The big issues that will shape our communities
I hope that all first readers were able to take some time off over the Christmas period, and I would like to wish you a happy new year and all the best for 2022.
Time to fund councils properly
As we begin a new year, it’s natural to think about new beginnings. Could 2022 be the year that the Government stops dithering and finally gets a grip on council funding?
Victory for forgotten rural communities
I sit here writing this column still buzzing from our stunning victory in the North Shropshire by-election. Helen Morgan will make a fantastic MP, and a great voice for ignored rural communities.
A trusted pillar of democracy
We enter 2022 with everything to play for.
Partnerships for person-centred services
The 2001 ‘Valuing people’ white paper established learning disability partnership boards (LDPs) for three simple but ambitious reasons.
Making our voices heard
In Bradford and Craven, where Katie Peacock lives, the life expectancy of a woman with a learning disability is 29 years less than for a woman who doesn’t have one – and for a man, it is 14 years less. “Very sadly, these shocking figures are in line with national statistics,” Katie notes.
Care services dominate spending
Children’s and adult social care services could fail to support everyone they need to, despite making up nearly two-thirds of councils’ total spending, because of rising demand, increasing costs and inadequate funding.
Local action on climate change
COP26 underlined councils’ importance in tackling the climate emergency.
