The decision to negate the award of the West Coast Mainline franchise to First Group marks a seriously low point in government procurement.
And the passing of the blame onto civil servants by ministers in advance of the enquiries, and seemingly on the basis that ministers have no accountability for decisions taken in their name – or actually and more...
In these difficult financial times, it is imperative that the voluntary and community sector works effectively with councils. They must find common cause and not fall out
Over the last two years, as local authorities have been forced to make hard and often painful expenditure decisions, their relations with the voluntary and community sector (VCS) has often become strained in...
Less than two years into the current spending review’s implementation and with only a fraction of the public expenditure cuts it created actually made, we are witnessing hardship and despair in some communities across the country. More cuts are to come and not all of them have yet been identified by central or local government, the NHS and other...
HR Director – key strategic advisor to the Council Leader
As Council Leader returning to the Town Hall after a summer recess holiday I am seeking key strategic advice and updates from the key members of the Council’s corporate management team. This is my e-mail to the Strategic HR Director
Dear Director
I very much hope that you have been able to...
A recent survey of council chief executives suggested that outsourcing was likely to grow significantly. But there are a number of reasons to suggest that this will not be the case
‘All local authority services can be outsourced and all councils will outsource more’ ran the headlines last week after the publication of the Localis report Catalyst Councils.
Localis’s...
I have been surprised by my recent conversations with local government executive and political leaders, some of whom seem to think that the financial challenges we have faced are behind them and that no further change is necessary. I admit the number taking this view is small and I have not undertaken...
The Home Affairs Select Committee has proposed that the Government and presumably the wider public sector should establish a ‘blacklist’ of private sector contractors that have failed in a public sector contract.
Aside from the unfortunate term ‘blacklist’, this proposition certainly appears attractive and...
If I was a council leader today, what would I want to achieve, and how would I want to behave?
It would be very easy to feel the victim of the 'vicious' government cuts to local authority grants, and of the 'continuous' undermining of local government and its leaders by government ministers and the media.
It would also be all too...