Sometimes, being a minister at the DCLG must feel like looking over the tennis net to see [this years Wimbledon champion] Novak Djokovic grinning back at you… a sinking feeling as you realise you just cant win.
Alex Thomson of Localis says Government plans are a big step in the right direction
The governments system for repatriating business rates could put public services in poorer areas at further risk, while richer local authorities may lack the necessary incentives for growth, Public Finance has been told.
In advance of today’s announcement by the government outlining their consultation on business rates reform, Alex Thomson, Chief Executive of local government think-tank Localis, said: “We are pleased that the Government are moving forward with plans for the local retention of business rates – this is a big step in the right direction. In the […]
Ministers are set to unveil proposals on re-localising business rates to councils today, the Department for Communities & Local Government has confirmed.
Communities secretary Eric Pickles is expected to make an oral statement to the House of Commons before publication of a consultation on the first phase of the local government resource review.
David Cameron has unveiled plans to end the era of “old fashioned” delivery of public services by allowing almost all of them to be opened up to competition from the private and voluntary sector.
This is certainly a government keen to get on
with things but, as befits a prime minister who
made localism a key plank of his election platform,
activity at CLG has been particularly pronounced.
Sir Merrick Cockell (Con) has this week called for a fresh start in relations between the sector and ministers, as the new Local Government Association chairman set out his plans to guide the group through a pivotal period.
DCLG : ‘greater localism’ needed on community budget pilots
23 June 2011 | By Allister Hayman, James Illman
Ministers are set to announce a new push on community budgets amid fears that sluggish progress and lack of Whitehall buy-in could stymie early ambitions.
It is an oft-repeated truism that, in a time of austerity, local authorities must be innovative.
Alex Thomson is chief executive of Localis.
But, in a policy platform, published by Localis this week, a distinguished group of local government experts argue that a golden opportunity in the form of councils trading powers is being, for the most part, overlooked.