This is great news. Place-based budgeting could help to substantially reduce duplicative spending by different public bodies, allowing a greater focus on prevention and delivering much better outcomes
These (and other) pilots are really positive. Govt must use SR27 to make this way of working BAU
Really pleased to see a new commitment to place-based budgets today. Further progress towards the implementation of 'Total Place' principles as urged with @jesstud.bsky.social a couple of years ago. www.newlocal.org.uk/publications....
Really pleased to see a new commitment to place-based budgets today. Further progress towards the implementation of 'Total Place' principles as urged with @jesstud.bsky.social a couple of years ago. www.newlocal.org.uk/publications....
How can technology support place-based public services?
We'll be kicking off our next #Lab25 event in Clyde Room, Arena Floor at 12:00 – join us to hear from John Denham, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, @pwc-uk.bsky.social@jesstud.bsky.socialzurl.co/CbUyF
Here we go…
@jesstud.bsky.social & @vibrantkatiekelly.bsky.social open #StrongerThings 2025 🌟
“We gather at a time when the outlines of change have been drawn, but now it’s time for us all to bring some colour to the canvas.”
“There is one policy option open to the Government which would lay the groundwork for a deep shift in how public investment secures better outcomes”.
@jydenham.bsky.social & @jesstud.bsky.social set out 5 reasons the Government should launch Total Place 2.0.
“There is one policy option open to the Government which would lay the groundwork for a deep shift in how public investment secures better outcomes”.
@jydenham.bsky.social & @jesstud.bsky.social set out 5 reasons the Government should launch Total Place 2.0.
Returning from unintended mini bluesky hiatus to make the niche but relevant point that the mayors of North Tyneside and Doncaster are *not the same* as the other mayors up for election on Thursday.
This looks v. interesting.
This isn’t rocket science but far too few neighbourhoods do it well:
“The humble bench – improved with armrests, numbered to aid in a medical emergency, or placed strategically for wellbeing and intergenerational conversation – can be transformative…”
"Those in leadership positions are required to work in ways which don’t have a clear rulebook."
@jesstud.bsky.social writes about a new leadership model emerging in the public sector.
"The problems councils face are deeply interconnected. Traditional hierarchical structures don’t work well for solving these complex issues"
@benunsworth.co.uk@tpximpact.com on the revolution in local gov leadership (+ design thinking & digital transformation).
Q: What can England learn from the approaches in devolved nations?
@jesstud.bsky.social: lots to learn in England e.g. Welsh future generations act and Scottish empowerment of communities act. The scale creates better system working. Would like to see more of this at sub-regional level in England.
Q&A
- @jesstud.bsky.social funding local govt properly leads to investment in things that matter to people – the fabric of community life
- @rodriguez-pose.bsky.social economic success stories do not always come from biggest cities
- T. Walker: need an environment that incentivises long-termism
@jesstud.bsky.social says that there is an opportunity with the devolution agenda to shift to a different way of governing.
At the moment hasn't been holistic enough. It needs to be about community-led policymaking, not just a repatriation of a function to a different level.
#BennettInst
"National policy has a bias towards structural reform as a tool for change. Radical leadership cannot be legislated for, but the culture change it reflects no less impactful."
@jesstud.bsky.social writes about a new leadership model emerging in the public sector.
Fascinating discussions at #dcnconf2025- reorganisation top of agenda- but questions re purpose & outcomes at heart.
@jimmcmahon.co.uk was clear about challenges but stressed importance of imagining the future & public service reform that combines benefits of scale w/ being rooted in communities.
We're hiring two key leadership roles at New Local!
🌠 Director of Partnerships & Engagement – Lead our membership, events & comms.
🌠 Director of Practice & Programmes – Drive impact in consultancy, research & policy.
💰 £80K | ⏳ Apply by 14 April, 9am → www.newlocal.org.uk/about/jobs/
Good to be at the launch of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods interim report launch with Alex Norris MP.
The report urges recognition of “mission-critical neighbourhoods”- most deprived areas that do worst on outcomes associated w/ Govt’s missions on growth, health, opportunity & safety.
ICON Commissioner @jonrouse.bsky.social sets out how the only level at which it is possible to join up public services, vcs & wider support that matters to people is the neighbourhood.
This cannot be done from on high, must be based on deep understanding of the dynamics of different communities.
Really looking forward to hosting this event in Manchester with @carnegieuk.bsky.social to discuss their latest Life in the UK report and the role of collective wellbeing, with @andywestwood.bsky.social responding…
Join us on 12 March in Manchester for a roundtable on @carnegieuk.bsky.social’s Life in the UK 2024 England Report
We’ll explore how collective wellbeing can help us make better policy decisions & discuss the barriers & opportunities for action.
