Increasing the social care precept, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, is the worst option except for all the others. That the government seems prepared to allow councils to increase it, a change many expected in the autumn statement, shows belated pragmatism. Giving councillors the freedom to make the case politically for any rate rise to their […]
This note from the Chief Executive is from our December newsletter. You can read the newsletter in full here and register to receive it straight to your inbox on our homepage. Christmas time is here by golly: disapproval would be folly. Deck the halls with hunks of holly, fill the cup and don’t say when. Kill the turkeys, […]
Responding to the absence of extra funding for social care in the Autumn Statement, Liam Booth-Smith, Chief Executive of Localis said: “Social care’s absence was worrisome, and with the living wage increase helping many care workers (itself a good thing), the financial pressure will increase. I can see how many in local government find this underwhelming […]
Responding to the Autumn Statement’s housing announcements, Liam Booth-Smith, Chief Executive of Localis, said: “The £1.4bn injection into the Affordable Homes Programme is good news. Housing associations, developers and councils will be able to bid for a larger pot of money to fund new affordable housing. Whilst the cash figure will get the headline, the […]
Following on from Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech on her government’s Industrial Strategy today (21 November 2016), the localism think tank Localis is launching its latest major research project The Making of an Industrial Strategy. To support this research Localis will be issuing a national call for evidence and liaising with a range of local […]
In support of our new report, Power Behind The Home, Localis research fellow and report author Jack Airey writes on how devolution could halt the declining numbers of council homes. Since 1994, the number of homes owned by local authorities has more than halved to 1.6 million. Over the same period England’s population has increased […]
In support of our new report, Power Behind The Home, Localis research fellow and report author Jack Airey writes on why the Government should reform the Starter Homes scheme to be more locally-flexible. What makes a house affordable? When it comes to first time buyers, the drivers of their answers to this question will likely […]
A new report (link) by the think tank Localis argues that to meet the needs of those families ‘just managing’, the Government must free up local authorities to take more decisions on how and where housing can be delivered. The report, Power Behind the Home: Why devolving housing powers will build more homes, argues that only […]
Writing in the MJ, Liam Booth-Smith reflects on our recent report, A New Public Service Ethos, asking if the ‘public sector ethos’ is in fact a myth. You can read the piece here or below. Our new Localis report, A New Public Service Ethos, is a postcard from the public sector, sharing its feelings on […]
Notions of the ‘public service ethos’ have been in place since the formation of the civil service, which established an ethical framework based on impartiality, political neutrality and the pursuit of the public interest, with new civil servants expected to adhere to four core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality/ selflessness. These principles were codified […]