Tag: Public Services
As part of their partnership with our Stronger Things event, Tim Pitts from digital technology provider Agilisys explores the potential of technology, data and creative thinking for local government. Local […]
27th February, 2020
In July 2010, during his honeymoon period as Prime Minister, David Cameron unveiled what he called his “great passion” – the Big Society agenda. Built around principles of localism, volunteerism, […]
26th February, 2020
Head of Communications Katy Oglethorpe responds to the Centre for Local Economic Strategies’ critique of the Community Paradigm , by arguing that communities – working in partnership with government – […]
24th February, 2020
With the new government committed to building ‘places we want to live in’ by giving communities more say on development, and the upcoming NLGN conference in March looking at how […]
18th February, 2020
On 14 February, Camden Council is celebrating Valentine’s Day in a rather disruptive way. 130 people from across the country and from a range of organisations are coming together in […]
14th February, 2020
Millions of people in communities across the country find it difficult, or even impossible, to work because of the impact of a disability or long-term health condition. These disabilities and […]
7th February, 2020
Community Power • Disabilities • Employment • Public Services
Adam Lent argues that our intensifying climate crisis requires a political, economic and cultural revolution rooted in the empowerment of communities. @adamjlent We enter this new decade in the grip […]
20th January, 2020
Climate change • Community Power • Environment • Public Services
The PM may have given minimum wage earners a cash boost but Adam Lent argues only bringing the low paid into the heart of power will make a long-term difference. […]
31st December, 2019
Democracy • Economy and business • Employment • Public Services
In theory, a Conservative government with a very strong mandate should prove a tasty prospect for the local government sector. The party’s manifesto commits the government to a devolution white […]
13th December, 2019
Community Power • Conservatives • Democracy • Public Services
Local authorities experience considerable difficulties as they budget to keep vital services going whilst facing uncertainty about their future finances, and this is exacerbated when they are unsure when a longer-term settlement can be achieved.
4th December, 2019
Budgeting • Commissioning and Procurement • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
In response to the debate about a Community Power Act, Adam Lent argues that culture change is vital but alone it is not enough to transform a highly centralised, resistant system.
26th November, 2019
The number of people spending the night on the streets is increasing all over the world, as nations struggle with their own housing crises or have difficulties funding the multi-agency support services needed for individuals to overcome the complex...
25th November, 2019
Given the increasingly stretched resources in councils, prototyping provides a sensible and low-cost approach to test new ideas and obtain buy-in along the way.
22nd November, 2019
In this briefing, we’re exploring the benefits and opportunities that arise when we create the time and space to bring prototyping practices into our work.
22nd November, 2019
Uncertainty is bad for the economy. Yet the events of recent days and weeks have revealed even greater lack of clarity for local government when it comes to Britain’s departure […]
29th October, 2019
Brexit • Economy and business • Leadership Index • Public Services
No one can doubt the sincerity of Dame Sally Davies’s parting shot as Chief Medical Officer. Her report on child obesity crackles with frustration and fear at the horrendous cost […]
10th October, 2019
Health and social care • Public Health • Public Sector Voices • Public Services
The number of children in care has never been so high, rising by 4% over the last year alone and by 2025, the funding gap for children’s services is expected […]
11th September, 2019
The number of looked after children has reached a thirty-year high, with spending in this area accounting for over half of spending on children’s services in 2018-19. Despite the injection […]
9th September, 2019
Last week’s Spending Review announcement provided something of a proverbial crutch for children’s services, but offered few reassurances for the medium to long-term sustainability of what many see as the […]
9th September, 2019
Levels of violent youth crime on our streets have never been so high. Over the last four years, the number of these offences has increased by 34%. This is also […]
21st August, 2019
A new vision for public services in which communities are placed at the heart of delivery was set out in NLGN’s report The Community Paradigm, published in February this year. […]
9th July, 2019
This report makes a convincing case for why the process needs to be led by citizens and service users not public sector professionals. Importantly, it also explains in detail how this shift is happening in practice.
8th July, 2019
Commissioning and Procurement • Community Power • Powerful Communities • Public Services
In February of this year NLGN set out a compelling new vision for public services in The Community Paradigm The report argued that for a preventative approach to public service […]
8th July, 2019
Commissioning and Procurement • Community Power • Public Services
The challenges of working with partners, complex structures, imperfect systems etc are everywhere in local government. In this blog we talk about an example we’ve been working on in health […]
10th June, 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
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
“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
@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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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 local […]
14th September, 2018
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 demand […]
13th September, 2018
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. The […]
16th August, 2018
Implementing the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and using this opportunity to innovate.
20th July, 2018
Community Power • Homelessness • Housing • Members • Public Services
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 – […]
20th July, 2018
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 our […]
19th July, 2018
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 Committee, […]
17th July, 2018