Taking a local approach
Friends, this is my last column ahead of the local elections and our group elections that follow.
devolution
Turbo-charging devolution
Local government’s response to COVID-19 has demonstrated that it does deliver and can be trusted. Now is the time for a new devolution settlement.
MPs support greater powers for councils
Eight in 10 MPs say councils should have more financial freedoms and powers to build homes in their area and 72 per cent say they should have more control over local taxes, according to exclusive LGA polling by Savanta ComRes.
Making progress on devolution
Away from COVID-19, the future of the Union and devolution within it made some news headlines recently, with new polling showing increased support for Scottish independence and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown setting out his thoughts on the issues.
Devolution or divination?
Devolution, like reorganisation, is a zombie issue – not really alive but not fully dead and refusing to do either properly.
Time for fiscal devolution?
Local government across the western world has been able to react to the COVID-19 crisis with greater powers and autonomy than councils in the UK, according to a new report from the think-tank Localis, commissioned by the LGA.
More spending on local priorities
An extra £30 billion of spending was announced in the Budget in March, much of it aimed at dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.