By Russell M. LindenThis is a practical guide for nonprofit and government professionals who want to learn the techniques and strategies of successful collaboration. It offers practitioners a framework for developing collaborative relationships and shows them how to adopt strategies that have proved successful with a wide range of organizations. 

A new report looks in detail at public attitudes to day to day contact with the government and the prospects for the electronic delivery of services.The research, from the Department for Work and Pensions, highlights a range of barriers which stop people taking up the department’s on-line services. They include general opposition to the Internet and specific concerns about aspects of services such as sending personal details on line. 

Twenty-five local councils are to act as pathfinders for government plans to develop extended schools for the community. The announcement has been welcomed by the Local Government Association.The proposals were announced at a conference organised jointly by the LGA and the Department for Education and Skills. 

This paper from the Audit Commission identifies the unhelpful policy focus on the role of core budgets and services, rather than special area-based grant regimes, and inter-agency or ‘partnership’ working, rather than single agency or ’silo-based’ responses to issues in deprived areas. 

Liverpool City Council has won a prestigious national award for the development of a system designed to improve relations with its customers. The council, which was the only local authority to make it to the final 100 in the National Business Awards, carried off the honour in the ‘Best Use of Technology’ category.The award recognised the transformation of customer services through the authority’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. 

More decisions on the way local government pensions are run could be taken at local level by fund administrators if proposals in a government discussion paper go ahead.The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is inviting comments on how to make the local government pension scheme stronger, more cost-effective and simpler to understand for both employers and staff - perhaps by using IT solutions. Current final salary arrangements will be safeguarded. 

By John Thornton. Reproduced by permission of eGov Monitor Weekly A major challenge facing e-Government champions in local councils is to make the agenda real and tangible for politicians, citizens and colleagues. John Thornton, Director of eGovernment, at the Improvement & Development Agency describes how the second round of Implementing e-Government Statements, which must be prepared by the end of the month, can be used to get attention. He sees the Statement as the opportunity to publicise the vision and explain how it will be delivered.

Local councils in Scotland will today point to a 440 million pound gap between the Scottish Executive’s Spending Review Calculations for the next three years and the cost of funding core local government services.The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities - COSLA - will give evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s local government committee. 

The government is beginning consultations on plans to move the 2004 English local council elections - and the polls for the Greater London Assembly - to the same day as the European Parliamentary elections. 

By Peter KoestenbaumIn this thoroughly revised edition of his classic book Peter Koestenbaum shares his wisdom about the fundamental nature of leadership and shows what it takes to become an exceptional and passionate leader in today’s complex world. At the very heart of the book is his Leadership Diamond model- a paradigm that challenges managers to transform their thinking and approach everything with fresh effectiveness in order to reap richer results and become great leaders.