Register your interest 📩 events@newlocal.org.uk.
New Public Management is not fit for purpose (though it is alive and well in many parts of Whitehall).
We need New Public *Mobilisation* if mission-led government is to have impact.
My latest MJ column… www.themj.co.uk/public-mobil...
The pressures facing #localgov are real and complex- different forms of leadership are required to not just survive, but thrive in this context.
Our new report Radical Leadership: Power, Possibility and Public Service sets out the shifts we are seeing…
What does it take to lead in local gov today?
What skills, mindsets & qualities are needed to navigate the choppy waters surrounding public services? And what old ways no longer serve us?
After a year of exploring with our council network, here’s what we found⬇️
www.newlocal.org.uk/publications...
This month’s Prospect has a pullout on skills which covers lots of things I’ve been blogging about of late, plus interviews with @jesstud.bsky.social and MP for St Neots & Mid-Cambs @iansollom.bsky.social
"I wasn’t interested in a talking shop"
Cllr Egan leads one of the country's most ambitious conversations about health&social care, chairing Essex County Council's commission aiming to find practical fixes to a system under intolerable pressure.
We speak to her🔗 www.newlocal.org.uk/articles/soc...
Been trying to fill the void in my life created by the end of #TraitorsUK by racing through #TraitorsAus and #TraitorsUS. I can happily report that it is more than filled, with a few seasons still to go…
Saturday night, so naturally I’m reading about public service reform 🤓
Re-reading @publicdigital.bsky.social epic The Radical How & screaming YES to its analysis & urgency.
This section on the policy-delivery gap in our governance hierarchy is 👌🏻10/10 no notes.
public.digital/the-radical-...
Am fascinated by generational communication styles.
As a Xennial I struggle with both Gen Z voice notes and Boomer phone calls. Much prefer my paragraph text messages…
Power, prevention & place: 3 pillars of the ‘new local’ being forged by public servants & communities working together in new ways.
My new thinkpiece sets out how this should inform the national reform agenda, which in turn must enable it to deepen & grow. www.newlocal.org.uk/articles/wha...
This is a typically excellent piece by @jesstud.bsky.social on the emergence of a 'new local', in which innovation and best practice is coming through from the bottom up at the same time as the new govt is seeking to make changes top-down from the centre.
www.newlocal.org.uk/articles/wha...
Power. Prevention. Place.
These are the pillars of an emerging 'new local', writes Jessica Studdert in a new think piece.
www.newlocal.org.uk/articles/wha...
Because the system isn't unfixable - it's being mended from the ground up, alongside communities - & it's time national players took note.
Power, prevention & place: 3 pillars of the ‘new local’ being forged by public servants & communities working together in new ways.
My new thinkpiece sets out how this should inform the national reform agenda, which in turn must enable it to deepen & grow. www.newlocal.org.uk/articles/wha...
If ever there was such a thing as a popular tax, a tourist tax must surely be it.
- Locals don’t pay but will benefit.
- So, minimal political hit for introducing.
- Standard practice in most of our peer counties (so we pay when we travel!)
Should be a no-brainer as part of English devo.
Tourist levy to be introduced in Edinburgh from 24 July 2026. Expected to raise c£50m annually.
This means residents and tourists will “… see cleaner streets, they will see quicker removal of graffiti, better environmental improvements, more attractive spaces and better transport connections”
Hi folks good to see some clear blue sky after the dark skies over at X. Looking forward to starting fresh and conversations and connecting with old and new friends. BW Cormac
On the “war on waste” (reported in the Sunday Telegraph today) Why is expertise on public sector effectiveness is deemed only to come from the private sector? Why not frontline workers living the challenges daily? Service user/community groups who fall between the silos? @telegraphnews.bsky.social
Hello Bluesky!
As we welcome the new year, we're thrilled to join Bluesky and share the latest news and information that matters to #LocalGov.
Stay connected with us for useful LGA resources and updates - follow us here and visit our website 👇
www.local.gov.uk
My top Traitors hack as a Faithful would be to tot up everyone who comes in the last group for breakfast- they are never traitors as they have always been up for murder/the episode cliffhanger. After a few days: whoever’s left are your traitors.
Hang on so private schools have been raising fees for parents above inflation themselves for years and we are supposed to bring out the violins for them now contributing towards the public purse?
Taking mental health support out of hospital & into communities is an approach developed in low income countries- though even wealthy countries are resource poor when it comes to mental health.
Lots to learn from community champion model which has proven results. www.ft.com/content/a187...
This is really important context to English devo discussion today. Making sure funding is rewired to flow effectively to and across places for tangible impact for communities a key opportunity & test for reform. Great stuff @jacktshaw.bsky.social. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...