Digital Transformation, AI and Local Government: The Case for Workforce Upskilling
The new LocalGov and Multiverse report explores how workforce upskilling is driving smarter, more efficient, and inclusive local government transformation.
Government confirms mayoral election delays in four areas
04/12/2025 The Government has confirmed that it will be pushing back elections for mayors in four new strategic authorities by two years. |
London Councils invest £25m to combat homelessness and domestic abuse
04/12/2025 A £25m Pan-London Grants Programme has been rolled out by London Councils to help people experiencing homelessness and abuse. |
West Midlands mayor unveils nature recovery strategy
27/11/2025 A new plan to protect and enhance green spaces, waterways and wildlife across the West Midlands has been published by Mayor Richard Parker. |
Devolution needs ‘long-term plan’, report says
27/11/2025 England risks drifting into a fragmented local governance system unless ministers set out a clear long-term plan for devolution, new report argues. |
Devo Bill 'snatches' power upwards
26/11/2025 Power is being ‘snatched upwards and away from local voices' by the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, the Lib Dems have claimed. |
Budget: Mayors to get tourist tax power boost
26/11/2025 England’s regional mayors will soon have the power to introduce a levy on overnight stays in hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses and holiday lets. |
Burnham joins call for new climate duty on councils
24/11/2025 Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has joined local leaders across the country in a push for a climate duty as the Devolution Bill returns to Parliament. |
Burnham unveils £1bn ‘Good Growth’ fund
20/11/2025 Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has announced a landmark £1bn Good Growth Fund, designed to kick-start a pipeline of projects across the city-region. |
Lords: Devolve powers to tackle youth unemployment faster
19/11/2025 Devolution of power and resources to councils could reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), a new study suggests. |
Ministers urged to synchronise reorganisation and mayoral timetables
11/11/2025 Hertfordshire CC's leader has written to ministers calling for moves toward a mayoral strategic authority to progress on the same timeline as reorganisation. |
Affordable housing boost for mayors
07/11/2025 Mayors outside of London will be given greater influence over the Government's multi-billion-pound affordable housing programme. |
Burnham backs independent scandal watchdog
06/11/2025 Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has backed a call for establishing an independent watchdog with legal powers to investigate institutional scandals. |
Mayors call for real Living Wage for care workers
28/10/2025 Mayors Andy Burnham and Kim McGuinness have signed an open letter urging Government to guarantee all adult social care workers are paid the real Living Wage. |
MP calls for new mayors to take legal action on climate
28/10/2025 Green MP Siân Berry has proposed a new statutory duty on mayors created under the English Devolution Bill, urging them to take action on climate change. |
Cumbria devolution plan gets final sign off
14/10/2025 Cumbria is set to gain greater powers and funding after councillors in both Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness approved the Government's devolution plan. |
Mayor unveils £10bn growth plan
13/10/2025 Mayor Steve Rotheram has unveiled a plan to add £10bn to the Liverpool City Region economy and create tens of thousands of jobs. |
New Towns report: 'stars align' for mayors
09/10/2025 Mayors are set to take more prominent roles in planning matters, a think-tank has said. |
West Midlands mayor launches £40m social housing fund
09/10/2025 Mayor Richard Parker has announced a £40m Social Housing Accelerator Fund to fast-track the delivery of 1,000 new social homes across the West Midlands. |
Burnham calls for ‘wealth tax’ on expensive properties
07/10/2025 Westminster has ‘completely failed’ on social care and council tax, Andy Burnham reportedly told a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference. |
Mayor awards ‘catizenship’ to explorer Polo
03/10/2025 A Devon cat who is famous for exploring his local town has been awarded official ‘catizenship’ by the Mayor. |
Labour conference: Growth could be derailed by Reform, warns Brabin
30/09/2025 West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has warned Labour councillors that growth plans could be ‘derailed' in the event of big wins for Reform at the polls in May. |
Counties' concern over devolution proposals
25/09/2025 County councils have hit out at proposals to give mayors control over services like health and criminal justice – warning against a return to two-tier governance. |
Khan: Trump is ‘racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic’
24/09/2025 Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, has condemned Donald Trump as ‘racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic’ after the president attacked him at the UN. |
