Investing in prevention
The Government’s finance policy statement, published in late November, outlined its intentions for the provisional local government finance settlement for 2025/26.
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Councils let down by funding system
The local government funding reforms announced on 28 November are welcome.
Ministers don’t get it on National Insurance
My preliminary discussions with council leaders over recent weeks, ahead of February budget setting, continually brings to bear the reality of the Labour Government’s seismic increase to employer National Insurance contributions.
Don’t lose the ‘local’ in local government
As first was going to press, we were awaiting a delayed white paper on devolution. The Government’s intentions may be to decentralise power, but I am concerned that some of its proposals will undermine local democracy, rather than empower it.
Devolve to councils as they are
We are in tempestuous times, with UK Government announcements expected in a white paper on devolution, local government reform, and the provisional finance settlement – all in the week before Christmas.
Local responses to global problems
Sargassum is a seaweed causing significant socio-environmental and economic issues in the Eastern Caribbean Islands (EC), Mexico and parts of the USA.
A government that ‘gets it’
Like many local government leaders, I watched carefully the first Labour Budget in more than 14 years and the first Budget ever delivered by a woman.
Expect seismic increase in EHCPs
The first Budget for any government is an opportunity to sell their agenda for the course of a Parliament.
Local government ‘remains on life support’
The first Labour Government Budget since 2009 has met with a mixed response among Liberal Democrats in local authorities.