Category: Articles
Happy local election day! In the unique way of our quirky local democratic traditions, a complicated collection of nearly all English metropolitan boroughs, most district councils and some unitaries are […]
2nd May, 2019
The plight of children’s services is a well-documented one, and it is in some ways a relief to see that organisations such as the Local Government Association are now listing […]
1st May, 2019
“All adults should always do what is best for you.” – Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child-friendly version (1989) On the thirtieth anniversary […]
28th April, 2019
“All adults should always do what is best for you.” – Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child-friendly version (1989) On the thirtieth anniversary […]
26th April, 2019
There are many good criticisms of the Taxpayers Alliance (TPA) but they are often not related to the fundamental raison d’etre of the organisation. It is possible, for example, to […]
17th April, 2019
The UK is facing a homelessness crisis; 1 in 200 people in Britain don’t have a place to call home. This shocking statistic is lived out through the stark rise […]
3rd April, 2019
Last week gave us a brand new entry to the Local Growth Lexicon: the word ‘Envoy’. As part of plans to support “sustainable, inclusive” growth in the Thames Estuary area, […]
2nd April, 2019
“I just found it really difficult to get out and meet people” Mary Evans says. “I was in my first month at university, in a new city surrounded by other […]
29th March, 2019
Nationalise or privatise? That has been a classic dividing line for politicians ever since Margaret Thatcher made the latter a core part of her platform in the 1980s. And even […]
27th March, 2019
Community Power • Democracy • Political Systems • Public Services
Created in 2012 following riots in our inner cities, the Government’s Troubled Families Programme has received praise and criticism in equal measure over the last seven years. Created by the […]
19th March, 2019
“Thanks for this short bright moment in a very gloomy world” – Silver Sunday guest Last week when I opened the NLGN Annual Conference, I cited “Silver Sunday” as an […]
15th March, 2019
Community Power • Participation and co-production • Public Services
EY is delighted to have sponsored the NLGN’s International Women’s Day speed-mentoring event. 16 inspiring senior women from Local Government and beyond speed mentored over 200 future female leaders about […]
13th March, 2019
As millions of citizens across Latin America are seeing their countries become subject to authoritarian rule, the continent appears an unlikely source of inspiration for political innovation. From Nicolás Maduro’s […]
12th March, 2019
I’m delighted that this year we have such a strong line up of brilliant women coming along to inspire everyone at our NLGN International Women’s Day 2019! Slowly but surely […]
8th March, 2019
Today we are holding our second speed mentoring event to celebrate International Women’s Day. In this blog, External Affairs Officer Vanessa Schneider reflects on the role models she experienced growing […]
8th March, 2019
Money and an office of one’s own: why do young women still struggle to get a foot on the professional ladder? I recently read Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s […]
8th March, 2019
Jacobs was delighted to partner with NLGN on its Inclusive Growth Innovation Exchange. Participants from local authorities across the county came together to discuss what inclusive growth means, why it […]
6th March, 2019
Economy and business • Inclusive Growth • Strategy and leadership
With NLGN’s International Women’s Day event just around the corner, I’m taking the opportunity to weave together three of my favourite things: local gov, football and inspirational women. At first […]
5th March, 2019
@adamjlent In our report The Community Paradigm, published last week, Jessica Studdert and I explored a new model of public services emerging on the frontline of delivery. We argued that […]
4th March, 2019
‘@adamjlent Two things make Big Picture schools fundamentally different from conventional schools. One is the extent to which students are able to shape their own curriculum and learning journey. The […]
27th February, 2019
A new approach to public services is gradually emerging on the front-line. Many innovations coming from local government, the health sector, education and social enterprises are flourishing independently of each […]
25th February, 2019
The tectonic plates are starting to shift at Westminster. But whether the result is a landscape reshaping volcano or merely a short-lived tremor will be decided as much by policy […]
21st February, 2019
This article first appeared in the LGC on 05 February 2019. Never in the field of political conflict were so many wartime references uttered by so few to be endured […]
6th February, 2019
While the Westminster Bubble obsesses over the daily drama of haggling and brinksmanship over the shape of EU withdrawal, the NLGN Leadership Index reveals new insight into what is actually […]
29th January, 2019
Our latest NLGN Leadership Index focusses this year on two big topical themes for local government: Brexit and prevention. With Brexit dominating the news agenda we asked local government chief […]
29th January, 2019
Financial constraints combined with escalating demand for services continues to be one of the biggest challenges that public bodies face. In order for the public sector to face the challenges […]
17th January, 2019
This article was first published in the LGC on the 15th of January. The current Westminster conniptions are so often presented as a debate about the long-term future of the […]
16th January, 2019
One of the quieter Brexit-related announcements made by the Government this week concerned a ‘reshuffle’ of its Cabinet Committees. The European Union Exit and Trade (Domestic Preparedness, Legislation and Devolution) […]
11th January, 2019
When I popped to my local pub on New Year’s Eve, little did I know I would end up starting 2019 defining and defending local government to a group of […]
9th January, 2019
Local government finance • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
This article first appeared on the Local Government Chronicle website on 7th January 2019. It is generally accepted that doctors should avoid diagnosing their own illnesses and prescribing their own […]
8th January, 2019
The NHS 10-year plan has been heralded by the Prime Minister as a “historic step to secure its future”. While elements of the plan are welcome – including greater investment […]
8th January, 2019
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 and […]
18th December, 2018
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 are, […]
7th December, 2018
Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Systems
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. The […]
26th November, 2018
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 discussions […]
22nd November, 2018
Most people living in poverty in the UK today have a job. Work was meant to be the surest way out of poverty, but not any more. Without a statutory […]
9th November, 2018
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 deal […]
7th November, 2018
Quality + culture => staff retention Source: Skills for Care: “The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England” – September 2018; (Data: NMDS-SC unweighted data and […]
6th November, 2018
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 was […]
30th October, 2018
The latest NLGN Leadership Index paints a stark picture of local government’s capacity to weather the current challenges facing the sector and those on the horizon. Our regular survey of […]
25th October, 2018
NLGN’s Leadership Index provides insights into the level of confidence on key issues affecting local government, based on the perception of chief executives, leaders and council mayors. NLGN Leadership Index […]
24th October, 2018
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 financial […]
24th October, 2018
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 of […]
23rd October, 2018
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 global […]
16th October, 2018
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 available […]
12th October, 2018
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 most […]
9th October, 2018
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 the […]
2nd October, 2018
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 of […]
26th September, 2018
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 unpredictable […]
26th September, 2018
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 question […]
20th September, 2018