Sue Chalkley: We are proving that good quality design is the key to boosting support for new homes
Rural communities will welcome development – if it fits the local vernacular and genuinely meets community needs.
Kevin Beaty: Rural and urban areas in the UK should be working together in a sense of common fellowship
I am setting up a think tank to explore how we can sensibly use the countryside as part of the wider economy.
Roger Ramsey: London Conservatives struggling? Not in Havering
We are embarking upon major housing regeneration and are showing that ours is the Party truly focussed on improving residents’ quality of life.
Council by-election results from yesterday
The Conservatives held seats in Staffordshire and Eden and gained a seat from an independent in Weymouth & Portland.
John Bald: The chance for a better system for teaching pupils with dyslexia
My advice to parents seeking help from local authorities is not to bother – as it would probably be worse than useless. Their methods ignore the way the brain works.
Roy Perry: In Hampshire we offer a Council Tax amongst the lowest in the country with services amongst the best.
For the future, more unitary authorities could be a good solution to funding pressures – but not if it means subdividing efficiently-run counties.
Who is to blame for the financial crisis in Northamptonshire?
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.
Martin Hill: We need fairer funding – and we need it now
Rural areas have higher costs for services such as social care – yet we have been coping with bigger spending cuts than our urban counterparts.
Michelle Lowe: There is a quiet revolution of “social prescribing” taking place – with Conservative councils taking the lead
There are non-medical solutions to such conditions as loneliness, mental illness, dementia, and asthma.
Council by-election results from yesterday
Only two contests this week. The Lib Dems gained a seat from Labour in Sunderland. But Labour held a seat in Cornwall.
If we can have attractive new housing in rural areas, then why not in towns and cities too?
Local decision-making must be respected if communities are to be confident in embracing development. We need these principles in urban areas too.
The long slow decline of the high rise
New figures show another fall in the number of tower block households. But while these buildings are being demolished elsewhere, the Mayor of London want new ones.
Judy Terry: We need more transparency in the crossover between the NHS and councils on social care
Publishing the data on spending and staffing would enable a full and frank debate about any reforms needed,
“Ideological dogma will do nothing to improve the lives of residents”: Full text of Kober’s statement
The Leader of Haringey Council explains why she has decided to stand down at the local elections in May.
Councils are losing the battle against the sale of illicit cigarettes
Criminal gangs are supplying counterfeit tobacco on a huge scale with a resulting impact on smokers’ health.