Breaking down England's fiscal devolution plans
David Phillips of the IFS tells LocalGov why England's regional finance reforms are modest by global comparison and what ministers still need to get right.
Social care is main driver of councils' emergency funding requests
27/07/2026 Social care is ‘taking centre stage' as the main factor driving councils' requests for exceptional financial support from Government, a new paper has found. |
ADCS conference: President warns of risks from 'Jenga tower' of reforms
09/07/2026 England's children's services' chiefs are holding together a ‘new and ever-growing Jenga tower' of reforms including reorganisation, president of ADCS warns. |
Rainbow coalitions form as more councils fall under NOC
20/05/2026 Attempts are being made to form rainbow coalitions around the country after more councils ended up in no overall control following the elections. |
Reform UK unlikely to enter 'formal coalitions' on councils
14/05/2026 Reform UK is unlikely to join ‘formal coalitions' to run councils, a leading party figure has told The MJ. |
Exclusive: District disaggregation requires 'properly thought through plan'
13/05/2026 A ‘thought through plan' with realistic timescales is needed if ministers are to press ahead with creating unitaries on non-district boundaries, experts warn. |
Reform defends £700m council savings claim
16/04/2026 A senior Reform UK figure has defended the party's claim it has found £700m of savings at the councils it controls. |
'Hard to see' what underpins LGR other than politics, says Reform
07/04/2026 Reform has said it is ‘hard to see' what lies behind Labour's reorganisation plans other than ‘carving out places they think they can still win'. |
Government announces five pooled budgets pilots
18/03/2026 The Government has announced details of pilots to test pooled budgets in five areas, ahead of setting out a vision for public service reform later this year. |
Future Forum: Councils must put 'rules and tools' in place ahead of political change
13/03/2026 Councils need to put ‘rules and tools ‘ in place if they are expecting a political change ‘or a lot more challenge', the Future Forum has heard. |
Government should have 'leeway' to seek new council leaders' LGR views
04/03/2026 Government should have ‘leeway' to offer newly-elected council leaders the chance to put forward a formal view on reorganisation, think-tank chief says. |
Councils' unaudited accounts remain 'a cautionary tale', NAO chief will say
10/02/2026 Backlogs of unaudited accounts mean English local government ‘remains a cautionary tale', the head of the public spending watchdog will say today. |
Exclusive: London borough is top for productivity
05/02/2026 Kensington and Chelsea LBC is the most productive council in England, the latest IMPOWER Index Top 10 has revealed. |
CIPFA: Councils' demand and deficit risks deepen
20/01/2026 Councils are holding higher debt levels and lower usable reserves, leaving the system more leveraged overall, a key financial index has revealed today. |
Nine councils in Derbyshire unite behind two unitaries
27/10/2025 Proposals for two unitaries covering Derbyshire are set to be formally considered by councillors at the eight district and boroughs and Derby City Council. |
Reorganisation and fair funding will 'throw cards up in the air' on budgets
16/10/2025 The impact of reorganisation and the fair funding review will ‘throw all the cards up in the air' for councils trying to hit budget, sector expert has warned. |
Exclusive: Cleverly criticises Labour's 'short term fixes'
02/10/2025 The shadow local government secretary has accused Labour of leaving councils with ‘short term fixes', identifying asylum hotels as an area ‘showing strain'. |
LGR 'making senior recruitment difficult', says Kent's Reform UK leader
08/09/2025 The Reform UK leader of Kent CC has said local government reorganisation (LGR) is ‘disrupting business as usual' and making recruitment ‘very difficult'. |
Judge temporarily bans new arrivals at Epping asylum hotel
18/08/2025 A judge has ordered a hotel not to accept any new applications from asylum seekers until his ruling on Epping Forest DC's request for a temporary injunction. |
Reform-controlled county agrees to back two unitary model
10/07/2025 Reform-controlled Derbyshire CC has agreed to back a two unitary model with a north south configuration. |
St Helens peer challenge expected to conclude council has 'transformed'
01/04/2025 St Helens MBC's corporate peer challenge is expected to conclude the council has been ‘transformed over the past five years'. |
