Beyond the downturn

‘Local government in Britain needs to be less passive and resist the central diktat on policy that has undermined local services and engagement. Authorities need less, rather than more guidance, and they need to be brave enough to drive fundamental change themselves.’ So says Michael Frater, Surrey CC’s interim chief executive in an essay in [...]

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Gordon Brown at the NLGN Annual Conference

I went to the NLGN annual conference today.  The star turn came from the Prime Minister in what was the first speech he has made during his premiership to a local government audience.  Gordon Brown’s theme was responding to the recession.  He emphasised the global nature of the economic crisis and the three key planks of [...]

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