Andrew Jepp

Job cuts: the collateral damage, by Andrew Jepp

21 March 2011 | Andrew Jepp

The latest wave of labour market figures released by the Office for National Statistics painted a worrying picture of UK unemployment, revealing a decline of 45,000 jobs in the last quarter of 2010. Overall, 111,000 ‘general government’ jobs were lost in 2010, 1.9% of the total. Perhaps even more concerning is that 66,000 of these were in local government. Read more...

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Trashed reputations, by Andrew Jepp

8 March 2011 | Andrew Jepp

When various factors combined unexpectedly to hold up rubbish collections early this year, councils were pilloried. But such risks should be prepared for Read more...

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A problem shared, by Andrew Jepp

14 February 2011 | Andrew Jepp

Partnership working and shared services seem like attractive solutions to shrinking council budgets. But they bring risks as well as rewards Read more...

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Danger ahead, by Andrew Jepp

14 February 2011 | Andrew Jepp

Extreme weather damage will stretch councils’ resources this winter, but not as much as unhappy staff. All the more reason to communicate better with them, says Andrew Jepp Read more...

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Local decisions must be long-term, by Andrew Jepp

4 February 2011 | Andrew Jepp

A recent report from Westminster Sustainable Business boasts some attractive headline figures on how much local authorities could save by rationalising their property portfolio and ‘co-locating’ back-office operations. Read more...

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Academies: the risk of a knowledge gap, by Andrew Jepp

10 January 2011 | Andrew Jepp

Figures published last week by the government reveal that a total of 371 secondary schools are now academies, meaning that 11% of all secondary schools in England are working independently of local authority control. Just over 200 schools have been converted into academies since education secretary Michael Gove pushed through the legislation, the majority of which are schools rated outstanding by Ofsted. Read more...

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Localism: risks and rewards, by Andrew Jepp

16 December 2010 | Andrew Jepp

The Localism Bill, unveiled this week, claims to shake up the balance of power in local service delivery. It may well achieve this aim, but at the same time it also fundamentally shakes up the balance of risk – a factor all local authorities and the public need to be aware of. Read more...

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Public policing – Big Society or big risk? By Andrew Jepp

2 December 2010 | Andrew Jepp

According to the Home Secretary’s latest announcement, the move to install publicly-elected police commissioners is in full swing – but against a backdrop of widespread cuts and with some reports estimating that these latest plans will cost £130m to implement in the first year alone, is it a short-sighted measure? Read more...

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Tough times, tough choices, by Andrew Jepp

18 November 2010 | Andrew Jepp

Local authority managers must take a long-term approach to cuts. Otherwise, they will create problems and costs in the future, warns Zurich’s Andrew Jepp Read more...

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Big Society basics, by Andrew Jepp

21 October 2010 | Andrew Jepp

Joining up with the third sector can help local authorities  to provide good services on shrinking incomes. But, as ever, there are risks as well as rewards, says Andrew Jepp Read more...

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