Structures, Collaborations and Working Across Borders
There are many factors which form the basis of the debate around structures, partnerships and cross-border collaborations. The balance between scale efficiencies and locally tailored services is at the heart of the debate around the right scale for government structures. Finding the right strategic level for economic and transport development among other things is largely the basis for arguments around city economies and collaboration across borders in county areas too. And collaborations and partnerships with other public bodies, charities and businesses are largely driven by the need to save money and deliver better services to local people. Localis’ approach to this agenda focuses on designing services from the bottom-up, driven by demand. In doing so, economies of scale and efficiency savings will be made by ensuring that waste is not generated by the centralizing tendency to create structures and organisations which focus on central convenience rather than on designing services driven by the needs of end users.
2 Projects
Collaboration from the bottom-up
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Just Whistle[Jan 22, 2010 - Localis In The News]This week, the Localis think-tank launched Bold steps for radical reform, a robust attack on quangocracy by Kent County Council leader Paul Carter. Shadow local government minister Bob Neill ‘strongly endorsed’ the report’s thinking, which is being discussed at shadow Cabinet level
Localis cited in new report[Jan 20, 2010 - Localis In The News]Localis was cited in the new report, 'Bold Steps for Radical Reform, from Kent County Council. The report, launched on 19th January shows how substantial savings of public money can be delivered
Bold Steps for Radical Reform - Report Launch[Jan 19, 2010 - Events]Launch of Paul Carter's new report. Hosted by: Localis & Kent County Council. Venue: St Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square. Date & Time: 5.00pm Tuesday 19th January
More radical localism needed[Oct 9, 2009 - Localis In The News]Policy Exchange and Localis released their report, Can localism deliver?, at the Conservative conference on October 7. It focused on the City Region Partnership project, currently being piloted in Greater Manchester, which grants additional powers to groups of councils that pool their resources on s
Breaking down big government[Oct 9, 2009 - Localis In The News]Two things that were not mentioned consecutively in David Cameron’s speech to the party conference yesterday were the words ‘local’ and ‘government’. Instead, he spoke at length about the need for people to take more individual responsibility, the destruction of ‘big government’ and about providing
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Manchester city region gets backing[Mar 29, 2010 - Local Government Chronicle]The Greater Manchester city region is to go ahead after the last wavering council, Stockport MBC, came on board. The city region project suffered a blow earlier this month when Stockport and Trafford MBCs abstained on its creation.Trafford later decided to join
Neill signs up to Carter plan 'ideas'[Jan 20, 2010 - Local Government Chronicle]Shadow local government minister Bob Neill said it was a “timely document that flags up a lot of things that a Conservative government needs to address” but stopped short of a making concrete any pledges.
Carter sets out county devolution plan[Jan 7, 2010 - Local Government Chronicle]Kent CC’s leader is to launch a radical drive to convince the Conservative leadership to devolve power to sub-regions based on traditional county boundaries
Local Government Reorganisation
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Learning the principles of partnership[Sep 1, 2011 - Localis In The News]More for less is something of a mantra for the government. No-one would suggest creating better public services while reducing the cost of providing those services is an easy task, but there is plenty of evidence that sharing services between local authorities is one way to achieve this desirable do
Alex Thomson talks to the BBC's Politics Show [Jun 6, 2011 - Localis In The News]Alex Thomson, Chief Executive of Localis, spoke to the BBC's Politics Show (London) about the reorganisation of London's boroughs.
Video Blog: Localis’ Alex Thomson[Oct 15, 2010 - Localis In The News]Localis Chief Executive Alex Thomson talks to Public Finance about localism and the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review
Going Local[Jul 27, 2010 - Localis In The News]Every British citizen relies on his or her local authority to provide services in the most economic, efficient and effective way possible. Given the complexity and diversity of the services they supply, this is always challenging, but with the £6bn of public spending cuts announced in May, it has pr
One Tier or Two?[Oct 22, 2009 - Publications]A debate about the right scale for local government and reorganisation with contributions from a large unitary council, a small district and a leading commentator on international local government.
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Westminster launches consultation on new parishes[Nov 7, 2011 - Jim Dunton, LGC]Westminster City Council has launched a community governance review to look at the potential for establishing new parish councils and other additional forms of elected representation in the borough.
MPs clash over bill amendments[May 18, 2011 - Press Association (LGC Website)]Opposition ministers have made fresh criticisms of provisions in the Localism Bill after it started its report stage in the House of Commons.
Eric Pickles attacks council 'non-jobs'[Jul 6, 2010 - BBC]The communities secretary has attacked councils for creating "non-jobs" such as cheerleading development officers.
