Insights archive
From firefighting to reform Revenues and benefits at the edge of another year of change At the final Independent R&B Monday Discussion Group before the summer break, practitioners reflected on tight budgets, difficult system…
Read articleThe Monday Discussion Group considers what a Burnham government might mean for local taxation, welfare delivery and local government reform The prospect of an Andy Burnham-led government presents an intriguing question for local government:…
Read articleThe latest Visionary Network Monday Discussion Group ranged widely, from the council tax treatment of houseboats to the implications of the King’s Speech for local government, digital services and future welfare administration. The session…
Read articleThis week’s Independent Revenues and Benefits Monday Discussion Group focused mainly on the political consequences of the local elections and what they may mean for councils, officers, local welfare policy and Revenues and Benefits…
Read articleMalcolm Gardner, Visionary Network Ltd The local election results were not simply a bad night for some parties and a good night for others. They were a warning about the fragility of local government…
Read articleThere is a familiar rhythm to British public policy. A popular campaigner identifies a real unfairness. Ministers sense an easy win. Special advisers spot a headline. A complex administrative system is reduced to a…
Read articleThe Independent Revenues and Benefits Monday Discussion Group on 30 March ranged across three familiar but connected themes: supported housing, local government reorganisation and the latest poverty figures. What tied the conversation together was…
Read articleReflections from the Independent Revenues and Benefits Monday Discussion Group This week’s Independent Revenues and Benefits Monday Discussion Group ranged widely, but two themes dominated the discussion: the government’s latest youth employment package, and…
Read articleThe latest Independent Revenues and Benefits Monday Discussion Group took the Chancellor’s Spring Statement as its starting point and asked a simple question: what does it really mean when viewed from the frontline of…
Read articleWe reconvened for the first session of 2026 with Malcolm Gardner in the chair, supported by Nicki Duckworth, and a familiar cast of local government finance, revenues and welfare experts, including Naomi Armstrong, Paul…
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