Finance

Power to the people

The People’s Budget is a new campaign to help community groups get a much bigger say on the money decisions of councils and other local statutory organisations.

Some cities in Brazil and Europe have involved thousands of local residents in the direct decisions about how public budgets are allocated. This involvement leads to more effective spending decisions and a whole host of community cohesion benefits. So far the use of Participatory Budgeting in Britain has been relatively small scale, and crucially, on the terms of the local politicians and officers.

Communities Finance Good Local Economics Regeneration

We need to talk about conflict

Communities Finance Good Local Economics Local Government

Whether you’re co-op or Big Society – involving communities is key

Communities Economic Development Finance Good Local Economics Local Government

Highly commended

Communities Economic Development Finance Good Local Economics Local Government

The end of regeneration is just the beginning

Communities Economic Development Finance Good Local Economics Local Government Regeneration

Community-owned or merely ‘based’ in the community?

Economic Development Finance Good Local Economics Local Government Regeneration

It’s time to dispel a few myths around outsourcing

Communities Economic Development Finance Good Local Economics Local Government

Making sense of the white paper’s finer details

Communities Economic Development Finance Good Local Economics Local Government

Open door policy

Government wants to open up public services to a wider range of providers. But will market forces drag them away from their broader role in nurturing successful places? Clare Goff reports

‘The goal must be nothing less than a thorough transformation of our public services. The prize is a sustainable, person-centred system, achieving outcomes for every citizen and every community.’ Thus begins the Scottish Government’s Commission on the Future of Public Services, published last month.