Tag: Devolution and reorganisation

With the Autumn Budget in sight, Former Secretary of State John Denham and New Local’s Jessica Studdert make the case for Total Place 2.0.

9th September, 2024

Devolution and reorganisation • Local government finance • Place-based budgets • Political reform • Public Services • Total Place

For many councils, area forums are at the heart of democratic engagement. But despite nobel intentions, some have drifted away from their purpose. How do we reimagine them?

1st July, 2024

Area Forums • Community engagement • Devolution and reorganisation • Practice work • Strategy and leadership

In his last week as chief executive of New Local, Adam Lent ditches sensible moderation and describes the change we really need: radical integration, radical devolution and radical community power.

2nd May, 2024

Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Local government • Politics • Public Services

A former secretary of state is calling for Total Place style pooled budgets as the best use of public spending when there is no financial quick fix for public services. Place-based budgets would allow services and communities to allocate...

31st January, 2024

Community engagement • Devolution and reorganisation • Health and social care • Local government • Local government finance • Place-based budgets • Public Services

The best policy that almost was? Former Secretary of State John Denham & New Local's Jessica Studdert discuss their new paper calling for a come-back for place-based budgeting as we saw in the Total Place pilots of 13 years...

31st January, 2024

Devolution and reorganisation • Local government finance • Place-based budgets • Political reform • Total Place

Council leaders have set out a roadmap for reforming public services and rebuilding trust under a future Labour government, starting with giving meaningful power and influence to communities.

26th September, 2023

Devolution and reorganisation • Labour • Local government • Policy • Politics • Public Services • Strategy and leadership

Government action is needed to ensure councils' ambitious and expansive vision for preventative work can be realised, writes Grace Pollard.

7th August, 2023

Central government • Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Local government • measuring

What is Labour’s vision for community power? Is the party serious about handing over control to local areas, and their people, if they win the next election? How do they marry this with challenges from some sections of the...

20th July, 2023

Central government • Devolution and reorganisation • Labour • Stronger Things

How wealth is distributed and how much power local areas have over spending is fundamental to growing the economy. Here's how to make fiscal devolution work.

26th April, 2023

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Local government finance • Local government reform

We explain what fiscal devolution is, bust myths that it will lead to higher taxes, explore different ways to do it, and recommend how to make it happen.

26th April, 2023

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Local government • Local government finance • Local government reform

Have we been here before? Jessica Studdert on the Levelling Up white paper, and how laudable ambitions have amounted to a familiar dearth of real powers or policy coherence for local government. The regional inequalities which mar our country...

2nd February, 2022

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Levelling Up • Local government • Politics

Following the leak of Gove’s devolution plans, Adam Lent explores the difference between a devolution designed to empower communities and places and one that is stuck in an outdated focus on growth and productivity.

14th December, 2021

Central government • Community Power • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Politics

Holding onto second jobs and central power - Westminster is unable to change itself from within.

12th November, 2021

Community Power Campaign • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Systems • Politics

Local action can play a major role in our response to climate change.

20th October, 2021

Climate change • Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Research Reports

Community power hit the political mainstream on Sunday, as Michael Gove used one of his first platforms as Secretary of State to endorse the idea of putting people in charge of local services and social infrastructure.

6th October, 2021

Community Power • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Politics

Give communities the power they need to level up

22nd September, 2021

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Local government finance • Policy • Politics

Six key factors to consider when setting up a commission that will help you maximise impact.

22nd June, 2021

Commissioning and Procurement • Democracy • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Economy • Strategy and leadership

Robyn Vinter on how people in the north of England are hungry for change in their area, and why it needs to be locally-led to succeed.

21st June, 2021

Community engagement • Devolution and reorganisation • Economy and business • Strategy and leadership

Ever wondered what your council tax was spent on, or what goes on inside a town hall? Read this explainer to find out.

27th May, 2021

Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Local government

Local government can seem complicated, but it's where local democracy happens. We start our explainer series by looking at the different types of council in England and what they do.

5th May, 2021

Democracy • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Local government

Voters across Great Britain will head to the polls on 6 May 2021 for important national and local elections. But what are the main contenders saying about community power? We’ve read the manifestos so you don’t have to. Part...

30th April, 2021

Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Political Systems • Politics

Voters across Great Britain will head to the polls on 6 May 2021 for important national and local elections. But what are the parties saying about community power and reforming local government? We’ve read the manifestos so you don’t...

28th April, 2021

Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Political Systems • Politics

23rd April, 2021

Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Political Systems • Politics

PPL's Claire Kennedy on why 'now' is always the best time for change, and how to get started.

7th April, 2021

Devolution and reorganisation • Strategy and leadership

The Community Ownership Fund announced in the budget is designed to help communities buy local assets. Power to Change’s Nick Plumb looks at the difference that community ownership can make and how to make the new fund a success.

23rd March, 2021

Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Economy and business • Place building

Giving local government more power isn’t a zero-sum game for central government. It can help the civil service improve as well. How devolution could be the missing ingredient of the government’s efforts to reform Whitehall.

