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Editor's picks

Staff

Prevention and early treatment could save councils money

An innovative new policy is reducing the number of working days lost to sickness in Staffordshire, and saving money too, writes Ian Parry
Business

Which cities are attracting the most foreign-owned firms?

Foreign-owned businesses can bring big benefits to UK cities but some of the better performing cities also encourage domestic enterprise, writes Paul Swinney

Should there be a new government housing department?

Abolishing the CLG would bring the localism agenda to the fore, but would require a new, dedicated body, says Adrian Harvey
Ambitious regeneration plans in Southwark

Southwark council leader Peter John gives a whistlestop tour of regeneration in the London borough
Public health reforms are a shot in the arm for localism

Councils will soon take responsibility for many aspects of public health. But how will this actually be implemented and what organisations will be working in partnership to deliver services? By Ingrid Torjesen
All local government blogposts

Shapps backs bill to criminalize tenancy fraud

The housing minister has published new plans to ensure that tenants who deny social homes to families will be punished - CLG
An engaging conversation

The We Love Local Government team bring us a blog about why we engage and what it really means
Commission calls for 'cultural shift' in care of older people

Public Finance reports on a report from the Commission on Improving Dignity in Care for Older People
The key players in the NPPF debate

The LGiU blog on who is watching what the government does on planning, and why it matters

Planning staff shortage could leave communities out in the cold

Cuts to planning staff could undermine councils' efforts at community engagement, argues Simon Dixon
The problem with population growth

In Northamptonshire the population is rising, how can the economy prepare for expansion and remain sustainable for future generations? Rob Purdie explores
Suffolk council ventures further into the cloud

County council's CIO talks to Sade Laja about using cloud to change the way citizens access services, and his thoughts on Cloudstore and PSN
Top tips: how to build stronger communities

Read our round up of the best advice from our live discussion on how housing can bring communities together, and share your own ideas
Round up: local government and youth unemployment

Find out what our expert panel thought about how local government can manage youth unemployment and share your own tips in the comment thread
More on local government

Lourdes DeBarry, London Borough of Hounslow

With so many local government blogs out there - the localgovernment network is a refreshing site, which brings ideas, best practice and latest news on local government which are much needed in this changing local government climate.

Jobcentre bosses warn of suicide risk among benefit claimants

An internal email sent by senior managers warns that ill-handling of benefit changes could have 'profound results' for vulnerable claimants
• Read the memo here
Housing associations could be the landlord of choice for Generation Rent

With their experience providing decent, affordable homes, housing associations could dominate the private rental market
Liverpool launches Fairness Commission ideas to spread wealth in UK's poorest local authority

Private sector signs up to notion of a Liverpool Living Wage as first report publishes a charter putting fairness at the centre of local decision-making
Andrew Lansley urges doctors not to take part in industrial action

Health secretary says action is pointless and will achieve nothing
Schools forge new relationships with local authorities

Amid all the conversion to academy status, politicians are starting to agree on the need for a 'middle tier' between schools and government that can oversee improvement. Sound a bit familiar? Fiona Millar reports

Public health: Surrey takes first steps on road to responsibility

Councillors have brought 65 NHS staff into the town hall to manage public health. Kate McCann talks to the authority about its progress so far
More in depth

Working lives: archaeological officer

Encouraging people to take heritage seriously can be quite a challenge, will social media help to turn things around? Peter Insole explores.
More working lives

Efficiency and risk
Councils turn to arm's-length bodies to save money on public services

They proved a success for housing. Now local authorities are setting up Almos for leisure facilities, social care and child services. Neil Merrick reports
Service delivery
Should councils use crowdsourcing tools to fund new projects?

As budgets are cut, should councils look to crowdsourcing to get projects off the ground?

Public Leaders Network 1 day ago

Civil service reform plan will stretch Whitehall to the limit

Proposals raise several important concerns over issues such as impartiality, pay and the impact of further job cuts, says Jonathan Baume
Public Leaders Network 1 day ago

"The government has no vision for civil service pay...but we can start now"

The coalition's flawed regional pay strategy is just one example of where it needs to work with unions, argues Sue Ferns