A think-tank report said that local councils needed to work to integrate their policies on economic growth and development with those on promoting environmental sustainability.
Source: Andrew Jones, Greening Growth: How local government can build the green economy, Local Government Information Unit (020 7554 2800)
Links: Report | LGIU press release | Groundwork press release
Date: 2007-Dec
A concordat was published, designed to transform the relationship between central and local government. Local councils would have the right to lead the delivery of public services in their area and shape their future without 'unnecessary direction or control' by central government.
Source: Central-Local Concordat, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236) and Local Government Association
Links: Concordat | DCLG press release
Date: 2007-Dec
A report examined the scale of recent population changes, in particular rising immigration, and their impact on local services. It highlighted concerns regarding the adequacy of official population estimates, the speed and flexibility of funding adjustments, and whether the population projections and financial adjustments reflected the new range of diversity and the challenges that population change created.
Source: Institute of Community Cohesion, Estimating the Scale and Impacts of Migration at the Local Level, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report | LGA press release | EHRC press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | Community Care report
Date: 2007-Nov
An article examined the effectiveness of local area agreements. There was not yet any conclusive evidence on the balance of costs and benefits: but the agreements had the potential to bring about a transformation in governance relationships and, in turn, the delivery of services to address cross-cutting outcomes.
Source: Gillian Gillanders and Sophie Ahmad, 'Win-win? Early experience from local area agreements', Local Government Studies, Volume 33 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Nov
A report said that ethnic minority women faced too many barriers to becoming local councillors. The councillor role continued to be treated as a pastime for those with spare time and money. Local political parties' commitment to diversity remained weak, and potential candidates among ethnic minority women faced poor support and even discrimination from parties.
Source: Routes to Power, Fawcett Society (020 7253 2598) and Government Equalities Office
Links: Report | Fawcett Society press release | DWP press release
Date: 2007-Oct
A report examined the impact on performance of the new political leadership models in local government in England, and how well the reforms introduced by the Local Government Act of 2000 had been embedded. It concluded there was a link between stable and powerful political leadership and customer satisfaction with services.
Source: Gerry Stoker, Francesca Gains, Stephen Greasley, Peter John and Nirmala Rao, The New Council Constitutions: The outcomes and impact of the Local Government Act 2000, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | Summary | DCLG press release
Date: 2007-Oct
A report said that multi-area agreements (due to be launched in June 2008) had the potential to change the way that local councils and government agencies worked together. (The agreements were partnerships that went beyond the boundaries of individual local authorities, and included a range of other public sector service deliverers.)
Source: Pushing Back the Frontiers: The multi area agreement pioneers, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Oct
The government published guidance on the process for negotiating a new local area agreement.
Source: Negotiating New Local Area Agreements, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Guidance | DCLG press release
Date: 2007-Sep
A report said that women's representation on local strategic partnerships, especially at senior level, was too low, and could be regarded as discriminatory.
Source: Elin Gudnadottir, Sue Smith, Sue Robson and Darlene Corry, Where Are the Women in LSPs? Women's representation in local strategic partnerships, Urban Forum (020 7253 4816)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Sep
A think-tank report said that a local identity cards scheme would help combat identity fraud and give people better access to public services. It could be more effective than a national scheme, as well as being cheaper.
Source: Victoria Barbary, Local Identity: The role of local entitlement cards in public service delivery, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report | NLGN press release
Date: 2007-Aug
An audit report said that local councils and voluntary organizations were starting to realize government ambitions to expand the role of the sector in delivering public services: but those ambitions demanded a great deal from commissioners and service providers, who faced a number of barriers to working together effectively.
Source: Hearts and Minds: Commissioning from the voluntary sector, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release | Futurebuilders press release | NCVO press release
Date: 2007-Jul
A report for the race equality watchdog examined participation in local strategic partnerships by people from ethnic minorities, and the extent to which Neighbourhood Renewal Fund money was distributed to people from ethnic minorities. It concluded that the LSP performance management framework was not adequate for assessing these issues.
Source: Black Training and Enterprise Group, Participation and Local Strategic Partnerships, Commission for Racial Equality (020 7939 0000)
Date: 2007-Jun
An audit report said that local authorities should work more collaboratively with voluntary and community organizations to help them improve the delivery of public services.
Source: Local Area Agreements and the Third Sector: Public Service Delivery, National Audit Office (020 7798 7400)
Links: Report | NAO press release
Date: 2007-Jun
A survey found that membership of local strategic partnerships in England in 2006 was stable, and that structures were continuing to develop, with two-tier arrangements generally working well. LSP staff numbers and activity levels had increased since 2004, and many more reported achieving measurable outcomes. Most considered the benefits of LSPs to outweigh the costs.
Source: Mike Geddes, Crispian Fuller and Matthew Geddes, National Evaluation of Local Strategic Partnerships: Report on the 2006 Survey of All English LSPs, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jun
A report examined whether new local authority governance mechanisms promoted local involvement in public services, and voluntary/community organizations' readiness to respond, particularly in 'hard-to-reach' populations. Policy-makers had added a number of governance mechanisms and structures to encourage engagement, without stopping to consider how they related to one another, or the complexity that this presented to the public.
Source: Marilyn Taylor and Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Localism and Local Governance, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report | ESRC press release
Date: 2007-May
A government-commissioned report said that local people should be given greater control over how key assets in their communities were run - such as disused swimming baths, pubs, and community centres. Transferring public assets to communities led to more responsive services that met local people's priorities, and could also create more confident, 'empowered' communities with greater civic spirit. In response the government published a six-point action plan.
