Reforming our democratic constitution is right at the forefront of the political debate, with changes to the House of Lords being actively discussed and a planned Scottish independence referendum in 2014.
This paper provides useful insights into the views and experiences of a range of 15 local authority front line staff, including locality managers and staff from central children's services recently involved in defining and undertaking research projects with support from the NFER and the Local Authority Research Consortium (LARC).
This report from the Local Government Group's Big Society Task Force shows how democratically-elected local councillors are at the forefront of developing stronger, more empowered and more resilient communities.
This publication is intended to provide helpful and practical guidance for councils when considering how in-house services can be delivered through various different models.
The purpose of this guide is to help people in the culture and sport sector understand the process of strategic commissioning in public services and how to engage in it to produce better outcomes for communities.
This new LG Group guide highlights opportunities for councils to address adaptation in order to make best use of current resources, maximise cost savings and dovetail with the new localism agenda.
The guide was informed by a roundtable held at the LG Group in February 2011 and was prepared for the LG Group with help from CAG consultants.
Public services are changing because taxpayers demand it; they want the public sector to be more affordable, give better value for money and put individuals and families in control of the services they use.
RIEPs – regional improvement and efficiency partnerships – play a key role in supporting councils. Put simply, they help councils and their partners to deliver better services by supporting them in their efforts to become more efficient, innovative and engaged with citizens.
