Since the Covid-19 pandemic, co-production and meaningful collaboration between the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and local government has been in the spotlight. As local government increasingly faces financial challenges of high inflation and increased pressures on statutory services, co-production should be considered even more...
Achieving equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within local government is vital to the future success and sustainability of the sector. In our work, we have identified best practice examples where local government has begun to improve representation. But has it gone far enough and is...
What's the local vision and what structures will get us there writes Phil Swann. The government’s much anticipated devolution and recovery white paper looks set to be delayed. According to some reports ministers’ apparent enthusiasm for the creation of more unitary councils is rapidly waning. All of...
Council action on devolution must be as much about talking as options appraisal writes Phil Swann. Ministers look set to present councils in two tier areas with a stark choice: establish mayoral combined authorities and introduce unitary local government or in effect opt out of the possibility...
By Phil Swann When I first heard about Betty she was in her mid-80s and lived in rural Dorset. Her husband had died a few years ago. She often got nervous at night, sometimes because of a urinary infection. She got in the habit of dialling...