... than trying to force it out. It must do all this and more with extremely limited resources, and give something meaningful back quickly.
It’ll be a tough job. Time will tell whether or not they are ...
To LGDS or not to LGDS – Part 2
...
We’re all different
Leading on from that point is the fact that, whether they are in reality more or less far apart than they believe, nigh-on every single council will have firm ideas as to why it ...
To LGDS or not to LGDS – Part 1
... whether or not to create a Local Government Digital Service seems to be popping its head above the proverbial parapet once more.
Ever since GDS was ensconced within Whitehall, many corners of the local ...
100 days in office and all that...
... devolution is not a silver bullet for the sector, whether or not it’s fired from a pearl-handled revolver.
Alongside these developments, November’s Spending Review looms large. The Chancellor’s open ...
The next steps for equalities?
... seriously. In addition to the Standard Six, the clearest feature arising from a historical survey of equalities practice is that we’re constantly reacting to things. Whether it’s an influx of new migrants, ...
Taking it offline
... taking the back seat.
One particular area I've discussed has been the way digital can improve internal communications. Whether it’s improving the way e-mail is delivered between teams, using social enterprise ...
No Contest
... no fear of reproach. Whether the opposition is in the right or not is in many respects irrelevant; the mere act of challenge goes towards ensuring that no short cuts are made, nor processes foregone for ...
So Long and Thanks For All the Flags
... Alliance). Whether this saw cuts to unnecessary spending or it instead removed a huge amount of senior experience from the ranks when it was needed the most is as always up for debate, but it certainly ...
Reflections on UKGC15
... me wonder whether this is a temporary focus on different areas as I adjust to life outside the public sector or a more permanent situation.
Overall
I thought UKGovCamp15 was a great success. In no ...
#UKGC15
... the work of local and central government.
Govcamps, whether local or otherwise, are possibly the place I feel most at home. Last year I tweeted out that I looked around and felt that “these are my ...
2015 will be the year of…
... significantly and may therefore lead to real savings for not just local government but also the wider public service. Doctors would be able to know in real time whether the medication they prescribed was ...
A whole load of cuts
... I started wondering whether the fact that these stories were in the briefing every day was inoculating me to their impact.
And so, in a moment of randomness, I decided to start saving any stories that ...
The boy who cried wolf
... – it’s huge and it’s coming for us all’
And on the other hand I marvel at the ingenuity of the human race and particularly the people in local government I work with, and wonder whether once more we ...
FOI in five words
... general terms in order to demonstrate my point. I asked whether they had done something in particular; if so, what were their reasons for, and if not what were their reasons against. I then asked if they ...
Tattoos are a choice you will need to live with
... they are pretty much irreversible and something which says something about the wearer.
A recent BBC article asked the question whether or not people with tattoos should be protected from anti-discrimination ...
Running before you can walk; Government plans to share your data
...
Information including voters’ driving licences, criminal records, energy use and even whether they use a bus pass could be shared under a radical blueprint to link up thousands of state databases used ...
Political interference
... is whether political interference in grant processes is actually ok.
A generous interpretation of the Big Society Network grant process is that Conservative Ministers influenced the grant process because ...
LGA Conference 2014
... his stance on just about everything he discussed and verbally jousting with irate audience member after irate audience member. And whether you loved or hated him, no-one was left in any doubt as to the ...
17 things we took away from the Local Government Strategic Leaders Forum
... I wonder whether it will be possible to overcome the politics of hospitals and whether this is a bigger risk to integration than GPs?
12) Tony Travers picked up on this there later pointing out that ...
Reflections on LocalGovCamp 2014
... particular situation can have in colouring the perceptions of others around the sector.
*For those of you interested, I simply asked whether there was any validity to a changing of the classic upper ...