An “ideological” pursuit of austerity has replaced the Britain’s social safety net with a “harsh and uncaring ethos”, according to the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty Philip...
English councils could be forced to make draconian cuts to local services if Westminster does not pump extra cash into local government to avoid a £51.8bn black hole over the next six years.
Internal auditors may have some tough truths to deliver as their organisations face ever-increasing pressure but their role is vital, says CIPFA’s Diana Melville.
A reconfigured relationship between central and local government is needed to prevent Britain “sleepwalking into a second lost decade”, a think-tank has said.
Urgent and radical decentralisation will have to depend on resource-based expenditure if we are to rebalance the economy through a strong local state, argues Joe Fyans, head of research at Localis.
As austerity measures, commercialisation and rapid change force local government into difficult decisions, a strong code of conduct becomes ever more important, CIPFA’s Kim Woods writes.
Last week’s local elections were more eventful than expected but were still dominated by national politics rather than community issues, says LGiU’s Jonathan Carr-West.
Social care could be funded by a state pension-style model, taking financial burden away from local authorities, according to the former work and pensions secretary Damian Green.
