Local government

Regeneration revisited

9 February 2012 | Alex Thomson

Councils have to look for new ways of regenerating our towns and cities and should consider alternatives to the Private Finance Initiative such as Local Asset Backed Vehicles Read more

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The answer is ‘yes’. What was the question?

8 February 2012 | Alan Finch

Finance managers must be aware of the dangers of self-justification and pre-determination in decision-making. Fortunately, there are tools and techniques to help arrive at more objective outcomes Read more

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Dilnot’s not for diluting

2 February 2012 | Caroline Glendinning

Cross-party talks are about to start on funding long-term care in England. A positive start would be implementing the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission in full Read more

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The £33bn question

25 January 2012 | Don Peebles

Will Scotland’s Budget allocate resources in the best possible way? It seems unlikely when a fixed formula is used to determine spending in both health and local government Read more

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Commercial competence: the next public sector challenge

20 January 2012 | John Tizard

With public budgets being squeezed, local authorities need to be able to draw on not just the highest levels of financial expertise but also commercial acumen and understanding Read more

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A nudge in the right direction

19 January 2012 | Jon Ainger

If we can change the behaviour of public service users, we can also save money. Council finance directors need to act now to seize the opportunity Read more

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Pilot error

19 January 2012 | James Lloyd

Politicians have missed a trick by not piloting some of the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission on long-term care funding Read more...

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Housing rights and wrongs

12 January 2012 | Ken Lee

Plans to revive the Right to Buy in housing could exacerbate the North/South divide. Politicians should consider introducing a 40% discount limit with no cash cap Read more...

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Community Budgets: only the start

11 January 2012 | Andy Sawford

The new Community Budget pilots are a step forward in joined-up local services and budgeting. But DCLG  must  do more to roll out this programme nationwide Read more

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