Antony Kildare

Insightful report that clearly articulates the current challenges

11

No ‘silver bullet’ but plenty of ways to help solve council financial crisis, says MOTB panel https://lnkd.in/eZNrKZqq These range from a comprehensive review of local government’s purpose and the statutory functions it should provide, to reducing political interference and rhetoric around the delivery of services such as refuse collection. #funding #treasury #localgov #localgovernment #localauthority #financialcrisis #counciltax #devolution #socialcare #legislation #housing #urbanwealthfunds

7

2 Comments

I have signed this letter this morning on behalf of the Mind Federation. This is one of those times when the policy might be right but the context isn’t. I want tax equality and I want us to generate money for public services. We have been advocating for this for years and desperately so during austerity. But, the policy around the increase in NI contributions for employers doesn’t count for the fact that in health and care most providers are already propping up the system. Local Minds across England and Wales are subsiding their services. Why, because NHS and Local Authority contracts are rarely reflective of the true cost of delivery. We already know that hourly rates never fulfill the complete employment costs required. If all things were equal, and that the funding at source was fair and at full cost recovery this wouldn’t be an issue. We could trust contracts would be built with these incremental costs in mind. Commissioning and procurement is mostly dictated by price, combined with this additional cost will drive down quality, increase competition, reduce third sector providers and increase private sector. This feels very bleak! So, it is with a heavy heart that we as a sector ask for a reconsideration and make a desperate plea to fund health and care properly so that it is not consistently at threat.

143

7 Comments

#ICYMI CPT has urged the Government to use the Budget and Spending Review to ensure that the bus and coach sector can help deliver the economic, social and environmental change our country needs. In a recent representation submitted ahead of the Budget on 30 Oct CPT says it's vital the Government engages with the sector to develop a gradual transition plan that takes a phased approach to the national fare cap – such as a step-up to £2.50 and then £3 – to help maintain affordability for millions of passengers while reducing the financial burden on the taxpayer. Every day 10.2 million passengers catch the bus and help drive growth in their high streets - spending almost £40 billion each year in shops, cafes, restaurants and on leisure activitiess. Those who rely on the bus to get to work contribute even more to the economy - they earn around £72 billion a year and pay around £15bn in tax. Read CPT's full Budget submission: https://lnkd.in/eF9cN4nB

5

The failure of BCS to open an investigation when first approached (various allegations) illustrates the weakness of aspirations to professionalism without a credible approach for handling the kind of response the Post Office (and/or Fujitsu) would have mounted had they done so. I helped create the BCS disciplinary panel, used to lecture on the code of conduct and served on the panel for several decades. Its weakness are similar to those of all other such bodies. Unless these are flipped through 180 degrees and linked to certificates to practice based on logbooks of performance recording that which professional indemnity insurers want to see, they are worth the paper they are not printed on. That requires membership, updating, certification and insurance fees akin to those paid annually by medical professionals. It also requires processes for handling legal costs which may, or may not, be recovered, whatever the results of any legal action challenging a disciplinary hearing and/or decision. When the BCS register of professional witnesses (which would have applied to Jenkins) was created in the early 1980s the registration fee was set at £550 - to cover the cost of assessing evidence of their knowledge of the legal duties and responsibilities of an expert witness not "just" experience of digital forensics. There was to be an update fee of £250 every other year - to cover an administrative review of client feedback and/or performance in court. Because so few applied, the original register fell by the wayside with a sharply reduced fee for what was little more than a voluntary SIG. I should perhaps add that, as acting V-P professional, I backed the creation of the BCS register because my staff (the Technology Assessment service I had joined the NCC to create was based in London in New Fetter Lane, adjacent to the Inns of Court) were barred from taking expert witness cases because they helped deliver a Saturday morning seminar programme for the judiciary and should not be liable to appear before those they had helped inform about new technology. Much of its early business was from those who had initially contacted us for advice. #bcs

