Local government
If Eric Pickles is cutting the town hall rich list, here are the Tories to talk to
Eric Pickles is a driven man on a mission to slash spending and waste in local government. As the latest round of budget cuts just enacted highlights, Pickles has managed… Continue reading
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Local elections 2013: in numbers
335: total councillors lost by the Tories 291: seats gained by Labour 124: losses sustained by the Lib Dems 139: seats gained by UKIP 147 UKIP council seats after today’s results 10… Continue reading
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6 steps to out-fox local government’s Sir Humphreys
Shortly after the 2010 general election I attended an event where mandarins complained of ‘swingeing cuts’. Then one NHS boss admitted that he had so much cash sloshing around he… Continue reading
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Council tax increases, but might councils spend more wisely?
One development that IDS and George Osborne did not dwell upon in their Telegraph piece mentioned earlier was council tax, which, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, is due to… Continue reading
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Can you justify Rotherham Council?
Remarkable story in today’s Daily Telegraph. A couple from Rotherham who fostered children have had the kids taken away from them by social workers – because they were members of… Continue reading
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Government defeated on ‘poll tax mark two’
The government suffered an awkward defeat in the House of Lords this afternoon on its changes to council tax benefit. Rebels on an amendment to the Local Government Finance Bill… Continue reading
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Life in Modern Britain: Charity Duck Edition - Spectator Blogs
A typical tale of nitwittery from modern Britain. And this, of course, is one of the problems with localism: it means giving more power to local councillors. That’s still, on… Continue reading
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Why a Labour council is selling expensive housing stock
The Policy Exchange report Ending Expensive Social Tenancies has predictably provoked a renewed debate about council housing and the value of genuinely mixed communities. It was welcomed by the right… Continue reading
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Why I’m backing my local free school
Last night I attended a public meeting to discuss the successful bid by parents in north London to set up a free school in East Finchley. The Archer Academy is… Continue reading
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Helping troubled families
Earlier today, the government, in the form of Eric Pickles, announced that it was launching new incentives to encourage local councils to improve the lives of 120,000 families, identified as ‘troubled families’… Continue reading
29 Comments
Gove takes on private school dominance and trade union opposition
The Education Secretary gave a very pugnacious speech this morning on the need to improve the country’s state schools. ‘It is remarkable,’ Michael Gove said at independent school Brighton College, ‘how… Continue reading
48 CommentsCameron’s Municipal Failure: All Hat and No Cattle
The first-time visitor to Manchester cannot fail to be struck by the grandeur of its Victorian civic buildings. The Town Hall, pictured above, is a mighty declaration of municipal pride… Continue reading
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The contests that really matter today
For the long-term future of Britain, perhaps, the most important contests today are the mayoral referendums in 11 of Britain’s biggest cities. For elected mayors offer the best chance of… Continue reading
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The resistance to elected mayors shows how badly they’re needed
The old political establishment in the cities is fighting back against the idea of city mayors. They know that a directly elected mayor threatens their traditional power base. As Jill… Continue reading
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Byrne for Birmingham?
Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet could soon lack a Liam Byrne. The shadow work and pensions secretary is expected to announce his intention to run for the position of Mayor of… Continue reading
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Gove versus the ‘enemies of promise’
Michael Gove has never been timid in confronting the education bureaucracy, but his attack on them today is particularly — and noteworthily — unforgiving. Referring to those truculent local authorities… Continue reading
19 CommentsOsborne, the caring chancellor
George Osborne is pursuing the Tesco strategy: every little helps. In his conference speech today, he will announce that he has found £805 million to freeze council tax next year,… Continue reading
10 CommentsEric’ll fix it
The papers report that Eric Pickles has beaten Caroline Spelman: bins will be collected on a weekly basis. Back in June, James reported how the DCLG and DEFRA were opposed… Continue reading
22 CommentsAnother voice: Dale Farm reprieved
This is the second of our occasional ‘another voice’ series. Siobhan Courtney reports again from Dale Farm. The outcome was not what anyone expected: the bailiffs are not getting into… Continue reading
31 CommentsShould evictions from social housing be broadened?
I understand that the government’s view is that social housing tenants whose children live with them and are convicted of looting should be evicted from their homes. The law already… Continue reading
35 Comments