Source: Making Assets Work: The Quirk Review of community management and ownership of public assets, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236) | Opening the Transfer Window: The government?s response to the Quirk Review of community management and ownership of public assets, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Government response | DCLG press release (1) | DCLG press release (2) | LGA press release | Guardian report | Regeneration & Renewal report
Date: 2007-May
A report examined the effects of the government?s model for public service reform on the community and voluntary sector. The government was in danger of missing an historic opportunity to take advantage of the expertise of the third sector to make lasting improvements to public service provision: large-scale use of the sector would require government to integrate, not fragment, the provision of public services.
Source: Steve Davies, Third Sector Provision of Local Government and Health Services, Unison (0845 355 0845)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-May
A report examined how programmes to tackle teenage pregnancy could help local strategic partnerships achieve their key priorities and outcomes. It explained why reducing teenage pregnancy was important, and identified LSP priorities which related to it.
Source: Local Strategic Partnerships and Teenage Pregnancy, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236), Department for Education and Skills, and Department of Health
Links: Report
Date: 2007-May
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill was given a third reading. The Bill was designed to tighten partnership arrangements between local councils and other public bodies, and deliver closer integration of health and social care. It placed duties on councils and named partners to co-operate in drawing up and having regard to local area agreement targets. Partners included primary care trusts, youth offending teams, police authorities, and local probation boards.
Source: Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, Department for Communities and Local Government, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 22 May 2007, columns 1135-1250, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard
Date: 2007-May
Three linked papers examined key local government service markets.
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Working Paper on the Future for the Leisure Services Market, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only) | PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Working Paper on Local Authority Shared Services, Department for Communities and Local Government | PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Working Paper on Neighbourhood and Streetscene Services, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Leisure services report | Shared services report | Neighbourhood services report
Date: 2007-May
A report examined how community strategies were being developed in two-tier authorities, and how they linked in with the regional agenda. Clearer guidance was needed on how community strategies should engage with the regional and supra-regional levels.
Source: Alison Darlow, Sukky Jassi, Janie Percy Smith and Peter Wells, Process Evaluation of Plan Rationalisation: Formative Evaluation of Community Strategies - Report of the May 2006 survey of local authorities on plan rationalisation, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Apr
A report was published of case study work conducted for the official (Lyons) review of local government funding.
Source: Tom Entwistle et al., Perspectives on Place-Shaping and Service Delivery: A report of case study work conducted for the Lyons Inquiry, Lyons Inquiry into Local Government (07785 975 226)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Mar
A partnership agreement was reached between the Welsh Assembly Government, public service employers, and trade unions, setting out principles for managing changes in the way that public services were delivered across Wales. It included an agenda for workforce engagement and learning, career development, equality, and staff well-being.
Source: Partnership and Managing Change: A partnership agreement for public services in Wales, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Agreement | WLGA press release
Date: 2007-Mar
A report by a committee of MSPs said that the Scottish Executive needed to fundamentally change its way of working if community planning partnerships were to became significantly more effective.
Source: Community Planning: An initial review, 2nd Report 2007, SP Paper 770, Scottish Parliament Audit Committee, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SP press release
Date: 2007-Mar
A government-commissioned review set out five national priorities to help local authorities focus the enforcement of regulation on the greatest risks. A national approach to regulatory enforcement would enable a greater concentration on the most important issues, a more proportionate approach to low-risk issues, and greater consistency across the country. Businesses would benefit from improved consistency of enforcement and sharper regulatory focus.
Source: Peter Rogers, National Enforcement Priorities for Local Authority Regulatory Services, Cabinet Office (020 7261 8527)
Links: Report | Supplementary volume | Cabinet Office press release | CIEH press release
Date: 2007-Mar
A think-tank report said that the approach by Welsh local government to citizen interaction in public services was a strong model for the rest of the United Kingdom.
Source: Anthony Brand, Devolution and Divergence: Comparing English and Welsh approaches to citizen-centred public service delivery, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Mar
A report examined the 'growing gap' which had emerged between the devolutionary rhetoric of ministers and the realities of implementing local area agreements on the ground.
Source: A Very English Revolution: Delivering bolder and better local area agreements, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000) and Improvement and Development Agency
Links: Report | LGA press release
Date: 2007-Mar
A report identified evidence of savings, improved outcomes, and good practice that could be attributed to local area agreements at the end of the first year of the pilot. It also highlighted some areas for improvement.
Source: Henry Peterson, Evidence of Savings, Improved Outcomes, and Good Practice Attributed to Local Area Agreements, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Feb
A report examined the early process issues in setting up and running an arms-length management organization. It was based on the experiences of rounds 1-3 of the ALMO programme.
Source: Barbara Reid, Lynn Vickery, Anton Bradburn and Beverley Verster, Learning from Arms Length Management Organisations: The experience of the first three rounds, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Feb
A paper examined how arrangements for local area agreements might be implemented as part of the new performance framework outlined in the 2006 White Paper on local government.
Source: Developing the Future Arrangements for Local Area Agreements, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Paper
Date: 2007-Feb
A report examined the relationship between planning committees, officers, and cabinet members in local planning authority decision-making. There was no uniform approach to councillor involvement in planning decisions: differing local decision-making contexts meant that some degree of flexibility was required across the country. Councillors who were well briefed about existing planning policy and guidance were likely to be better equipped to make predictable decisions in accordance with adopted policy.
Source: Arup, Councillor Involvement in Planning Decisions: Final Report, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jan