LGiU Fortnightly

In this podcast, Jonathan Carr-West interviews the BBC's Tim Burke - the man who covers elections - about how the locals will be covered and what people think about them. Jonathan and Ingrid also address the election essentials and highlight the support LGIU will be giving to new councillors post election.  Show notes here: : http://lgiu.org/election-eve/ ‎

Local elections are only a bit over a week away. We talk to Kate Grigg of CfGS about combined authority mayors and what she's expecting from her very first stint volunteering at the polls and Peter Stanyon, Chief Exec of AEA about how this elections are different this year, how they're the same and why running an election is a bit like being a party planner. Links to everything here: http://lgiu.org/a-safe-election/ ‎

Jonathan Carr-West and Ingrid Koehler host this edition of LGIU Fortnightly looking at ways that local government can blend representative and participative democracy. Interviews with Deputy Leader of Oxford City Council Tom Hayes and LGIU Associate Kerry Ferguson, with a sneak peak at local elections offerings. Links mentioned in the show here: https://lgiu.org/lgiu-fortnightly-the-multi-democratic-council/

Unlocked: local stories from a global pandemic - an audio exploration of our week of reflection. https://lgiu.org/publication/unlocked-local-stories-from-a-global-pandemic/ Interviews with Cllr Abi Brown, writer Karen Campbell, and LGIU staff and poems from Sue Burge. Hosted by Ingrid Koehler and Jonathan Carr-West

The Covid-19 pandemic has been so profound that it can be easy to forget that local government was in crisis long before coronavirus. Partly as a result of a decade of relentless funding cuts, but also because of an absence of strategic direction in nearly all of the areas most important to councils. Hear from LGIU staff about what's been left unfinished in local government and what we need to address now for recovery. See more at https://lgiu.org/publication/unfinished-business-2/

In this week's episode, Ingrid Koehler and Jonathan Carr-West provide an overview of LGIU's recent work, including our new 20-minute neighbourhoods bundle which outlines the benefits of accessible cities and signposts ideas that can feed into recovery from Covid-19 by building stronger and more resilient communities. LGIU's Andy Johnston also speaks with Terry A'Hearn, Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), about the organisation's place-making approach to flooding prevention and environmental sustainability.

Jonathan and Ingrid discuss new LGIU survey on the timing and feasibility of the local elections in May and an interview with Prof. Toby James on what we've learned from countries around the world on running global elections in a pandemic. Links at: http://lgiu.org/free-fair-and-safe-podcast/ ‎

In this week’s episode of LGIU Fortnightly, Ingrid Koehler speaks to three of our Cllr Award winners, Cllr Tom Beattie Leader of Corby District Council, Cllr Jenny Laing co-leader of Aberdeen City Council and Cllr Bridget Smith leader of South Cambridgeshire DC.

In this week's episode of LGIU Fortnightly, Andrew Walker and Ingrid Koehler take a deep dive into the latest pillar in our Post-Covid Councils series, the Location of Power. Andrew sets out the key arguments of his new report 'Power down to level up: resilient place-shaping for a post-Covid world', plus we hear an extract from our webinar – coinciding with the report launch – in which Dr Patrick Diamond (Senior Lecturer, Queen Mary University) and Jessie Hamshar (Director of Strategy and Engagement, Cornwall Council) discuss the importance of trust, engagement and decentralisation as we move towards recovery. Finally, Andrew and Ingrid look ahead to the upcoming launch of the Trust and Governance pillar and update listeners on our other recent work including new briefings and blogs, as well as the announcement of our Cllr Awards shortlist.

Obama Foundation Young Leader and Harrow councillor Peymana Assad speaks with LGIU's Ingrid Koehler about her journey into politics, how she maintains her motivation and what the pandemic has taught us about the importance of local leadership. Coming to the UK as a child, a refugee from Afghanistan, Cllr Assad first engaged with local politics as a volunteer supporting residents navigate the social security system. She was then elected to the London Borough of Harrow council in 2018 and was recently selected for the 2020 Obama Foundation European Young Leaders cohort.

In this week’s episode, Ingrid and Jonathan discuss the latest pillar in LGIU’s Post-Covid Councils project, Place and Community, which launched last week. The episode features presentations from LGIU’s Janet Sillett and Jane Sankarayya who spoke at our Place and Community webinar, plus, Andy Johnston talks to Jim Savege, the Chair of SOLACE Scotland and Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire County Council and Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council. And, we give you the lowdown on the 2020 LGIU & CCLA Cllr Awards and update you on our upcoming local government book club meeting.

1 September: Work and play by LGiU Fortnightly

6 August: Food security and access by LGiU Fortnightly

22 July: Countering Misinformation by LGiU Fortnightly

7 July: Plus Ça Change by LGiU Fortnightly