Offering sanctuary to those in need
Like everyone, I have been horrified at the scenes from Afghanistan in recent weeks and months.
Councillor Nick Forbes CBE
Time to go faster on hitting net zero
Rampant wildfires in America; hundreds killed by extreme floods in Germany and China; and here, in the UK, the Met Office issued its first ever extreme heat warning.
Time to act on social care
Adult social care has been pushed to the bottom of the agenda for too long and the consequences are clearer than ever before.
Seeing sense over online meetings
Among the many coronavirus challenges local government faced in the past year, ensuring that democracy continued to function turned out to be one of the simplest.
Violence against women and girls
The horrific murder of Sarah Everard brought national attention to the issue of women’s safety, which was further exacerbated by the police’s heavy-handed response to the peaceful vigil at Clapham Common.
Allowing local partnerships to lead
Have we ever owed a bigger debt of thanks to the NHS than we do today?
Families hit by council tax bombshell
Happy new year to everyone working in local government.
What was missing in the Spending Review
At the start of this crisis, everybody in local government heard the same message from the Chancellor – that councils should do “whatever it takes” to tackle coronavirus.
A prime minister in waiting
Although very low on the list of sacrifices that coronavirus has forced on people, I was sorry not to have my annual catch-up with local government friends and colleagues from across the UK at the Labour Party Conference.
The pride of Newcastle
I was incredibly proud when I learned that Stonewall had named Newcastle City Council its number one employer in the Top 100 Workplace Equality Index. Remarkably, this is the first time any local authority has received this fantastic accolade.