Simon Parker

Lost in transition

The Audit Commission’s success in outsourcing its work offers little insight into the future of local audit  – as it is only a halfway house Read more

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Councils after the cuts

Local government is facing a period of significant change driven by budget cuts and rising demand for public services. By 2020, councils are likely to look very different than they do today Read more

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A lily-livered white paper?

Critics claim the open public services white paper is a let-down. But this is very complicated territory  Read more

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Localism: the next generation

In these difficult times, councils have two basic choices – retrench or renew. The NLGN’s Next Localism Commission wants to  help public servants and councillors develop the next generation of local authorities.   Read more

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A problem shared, by Simon Parker

Can shared services help save the front line from cuts? It depends on the approach taken Read more...

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Get big society back on track, by Simon Parker

The big society agenda is often dismissed as nebulous, but it turns out that while few can agree on what the policy really means, everyone seems to agree that it shouldn’t mean cutting funding for the voluntary sector. Look at the explosion of press coverage this week as Liverpool pulls out of the government’s vanguard programme, the Citizens’ Advice Bureau warns of major budget cuts and volunteering centres face closure. Read more...

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VIDEO BLOG: Localist perspectives, by Simon Parker

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The shock of the new, by Simon Parker

Ministers’ rhetoric about the role of local government has been confusing, but this should not prevent councils from innovating Read more...

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Joining the round table, by Simon Parker

The benefits of Sir Gus’s quest for joined-up government are clear and other countries have shown it can be achieved Read more...

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