Media Watch | 57

Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories on the local council sector.

Can local council save public services? The Guardian’s opinion columnist and chair of Queen’s Park Community Council, Susanna Rustin, claims that local councils could be the last line of defence of public services. She goes further by suggesting that if you do not have a local council in your urban or rural area it is time for communities to set one up (via The Guardian)

NALC’s chief executive, Jonathan Owen, was interviewed on BBC Radio Kent as part of a focus on increasing precepts levels charged by local councils. He argued that these increases are relatively small in actual monetary terms and they fill the gap in preventing the closure of some essential community public services (via BBC Radio Kent)

New local council to be set up for Durham city. People in Durham have voted in favour of creating a new local council for the city (via BBC and The Northern Echo)

NALC’s third ever lobby day on 28 March saw local councillors met with key parliamentarians and the Star Councils 2016 Awards finalists got to showcase their activity to the Houses of Parliament (via Rural Services Network, Falmouth Packet - 1 | 2 )