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Councillors must be free to represent their electorate

02.11.15:  Councillors are elected by people on the street, not some council official, so they should be able to represent, freely, their electorate. Another restriction is where you have a political party using the whip on councillors.  19...

Pay caps are robbing Peter to pay Paul

17.08.15: By capping pay increases, whilst the cost of living is still rising, will drive increasing numbers on lower pay scales into the poverty bracket, meaning that they will have to claim tax credits and other benefits just to keep themselves within a...

'Check-off' abolition

10.08.15: There seems to be another option, which would be that trade unions actually pay for the service to support direct deductions from pay. There would be income generation for employers as well as a simple way to make union payments. Why a...

Charging at waste sites increases fly-tipping

03.08.15: Here in Cornwall, the unitary authority has made the decision to introduce charges to all at waste sites, on the grounds that the revenue generated exceeds the cost of responding to fly-tipping incidents. Needless to say, it is not an attit...

What’s left for councils to cut?

27.07.15: I can’t speak for all departments, but consumer protection nationally is way past the ‘pips squeaking’ phase, and in many authorities is essentially non-existent, leaving the most vulnerable consumers with no protection at all...

Inappropriate housing developments

20.07.15: I guess you're not alone. Here in the village of Robertsbridge 155 new homes have been imposed on us. Inevitably this means green field development and we are in an AONB! The only way forward it seems is to get a Neighbourhood Plan for your pari...

Green belt land is meant to stop urban sprawl

13.07.15: I have read your article and hope you can help. We live in Staffordshire Moorlands in Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook Parish. Staffordshire Moorlands District Council have proposed sites on green belt land for housing development and we are in the c...

Outsourcing public services is a disaster waiting to happen

05.07.15: It's not just financial cost that matters. When an outsourced supplier goes bust or has a business interruption then the public sector *still* has to pick up the pieces (despite having reduced capability and capacity due to being cut). In the ca...

Pooling health and care budgets will just transfer cash to NHS

29.06.15: Until the NHS is able to control its staffing costs, additional funding will not help, and pooling health and social care budgets will only transfer spending from social care into health care. Re: LGA calls for £5.2bn transformation f...

The value of counter-fraud training

22.06.15: Isn't this a case of 'after the horse has bolted'? CIPFA have been 'banging on' about fraud for years but never 'grasped the nettle' until now. I can remember going to any number of events, organised by CIPFA, where fraud was the feature su...

Libraries have to move forward into a digital age

15.06.15: This is absolutely correct. Libraries have to move forward into a digital age and have the competitive advantage by being at the heart of the community, already in a position of trust and responsibility. They can be innovative in their thin...

The case for proportional representation is overwhelming

08.06.15: The case for proportional representation is overwhelming in a supposedly fair and democratic country. I speak as a Labour councillor in south-west England, sitting on a unitary authority where Labour polled in the high teens percentage vote...

Business-minded councils

01.06.15:  What a really interesting article. It is good to see such innovation from the public sector. I look forward to seeing more examples of council owned business models. Re: In business

Carer's allowance and pension not the same

26.05.15: Source: Catherine Absolutely not! The pension is an entitlement for your old age for yourself, earned after years of hard work and paying national insurance and tax. The Carer's allowance, pitiful as it is, is to cover for the job you are d...

Carer's allowance

18.05.15: Carer's Allowance and pension are both replacement for work benefits. You would effectively be claiming twice to receive both. Re: New online Carer’s Allowance application system