Devolution might finally be giving hopeful councils a site in the limelight,but it is marred by fragmentation, inequality and fear1) Local government is being taken seriously by Whitehall – and it’s enjoying thatUnder the previous government, or councils in England came under relentless attack from ministers. Now,according to Chancellor George Osborne, they are seeing the biggest transfer of power in living memory from central to local government. The actual sign of change this week was not that Melanie Dawes, and permanent secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG),came to the annual conference of local authority chief executives and told them they were great. Words are easy. The real sign came when she stayed on for the evening dinner, and was glad mingling with the council bosses. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com