7

1 Comment

Today, the legislation that will lead to the establishment of the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) , has been laid before Parliament. The first Mayoral election will take place in May 2025. A recap of what I included in a previous post about the Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Deal and its strategic significance: - £720m investment pot over 30 years, focused on growth - Bringing together key strategic transport responsibilities across the three constituent councils (Lincs County Council, North Lincs and North East Lincs) - A key focus on infrastructure to drive growth and connectivity (people, business and places) - A major focus on skills and closing the gap, working with FE / HE and employers, with the prospective devolution of the Government's adult education budget in due course (and subject to readiness conditions being satisfied) - A major opportunity to work in collaboration across the Humber and beyond on industrial decarbonisation and net zero objectives - working with and alongside the proposed Hull and East Yorkshire MCCA, the Humber Freeport et al - A platform to bat effectively for pan regional business growth, inward investment, skills development, environmental sustainability + a single voice into Government. And more. A genuine window to catalyse opportunity and positive change for residents, families, businesses and communities over time. From a North East Lincs perspective, a game changer in terms of a platform to amplify the reach of our massively important sectors : ports, renewables, seafood processing etc. Behind the scenes, work continues in preparation for the establishment of the MCCA , its governance and the wider implementation of the Devolution Deal. This really is a great example of strategic collaboration across three upper tier Local Authorities. A huge shout out once again for those colleagues of mine who continue to work their socks off on this hugely significant endeavour. A massive moment and opportunity for the region. ------------------------------------- Personally and professionally, this is round 2 for me - I was there when the 2016 Greater Lincolnshire Deal didn't go the distance. To now see draft legislation bringing something of this magnitude to life - and in due course into law - is brilliant and pretty cool, just to be honest. And I am just so pleased for everyone concerned for putting the hard yards in over a long period of time - effort not wasted and resilience of the highest order. Bravo. #devolution #devolutiondeal #GreaterLincolnshire #growth #Humber #economicgrowth #skills #infrastructure #TeamNEL #GreatGrimsby

70

4 Comments

Through our leadership programmes we provide a wide range of officer development programmes for executive leaders, chief executives, and rising stars. Discover how our sector support programme develops the skills of #LocalGov leaders: https://orlo.uk/G2bR5

18

1 Comment

The Budget has a potentially devastating impact on #homecare and #carehome provision in Scotland. We need the Scottish Government to act. Briefing Paper: Key Impacts of the 2024 Autumn Budget on Social Care in Scotland. #budget #socialcare #NationalInsurance #careaboutcare https://lnkd.in/e4b2vCSr

37

Read the full CIC response to the National Planning Policy Framework https://lnkd.in/etzxHpkd #NationalPlanningPolicyFramework

3

‘Broadly welcome’ or potential for ‘chaos’? Mixed local authority response to LGPS reforms https://lnkd.in/evagjCB9 With the government outlining its vision for reform of the Local Government Pension Scheme, administering authorities and section 151 officers have largely welcomed governance proposals but other potential changes are causing a degree of confusion. #localgov #localgovernment #LGPS #reform #consultation #megafunds #pensions #localauthorities #governance #consolidation

7

In the next few weeks public sector budgets in Wales will start to be set, following the publication of the Welsh Government’s draft budget on 10 December. The headline figures will inevitably be about the NHS and about how much money is allocated to cutting waiting times. That is understandable both politically and for what it means for those who have been waiting a long time for essential treatment. However it will obscure a longer running challenge that Wales has been facing – and largely failing at - for the best part of two decades, namely how we prevent people needing urgent services in the first place. Austerity has led to significant cuts to preventative services in the last few years as priority is given to acute needs and high profile services but often ignoring longer term pressures which are building up bigger problems for further down the line. These choices have partly reflected what must be funded to avoid either chronic service failure or political disaster, but they also reflect two other problems endemic to Welsh policy making; short term thinking (strangely the Future Generations Act isn’t very influential when tough financial decisions need to be made) and the self-interest of budget holders. This self-interest becomes especially pertinent in the distinction between preventative and treatment focused approaches: preventative work (I hesitate to use the word services as it’s often a poor descriptor) is often carried out by organisations in the voluntary and community sectors, in the case of the latter often very cheaply, while treatment focused work is either carried out or directly commissioned by the budget holders. When there are difficult choices to be made only one side is at the table; the other, to adopt a well-honed cliché is on the plate (until things are so desperate that the cheap option is the only one and then they have to deal with all the issues). It is ironic that we have found ourselves in this state in Wales, where of all places, the Government could have focused on long term thinking given its generational electoral strength - but it won’t be happening again this year.   This year however we do have an opportunity to start pulling ourselves out of the cycle of short termism and to start looking further ahead: the budget settlement will be more generous than most in recent years and there is the prospect of multi-year funding settlements (promised by Angela Rayner for England but must surely also apply here). Both those factors provide not just an opportunity but surely also an obligation to think more long term, to have those conversations about longer term thinking and more upstream investment – and they are long overdue and increasingly needed. And if these changes don’t begin now, it’s hard to think when they ever will.