Cheshire and Warrington to get first elected mayor under devolution deal
23/09/2025 A mayoral combined authority for Cheshire and Warrington is set to be established, following formal approval by all three local councils. |
Leicester councillors say mayoral system should stay
22/09/2025 A motion to abandon the mayoral system has been opposed by Leicester councillors. |
Airport reopening ‘unanimously’ approved by leaders
10/09/2025 Funding of over £150m has been approved to support the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. |
Mayor announces new social and affordable homes
09/09/2025 The mayor of the West Midlands has unveiled funding for a new housing scheme in Birmingham, marking another step in his ‘Homes for Everyone’ priority. |
Leicester expansion plans challenged by district councils
08/09/2025 Leicester’s City Mayor’s plans to expand city boundaries have been opposed by district councils and Rutland County Council. |
Mayor calls for ‘decisive action’ on taxi licensing
04/09/2025 The Mayoral Council meeting will today hear mayor Andy Burnham call for an end to the ‘out of area’ licensing of taxis. |
Mayor voices support for airport reopening
02/09/2025 The mayor of South Yorkshire is advocating for the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. |
Reform UK mayor accused of ‘breach of trust’
20/08/2025 One of Reform UK’s metro mayors has been accused of a ‘serious breach of trust’ after launching a new website promoting a ‘non-existent’ £1m community fund. |
Gov reluctant to interfere with successful strategic authority boundaries
14/08/2025 The Government has suggested it will not want to rip up existing strategic authority boundaries where the organisations are ‘working well'. |
West Midlands Mayor reveals economic growth plan
22/07/2025 West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker has unveiled plans to create tens of thousands of new jobs and homes, which he hopes will ‘turbocharge’ the region’s economy over the next decade. |
Councils request delay to first mayoral election
17/07/2025 Cheshire and Warrington councils have requested that the area’s potential mayoral election be deferred by a year to reduce costs and increase turn out. |
Mayor of London announces £600k high street boost
14/07/2025 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a £600,000 investment to revitalise local high streets in the capital. |
Reform mayor ‘deeply concerned’ about ICB merger plans
23/06/2025 Reform UK Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Dame Andrea Jenkyns is ‘deeply concerned’ about plans to merge with Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. |
Lancashire councils urged to collaborate
23/06/2025 The Government has urged Lancashire's 15 main councils to work together to agree a plan for local government reorganisation. |
Reform county seeks referendum on mayor
20/06/2025 Lancashire has approached the Government to ask for a referendum on adopting a mayor. |
Mayor calls for ‘urgent action’ to transform Oxford Street
17/06/2025 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has confirmed plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street following the results of a formal consultation. |
Think-tank calls for Glasgow mayor
16/06/2025 Glasgow is at risk of falling behind England’s cities unless it receives a devolution deal and a directly elected city region mayor, Centre for Cities warns. |
Visitor levies could generate millions for local economies, say mayors
03/06/2025 English mayors have urged the Government to allow councils to introduce visitor levies to boost regional economies, tourism and infrastructure. |
Rayner: Mayors must be accountable
23/05/2025 Mayors must be accountable as they take back control of decision making as part of local government reorganisation, the deputy prime minister says. |
London mayor launches new plan to end rough sleeping
20/05/2025 Mayor Sadiq Khan has promised to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2030 by ensuring people who are facing homelessness are ‘helped early’. |
EXCLUSIVE: Push for local PACs slows amid Whitehall scepticism
16/05/2025 Support for establishing local versions of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) across England is softening as the Government ponders whether to push the idea. |
West Midlands councils benefit from £12m pothole boost
13/05/2025 Six local authorities in the West Midlands are due to receive £12m of funding to help resurface roads and repair up to 132,000 potholes. |
Mayor of London unveils ‘ambitious’ green belt plans
09/05/2025 Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced plans to build tens of thousands of new homes on green belt land despite his previous opposition to green belt developments |
‘Watchdogs with bite’ needed to hold mayors to account
08/05/2025 More scrutiny is needed to ensure that increasingly powerful mayors are held to account, think tank says. |
Learning from the locals
06/05/2025 Jonathan Werran, chief executive of Localis, reflects on the results of the local elections. |
