Spending on children’s centres falls
Children’s centres face an uncertain future, with figures showing councils have been forced to cut their spending on the service by nearly a quarter in four years.
Let’s do lunch
In 2009, the people behind the Eden Project in Cornwall came up with a simple yet ambitious idea: to get the whole country to stop once a year to get to know their neighbours over lunch.
Making a change to children’s services
Earlier this year, we announced that we’d be working with six local authorities on a series of ‘change projects’ in children’s social care.
Sustainable funding needed for social housing
Last year, the Government finally accepted the LGA’s long-standing call to scrap the housing borrowing cap.
Stronger towns fund a ‘slap in the face’
The hurried announcement of the Stronger Towns Fund was rightly recognised as a blatant attempt to buy the votes of Labour MPs representing the many forgotten parts of the UK that voted Leave.
Austerity and the shortfall in funding
I became Chair of the LGA’s Fire Services Management Committee in September 2017.
Local leadership on national issues
The air quality crisis that is gripping our country, the fate of our struggling high streets and the major inequalities that many
of our communities suffer in health care, housing and job opportunities are just some of the things we discussed at our recent spring conference in York.
Women and political participation
Many first readers will have participated in events to mark International Women’s Day in March.
Sprinklers needed for fire safety
Tougher sprinkler rules must be introduced to ensure fire safety in high-rise buildings and care homes, the LGA has urged.
No new funding from Chancellor
A consultation on infrastructure finance, £100 million to help tackle knife crime, and free sanitary products for girls in secondary schools were among the announcements in March’s Spring Statement.