42

2 Comments

Following a damning report on the regulator's failings, OACP sets out 10 things we believe need to change at CQC: https://conta.cc/3Sodx5q

13

1 Comment

Spending Review: East West Rail, Ely and bus England's Economic Heartland used the recent Spending Review call for evidence to ensure key messages about our Board’s priorities for investment were submitted directly to Treasury. Building on recent Board discussions, EEH’s submission set out the huge economic potential of the region that can only be achieved if our infrastructure and connectivity priorities are realised, including delivering of East West Rail (in full), Ely Junction and investing in improved bus services. With its concentrations of knowledge-intensive clusters, our region is key in delivering Government’s economic growth mission. Of the seven STB regions which cover the entirety of England outside of London, EEH’s £170bn-plus economy is the fastest growing; has created more jobs over the last 20 years; has the highest exporting intensity; and highest levels of direct foreign investment. However, slow productivity growth means EEH is now 3% less productive (per job) than the rest of England (20 years ago, it was more productive). Carbon emissions from transport are also higher than the national average. Without investment in infrastructure, the submission made clear that there is a risk that further growth will be constrained and the region’s economic potential for the UK unrealised, while also failing to meet net zero obligations. EEH’s submission included the following immediate priorities for the one-year Spending Review: East West Rail: That there is a commitment to deliver the next stages of East West Rail from Milton Keyes and Bletchley through to Bedford and Cambridge, with funding released to plan the scheme’s long-term legacy, including ensuring there is appropriate door-to-door connectivity to stations. A study should be funded examining the opportunity to utilise East West Rail as part of a wider Northampton-Old Oak Common strategic economic corridor. Ely Junction: Funding is released so that detailed planning for its delivery can commence. Bus and MRT: Funding is provided to authorities to support improvements to bus services in those areas. A dedicated funding stream is also made available to authorities developing mass rapid transit proposals, such as those in Milton Keynes and Hertfordshire. Roads: Money is allocated to National Highways to identify next steps for the interventions identified within its Oxford to Cambridge Roads study. Funding: Long term funding for local transport should be available for everywhere in the country, enabling all authorities to better plan and deliver transport improvements while removing the risk of inconsistencies in transport provision.

7

The Boundary Commission for Wales’ review presents a critical opportunity to reshape our political landscape in a way that genuinely reflects and serves BAME communities. This is more than a technical exercise—it’s about ensuring that every voice in our diverse society has the power to influence policies that affect our economy and well-being. Politicians and media must see this as a chance to promote real equity, where fair representation leads to tangible improvements in the lives of minority communities across Wales. #BAME #RepresentationMatters #EquityInAction #BoundaryReview https://lnkd.in/ek4cm32x

5

Unless #Labour frees up local authorities and devolves key powers, there is a real danger that any drive for #growth comes to a halt before it begins. Read this LocalGov piece for more on what we're calling for: https://lnkd.in/e_BT2aDF Or read the report in full! ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ee_b8T-S

8

What are the key factors that contribute to crashes involving commercial motor vehicles? Find out how we are addressing this, and other important evidence-building questions in the Learning Agenda. https://lnkd.in/eWR_MurB

16

2 Comments