Reform gains in English local elections
02/05/2025 Labour has held onto key mayoralties even though it looks like Nigel Farage's Reform UK will make significant gains in local elections across England. |
Mayor urged to take over vacant shops to revitalise high streets
23/04/2025 The Mayor of London has been urged to provide more ‘financial and practical’ support to help drive high street regeneration across the capital. |
Mayors' integrated settlements published
09/04/2025 Final details of integrated settlements for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands have been confirmed for 2025-26. |
LGA updates business plan amid reorganisation shake-up
09/04/2025 The Local Government Association (LGA) is working on a new business plan as mayors increasingly reject its advances. |
Combined authority offers staff support after mayor’s arrest
07/04/2025 Staff at West of England Combined Authority have been offered support after mayor and MP Dan Norris was arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences. |
London’s boroughs call for ‘seat at the table’ in devo settlement
03/04/2025 London’s councils have called for joint decision-making arrangements between the mayor and the capital’s boroughs as part of a new devolution settlement. |
Great British Energy announces £10m for metro mayors
24/03/2025 Metro mayors are set to benefit from a £10m funding boost from Great British Energy aimed at supporting the delivery of new clean energy projects. |
Think tanks calls for doubling of mayoral capacity fund
14/03/2025 A think tank has urged the Government to commit to doubling the mayoral capacity fund to help strengthen capacity and accountability in combined authorities. |
Frustrated mayors delay campaign on fiscal devo
13/03/2025 Labour mayors frustrated by the lack of fiscal devolution are holding back from stepping up their lobbying, The MJ understands. |
London’s high streets get £21m regeneration boost
28/02/2025 London’s high streets are to benefit from £21m additional funding this year aimed at regenerating the capital’s high streets. |
Staffordshire mayor dies after car crash
17/02/2025 The mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme has died following a road accident last Thursday. |
Six areas chosen for devolution fast track
05/02/2025 Six new areas have been chosen to join the Government’s devolution priority programme. |
Metro mayors back digital transformation
13/01/2025 A study of the manifestos of 12 UK metro mayors has revealed ‘clear alignment’ around digital transformation goals. |
Local government recognised in New Year Honours
02/01/2025 Knighthoods for mayors past and present led the King's New Year Honours list for 2025. |
Mayor launches legal case against own council
28/11/2024 Newham LBC mayor Rokhsana Fiaz has launched a legal claim against her own council. |
Elected mayor 'stumbling block' warning
21/11/2024 Ministers' insistence on a directly-elected mayor is ‘fast appearing on the horizon as a major stumbling block for English devolution', expert warns. |
London mayor calls for Right to Buy devolution
18/11/2024 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on the Government to devolve control over Right to Buy to the capital. |
Notts leader steps down after ‘challenging’ year
07/11/2024 The leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has announced he is stepping down from the role after a ‘challenging’ year. |
Mayor urges employers to embrace living wage
06/11/2024 North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has urged employers to embrace the real living wage as part of the region’s fight against child poverty and low pay. |
Mayors can relieve council pressures, says report
09/10/2024 Mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) can help with long-standing policy challenges in public services as well as boosting economic growth, a think-tank has argued. |
Further devolution needed to drive energy efficiency measures
25/09/2024 Devolution of funding is needed so that mayoral combined authorities can take the lead in delivering energy efficiency upgrades to homes, a new report says. |
Mayors back Jamie Oliver’s call to ban junk-food advertising
25/09/2024 Nine UK mayors have signed up to celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s campaign to ban junk-food advertising. |
South Yorkshire mayor welcomes £1.5bn nuclear factory decision
20/09/2024 The mayor of South Yorkshire has welcomed the news that South Yorkshire is set to become the new home of a planned £1.5bn Small Modular Reactor (SMR) factory. |
Rayner confirms four devolution agreements
19/09/2024 Four devolution agreements have been signed off in what the secretary of state for local government describes as ‘only the first step’ of a devolution drive. |
Mayors announce Manchester-Birmingham railway line
13/09/2024 Plans for a railway line improving connections between Birmingham and Manchester ‘at a fraction of the costs’ of the northern leg of HS2 have been announced. |
Mayors asked to take lead in drive against extremism
