24th March, 2021 / Andrew
This week marked a year since the first national lockdown and it’s been a time where we’ve all reflected on what has been one of the most challenging and testing times for everyone. The many lives lost, the restrictions we’ve lived under and the time we’ve had to spend apart from those we love are ...
4th March, 2021 / Andrew
I was chatting to a local resident over the weekend who was telling me that his job disappeared at the beginning of the pandemic, but that he is now working as a Blood Delivery Driver. Then on one of my regular walks the other day, I saw an advertising hoarding with the fabulous #changelives campaign ...
30th January, 2021 / Andrew
At the same time as local and city-regional government has been dealing with the immediacy of the COVID-19 pandemic response(s) we’ve also been actively considering in parallel how our nation will make its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and begin to rebuild our national economy and society. We know that the task we face ...
13th October, 2020 / Nicola, CCIN
Covid-19 has already been a tragedy for hundreds of thousands of people in the UK. We need to ensure that we very quickly learn the lessons from these past nine months – and, even more, that we rapidly apply these emerging lessons, so that the next nine months are not so dreadful. So, what are ...
6th October, 2020 / Andrew
Like the rest of the world, every aspect of daily life in Scotland has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The response to the virus has been seen at all levels of government: local, Scottish and UK, as well as internationally. Health is a matter entirely devolved to Scotland and the national leadership in this ...
6th October, 2020 / Andrew
The Welsh Government is responsible for the public health response to the coronavirus pandemic in Wales. The nature of the devolution settlement in the UK has allowed for a nuanced approach to managing the pandemic. On 15 May, the Welsh Government published Unlocking our Society and Economy: Continuing the Conversation, the national framework for moving ...
29th July, 2020 / Nicola, CCIN
As we emerge from lockdown and look towards a future post-COVID-19, many people are talking about ‘Building Back Better’. A rallying call to make sure that lessons are learned from the crisis and that we embrace this opportunity to ensure our recovery is a green one. The anticipated economic shock of COVID-19 is a warning ...
5th June, 2020 / Nicola, CCIN
Amongst the tragedy COVID-19, there have been a few reasons for optimism: the new-found appreciation for the work of our public servants; the speed at which partners came together to respond and save lives; and the sense of collective action from communities up and down the country. As we now move beyond the initial crisis ...
14th May, 2020 / Nicola, CCIN
A different world Nobody foresaw a pandemic when we published our Co-operative Commission report in January. Nine Commissioners and two councillors, all holding a conviction that principles of cooperation should help shape the future of Greater Manchester, spent quite a lot of time and energy advocating on behalf of a rather unfashionable approach to business. If we’d ...
9th May, 2020 / Nicola, CCIN
For many of our communities, the past weeks have brought an unprecedented challenge. For so many coping in self-isolation, managing health and wellbeing concerns, or experiencing financial hardship caused as a result of our collective response to this crisis, this experience has no doubt been unsettling, disorienting and isolating. Yet at the same time, this ...
9th May, 2020 / Andrew
In just a few weeks we’ve seen the Public sector come together and respond with positivity to one of the biggest challenges of our generation. But when the situation improves and public sector returns to a more recognisable pattern of work, what comes next. Whilst we don’t have a crystal ball, we can learn from ...
6th May, 2020 / Nicola, CCIN
Two weeks ago I wrote about Universal Credit, and how it was an example of the coronavirus pandemic shining a harsh spotlight on economic and social issues which have already existed for a number of years. Today I want to return to that subject with the consequences the pandemic has had for local government finance. ...
30th April, 2020 / Nicola, CCIN
Cheshire West and Chester Council are proud to be the newest member of the Co-operative Councils Innovation Network. This is well timed as in February our new council plan set the vision that ‘by 2024 we will all play our part in building greener, fairer and stronger communities.’ We are working to change the relationship ...
27th April, 2020 / Nicola, CCIN
These are unprecedented times. In a matter of weeks, we have become a country of self-isolators and self-distancers, wary of everyone we come into contact with. We all owe a debt of gratitude to our colleagues working on the front line, as they risk their health to help others. However, there is co-operation amidst this crisis, ...