Best frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of the best frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 25th November 2013 – from Boris Johnson to the sell off of UK student debt, Eric Pickles and local government finances to the future of the youth sector and the departure of Nathan Constable from the frontline blogosphere.
Pickles accuses councils of, errrr, acting prudently?
“Alongside the publication of Local Authority finance statistics, came an Eric Pickles press release which – even by his standards – is grounds for raising an eyebrow over.” Toby Blume looks at recent comments by Eric Pickles on reserves held by local authorities.
Frontline Friday 30th August 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 26th August 2013 - from housing policy and community engagement in health, to the political intentions behind the Government’s Lobbying Bill.
Is Eric the blot on the landscape?
“So Eric, how about statements promising to tackle the state of some of disrepair and terrible conditions in the worst of our private rented sector, or doing more to end the tragedy of homelessness?” Sheila Spencer challenges Eric Pickles to move on from the great bin crisis and address the real problems in housing today.
“Town hall Pravdas” once again
Pretty much since the government published the latest version of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity back in March 2011, Eric Pickles has been talking about putting compliance with the code on a stronger legal footing. At the moment under the Local Government Act 1986 councils must “have regard” to the code of recommended practice on […]
Frontline Friday round-up 1st February 2013
Our round-up of frontline blogs we liked from the week of 28th January 2013 - this week, the impending impact of national policy on local communities, including: Eric Pickles slating councils, Michael Gove causing trouble again in adoption and youth services, and the fall-out from ‘bedroom tax’.
Don’t let them pickle local government
With tremendous chutzpah, Eric Pickles is slating councils who dare to exercise their democratic right to increase Council Tax (http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21226239). In so doing he makes clear the nature of the trap into which local authorities have walked by accepting Council Tax freeze grant which, taken together with the requirement for a referendum even for a […]
Pickles and local government ‘saving’ ideas
“Local government has been hit hard already by this government…, the cost is made in terms of quality of life and vital support services to some of the most vulnerable in the country.” Ermintrude2 argues that Pickles political ‘saving’ ideas for local government are a distraction from their main agenda of skeleton councils that provide little to nothing directly.