05/09/2024 Local political leaders have been asked to spearhead efforts to tackle extremism and foster greater community cohesion following a summer of disorder. |
Councils draining ‘dwindling’ reserves to stay afloat
04/09/2024 Three in five (60%) city leaders have warned they will have to draw on already depleted financial reserves this year to ‘stay financially afloat.’ |
Newham mayor ‘deeply concerned’ by airport expansion
20/08/2024 The Government has approved London City Airport's plans to increase passenger numbers by more than a third despite objections by Newham Council. |
Rotheram: Mindless violence distracts from delivering justice
31/07/2024 Local government leaders have condemned violent protests that broke out after three girls were killed in a knife attack. |
King's Speech: Devolution takes centre stage
17/07/2024 The announcement of an English Devolution Bill took centre stage in the King's Speech. |
West Yorkshire mayor unveils plans to deliver 38,000 homes
11/07/2024 West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has unveiled plans to deliver more than 38,000 homes across the region over the next 15 years. |
Rayner: Labour ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’
09/07/2024 Deputy PM Angela Rayner is set to tell regional mayors that Labour is ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’ through a major programme of devolution. |
Mayor tells Labour to ‘commit’ to the Northern Powerhouse
08/07/2024 The new Labour Government should ‘commit early to the Northern Powerhouse’, says the mayor of Greater Manchester. |
Planning London under Labour
17/06/2024 Grant Leggett, Executive Director and Head of Boyer’s London planning team, looks at the impact of a future Labour government on planning in London. |
Birmingham councillor becomes West Midlands deputy mayor
17/06/2024 The deputy leader of Birmingham City Council has been appointed as the deputy mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). |
South Yorkshire mayor could receive £30k pay boost
29/05/2024 The mayor of South Yorkshire could be in line for a pay rise of nearly £30,000. |
Teesside airport to ‘remain in public ownership’
22/05/2024 Mayor Ben Houchen has insisted that the Teesside International Airport is ‘not for sale’ despite an expression of interest from a private buyer. |
Call to fix ‘incomplete patchwork’ of devolution deals
13/05/2024 The next government must extend devolution to 85% of England to address an ‘incomplete patchwork of mismatched deals’, a think-tank has argued. |
Mayors meet to hear growth plans
13/05/2024 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has summoned his party’s newly-elected mayors for a meeting to detail his plans for economic growth. |
Labour win Yorkshire mayoralty in PM’s ‘backyard’
03/05/2024 Labour’s David Skaith has won the race to become the first York and North Yorkshire mayor. |
Houchen retains Tees Valley for Tories
03/05/2024 Ben Houchen has won the Tees Valley mayoral election despite his vote share taking a dramatic hit. |
What is a metro mayor?
25/04/2024 A metro mayor is directly elected by local people to oversee a region’s combined authority. |
Gove open to giving mayors Whitehall voice
23/04/2024 Local government secretary Michael Gove has not ruled out a ‘formal structure’ for mayors to work more closely with central government. |
Khan pledges to build 6,000 ‘rent control’ homes
05/04/2024 London mayor Sadiq Khan will today commit to building homes with capped rents as part of his bid for re-election next month. |
New Kirklees mayor to make history
28/03/2024 Kirklees’ 50th mayor will be the first woman of colour and first Muslim woman to hold the role. |
Parties draw battlelines for local elections
28/03/2024 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has given a speech in Dudley today following campaign launches by the Conservatives and Lib Dems. |
Court rules against police powers for West Midlands mayor
19/03/2024 The High Court has ruled against the Government’s plans to merge the role of the West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC) with the regional mayor. |
Council funding crisis ‘existential’
01/03/2024 Local government’s funding crisis threatens to derail ambitions to level up the north of England, it has been claimed. |
More areas get level four devolution powers
01/03/2024 West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool city region will all receive level four devolved powers, local government secretary Michael Gove has announced. |
Croydon to wind down Brick by Brick
12/02/2024 Croydon LBC’s mayor is set to give the go-ahead to officially wind down the council’s development firm Brick by Brick. |
South Yorkshire mayoral election on the cards
09/02/2024 A mayoral election could take place in South Yorkshire this year after it was confirmed that PCC responsibilities will be moved to the regional leader. |
Mayor of London criticised for Saudi ads
13/12/2023 Mayor Khan has been criticised after Saudi adverts appeared on the TfL Network despite advertising restrictions on countries with poor human rights records. |
