trust – a vital ingredient in successful public-private partnerships?
Dave Sheridan, Divisional CEO of ENGIE UK, explains why trust is fundamental to being successful custodians of public services. The recent demise of Carillion, and the public debate thereafter,...
By Dave Sheridan, Divisional CEO, ENGIE UK
7th June, 2018
How do we ensure places are geared towards our good health?
On 23rd March 2018, NLGN, supported by The Ramblers, convened a roundtable on public health, held in Salford and attended by partners from across Greater Manchester. This blog launches...
By Molly Jarritt, External Affairs Officer, NLGN
5th June, 2018
Spending Review: Time to unite, time to think bigger
This is a critical year for local government. The Spending Review, the social care green paper and decisions on funding the NHS are all individually important, but collectively they...
By Tony Smith
1st June, 2018
Local Government squabbling will blow chances of better deal
This article first appeared on the Local Government Chronicle website on 30th May 2018 You don’t need to trawl the archives of The New York Times to know that...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
30th May, 2018
Rethinking Public-Private Partnerships
Attention is increasingly focussing on how public services are delivered and what roles the public and private sectors should have. Budgetary pressures, an ageing society and the looming fallout...
By Trinley Walker, Senior Policy Researcher, NLGN
30th May, 2018
Numbers and Knowledge
Whitehall and Local Government often seem fixated on numbers, metrics and targets, as a trigger for focus and action, show to residents, and to satisfy inspectorates as to just...
By Merran McRae, Chief Executive, Wakefield Council
25th May, 2018
Tackling social isolation requires intergenerational response
Whilst recent events have placed emphasis on generational differences– particularly between millennials and older baby-boomers – intergenerational Homeshare schemes are addressing a problem that cuts across the perceived generational...
By Erica Belcher, Research Intern, NLGN
23rd May, 2018
The problem with prevention
Prevention has become a bit of a buzzword. As public services struggle to meet demand alongside widespread funding cuts, increasingly people are recognising the need to focus on the...
By Sarah Lawson, Policy Researcher, NLGN
22nd May, 2018
We need to start talking about fiscal devolution…
This week Seattle’s City Council voted unanimously to levy a new tax on large businesses to help address the city’s homelessness problems. Through negotiation and consensus-building, a democratically-elected local...
By Jessica Studdert, Deputy Director
18th May, 2018
The Do’s and Don’ts of Being Secretary of State at MHCLG
This article first appeared on the Local Government Chronicle on 11th May 2018 Dear James, welcome to the strangest job in Whitehall. You are now leading a sector that...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
14th May, 2018
Councillors must urgently speak with one loud voice to protect children in their care
This was first published in the Local Government Chronicle on 8th May 2018 After the celebration of victory comes an eye-opening and somewhat shocking week for new councillors elected...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
9th May, 2018
How can co-production transform services?
NLGN is today launching our latest Innovation Briefing, exclusively for our members. This focusses on how local authorities are using co-production to transform their services and make sure they...
8th May, 2018
Why staff are eyes and ears of our communities
We know our staff are our biggest asset and at a time of limited resources we need to ensure we are utilising their full potential. We deploy operational staff...
By Paul Barton, Director of Environment, Wigan Council
30th April, 2018
It’s time for the Government to stop ignoring councils on Brexit
The UK Government has consistently maintained that there is ongoing dialogue with local government on Brexit. However, there are growing question marks over the extent to which this ‘dialogue’...
By Charlotte Morgan, Policy Researcher, NLGN
26th April, 2018
The BNP may have gone but communities are more vulnerable to unforeseen sparks
This article first appeared in the LGC on 17 April 2018 The news that the British National Party no longer has any representation in local government following the resignation...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN
18th April, 2018
Council tax disparity – a cause for concern?
Yesterday (28 March), the Government released Council Tax statistics for 2018/19. It won’t surprise you to know that the majority of local authorities have taken advantage of the additional...
By Dan Bates, pixelfinancial
29th March, 2018
Is Extra Funding for the NHS the Right Call?
How should we regard the NHS as it celebrates its 70th year? A much-loved elderly aunt who offers nothing but care and support to an increasingly demanding family despite...
By Adam Lent, Director, NLGN. First appeared in LGC
29th March, 2018
What’s the sexiest job in local government?
I know what you’re thinking. Where to start, right? The sector is full of glamour. There’s the high-flying chief executive, at the pinnacle of a local government career –...
By Jessica Studdert, Deputy Director, NLGN
2nd March, 2018
Mainstreaming Social Value in Councils
Social value in commissioning and procurement is important because it considers the role of spending on services to improve economic, social, and environmental wellbeing in an area. These often...
By Pawda Tjoa, Senior Researcher, NLGN
28th February, 2018
Making a difference with social value
The Public Services (Social Value) Act was designed to encourage those commissioning public services to think beyond short-term financial costs, to how they could use their contracts to drive...
By Sarah Fraser, Head of the Willmott Dixon Foundation
29th January, 2018
What’s the point of Croydon?
It’s interesting finding out what others think of your workplace. I searched for “Croydon” to try to get a sense of an outsider’s perspective. Recently, it was about how...
By Julian Ellerby, Director of Strategy and Partnerships, London Borough of Croydon
11th January, 2018