At last, we have a decision by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on local government reorganisation: Buckinghamshire will have one single unitary authority. You can read the Secretary of State’s decision here. All the Councils in Buckinghamshire agreed the current system of county and district […]
Read MoreSecretary of State Sajid Javid today announced how he is minded to proceed in the delivery of a single, unitary council for Buckinghamshire. In a written ministerial statement, he said: I am today announcing how I am minded to proceed in response to the locally-led proposals that I have received for […]
Read MoreAs I set out in an article for the Bucks Free Press in February, I am determined to create the right environment for a flourishing local democracy and a radical decentralisation of power. Today, via The Bucks Free Press, we see local democracy in action: HUNDREDS of protesters marched through High Wycombe today […]
Read MoreI have received the following press release from Buckinghamshire County Council, which illustrates the scale of the action needed to deal with the legacy of the last government: COUNTY AGREES £9.2m SPENDING REDUCTIONS IN 2010/11 BUDGET At a meeting unprecedented in Buckinghamshire County Council’s history, members today (Thursday 5 August) […]
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Read MoreThe Queen’s Speech: 15 Bills, but only 33 days left of Parliament: Labour has today promised “guarantees not gambles” as it used the final Queen’s Speech to draw dividing lines with the Conservatives ahead of the general election. The Queen set out the Government’s legislative agenda for the 33 sitting […]
Read MoreIn each of the last three years the Conservative group on Fulham and Hammersmith have cut their Council Tax by 3%. That means the tax is now down by almost 9% compared with their starting point. According to Labour this must lead to lower quality and less service. On the […]
Read MoreThis post has been brought forward from February and updated. Conservatives want to build a stronger, safer society where opportunity and power are spread much more widely and fairly. We believe communities are strongest when everyone has a free and fair say in the decisions that affect them. From local […]
Read MoreThe latest publication from the Centre for Policy Studies arrived today: “Freedom for Public Services” by William Mason and Jonathan McMahon. Better services at lower cost, and more fulfilling jobs for public servants, are quite possible. As ever, this CPS report is intelligent, brief, clear and insightful. The sheer scale […]
Read MoreBloomberg just ran a story on municipalities entering into derivatives contracts to help finance budget deficits. I’ve seen this movie before about 15 years ago, and I can tell you how it ends: in tears. read more | digg story
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