Plus: the Public Accounts Committee fails to challenge Council waste. Nottingham still in the lead for extortionate tax.
We have made tackling domestic abuse a priority, carried out joint working on mental health, and seen a 30 per cent reduction in burglaries.
More statutory activities are being forced on local authorities – without the extra money to pay for them.
Too often local government lacks proper scrutiny. There is a closed-mindedness that ignores warnings and fails to consider long-term consequences.
Talk of being “cut to the bone” is nonsense. Here are some challenges councillors should be making about unnecessary spending.
“The independent statutory inspection, which concluded last week… was clear that Northamptonshire’s failure was not a case of under-funding.”
For the future, more unitary authorities could be a good solution to funding pressures – but not if it means subdividing efficiently-run counties.
The County’s seven Conservative MPs are clear that the problems are “self inflicted” due to financial mismanagement. They need to encourage new people to become councillors.
We know that children who are permanently excluded from school are more likely to enter the justice system.
I will work with landlords, bar owners and councils to combat alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour.
The final choice will be between Cllr Stephen Mold and Cllr Andre Gonzalez De Savage
The equivalent of 250,000 people every year are stopped and subjected to hugely intrusive searches without the police sticking to the rules.