Demos

Theme : local_government

What next for local government management? There is a cautious but tangible return of discretion to the town hall and a premium on the ability of local government to improve services from within, finding new ways to meet distinctive local needs and to connect more effectively with citizens. Innovation is the key. from : simonparker 18th January 2008
Fighting for the soul of localism Whatever happened to the new localism? A few years ago it was the hot topic of party conference season. Today, not even the New Local Government Network, which arguably invented the idea, has fringe meetings about it.Part of the answer is that localism is the new orthodoxy. The government is reducing targets, focussing on making councils into strategic place shapers and trying to build a new relationship at the local level. That might not sound too radical, but it's a lot better than the... from : simonparker 30th August 2007
Is that all there is? Sir Michael Lyons has spent the last three years reviewing the future of local government. The results were published yesterday. To be honest, they were pretty cautious and a little disappointing. And the government rejected most of them anyway. Honestly - what's the point?To be fair to Lyons, he had to deal with a pretty difficult political situation. For all the government's claims to want to devolve to the local level, progress has been painfully slow and shows no signs of being... from : simonparker 22nd March 2007