17th March, 2021

Devolution and reorganisation • Strategy and leadership

Combining policy analysis and insights from leading edge practice, The Community Paradigm sets out a new vision and policy agenda for the future of public services. It forms the foundation that shapes NLGN’s ongoing research programme and network practice...

4th March, 2021

Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Systems • Powerful Communities • Public Services

Places are where the power of different communties can come together and come to life, write PPL's Claire Kenedy ahead of our Stronger Things 2021 event.

3rd March, 2021

Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Third sector and civil society

Even before the Covid pandemic, UK skills were falling behind other countries in terms of participation and spending. With huge employment and economic challenges on the horizon, Charlotte Morgan argues that local areas and their communities could transform skills...

26th November, 2020

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Education and skills • Employment • Skills

With huge employment and economic challenges on the horizon, Charlotte Morgan argues that local partnershiops of councils, colleges and communities could transform post-16 education in England - if they are given the powers and resources to do so.

26th November, 2020

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Education and skills • Employment • Skills

The decision to impose Covid restrictions on Greater Manchester is about far more than a political spat, says Adam Lent, it is an extreme example of our rulers' centralist mentalities. A mentality that keeps people powerless and hence keeps...

21st October, 2020

Covid-19 • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Systems

Amid doubts about the government's plans for a devolution white paper, Adam Lent outlines three principles to guide a new approach to reform.

9th October, 2020

Central government • Covid-19 • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation

The pandemic showed how much central government tightens its grip in a crisis. But it's the connection with local goverrment, not just power that's the problem.

6th October, 2020

Central government • Devolution and reorganisation • Strategy and leadership

How giving local areas the chance to manage their own skills development could transform post-16 education and local employment.

6th October, 2020

Devolution and reorganisation • Education and skills • Skills

While devolution might be set back by the government’s centralising instincts, which have been laid bare during the pandemic, this is counterbalanced by the support councils have won through their competent response, writes senior policy researcher Charlotte Morgan. The...

16th September, 2020

Devolution and reorganisation

When we talk about devolution, as we will do increasingly when the UK Government’s Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper is published this Autumn, we should remember that it is the enabling arm of subsidiarity. This principle holds that...

1st September, 2020

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation

What on earth is devolution, what’s held it back & what might come out of the new government White Paper? This animation accompanies this handy FAQ by New Local policy researcher Charlotte Morgan.

30th January, 2020

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Video

English devolution is back in the spotlight. As the Government prepares to publish a White Paper to set out its “offer for enhanced devolution across England”, we at NLGN have put together some FAQs to give you the devo-lowdown...

24th January, 2020

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation

England’s rural periphery is the UK’s Land of Opportunity. The national economy will only become rebalanced if the policy corridor ceases to exist, which makes a renewed emphasis on nurturing growth in the rural periphery paramount for all levels...

15th January, 2020

Devolution and reorganisation • Inclusive Growth • Levelling Up • Rural Areas

So, Her Majesty told us yesterday that her counsellors will be launching another round of devolution. It won’t happen of course unless Boris Johnson marches back into Downing Street with something like a workable majority. But it shows that...

16th October, 2019

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Systems

What is the point of public service inspectorates like Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission? The standard line is that they are there to make sure public sector bodies offer the very best to the communities they serve. But...

9th July, 2019

Community Power • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation

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, from scratch, putting together what I hope will be...

7th December, 2018

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Systems

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 was formally signed off. This development must be seen...

7th November, 2018

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation

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 of city regions. What is remarkable is that, under May’s...

19th June, 2018

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation

NLGN has been commissioned by the Key Cities Group to undertake research into how mid-sized cities can contribute to resolving the big national challenges that the UK currently faces. The first report, ‘Key Cities: Ready to Meet the UK’s...

5th June, 2018

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Strategy and leadership

Increasingly councils are recognising that it is organisational culture not structure that drives impact. But what is the culture of local government? Why is changing it important? And how can such an intangible thing be transformed? In this essay...

18th April, 2018

Community Power • Culture • Devolution and reorganisation • Governance • Strategy and leadership • Think Piece

The prospect of “taking back control” motivated many who voted to Leave in the EU Referendum. Whether it was the institutions of Brussels, the policies of the EU or the wider impact of globalisation, a balance of people in...

11th November, 2017

Brexit • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Politics

The local elections earlier this month saw several city regions elect first time Metro Mayors. The turnout in places like Manchester (29%), where Andy Burnham was elected, was pretty good for a plebiscite on a newly devolved role. In...

30th May, 2017

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation

After months of worry, devolution’s loved ones finally got some news from Dr May. The patient, it turns out, isn’t terminal, but sadly there will be no return to the old, vibrant ways. Devolution has suffered ‘life-changing injuries’. The...

21st May, 2017

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Politics

We need to talk about fiscal devolution. Fiscal devolution is an issue that national politicians won’t touch even with someone else’s bargepole. So scared are they of the electorate getting a whiff of the prospect of a tax increase,...

28th April, 2017

Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Finance • Local government finance