Local Elections: What voters really want from their councils
With voters heading to the polls tomorrow, a recent YouGov survey reveals what local issues matter most — and the answers are not always what you might expect.
All change: Reform UK projected to make huge gains as local elections get underway
07/05/2026 The chairs of three of the sector's major associations could change hands in the aftermath of today's local elections. |
EXCLUSIVE: 'Illegal' deal to end Birmingham strike risks £200m equal pay bill
30/04/2026 Birmingham City Council could open itself up to equal pay liabilities worth £200m if a proposed deal unveiled by leader Cllr John Cotton goes ahead. |
PPMA 2026: Call to rethink statutory roles
27/04/2026 Local government should redefine the role of statutory officers, amid suggestions the role of HR director could be made statutory. |
LGA interim chief revealed
17/04/2026 Former Camden LBC chief Jenny Rowlands is to take on the role of interim chief of the Local Government Association (LGA), The MJ can reveal. |
LGA slammed for failing to take its own advice
11/02/2026 Local Government Association has been accused of failing to take its own advice on employee relations in the aftermath of disastrous restructure consultation. |
LGA accused of pushing restructure to beat 'fire and rehire' changes
22/01/2026 The Labour-led Local Government Association's has been accused of trying to push through its restructure before fire and rehire practice are outlawed. |
EXCLUSIVE: LGA plan hits mid ranks
15/01/2026 The latest plans to slash the pay for Local Government Association (LGA) staff are unlikely to hit those on the very highest salaries, leaked figures reveal. |
Staff left reeling after LGA restructure plans
08/01/2026 Local Government Association (LGA) staff face pay cuts of up to £30,000 under modernisation plans. |
Budget: Government to fund SEND
26/11/2025 Government will fully fund Special Educational Needs and Disabilities from 2028-29, cutting one of the biggest financial pressures on councils. |
Gloucestershire district rejects reorganisation
24/11/2025 Forest of Dean DC has voted against supporting any form of reorganisation in Gloucestershire. |
Government urged to stop reorganisation or face 'massive car crash'
18/11/2025 Government should be told to stop Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) or face a ‘massive car crash' a county leader facing unitarisation has warned. |
EXCLUSIVE: Reorganisation should be last resort, says Unison boss
05/11/2025 Local government reorganisation should only be happening where there is ‘no choice’, general secretary of trade union Unison, Christina McAnea, has said. |
Woking to get £500m bailout as Surrey split in two
28/10/2025 Reorganisation frontrunner Surrey will have its 12 councils replaced by two unitaries, with £500m of Woking BC's debts written off, The MJ understands. |
Roney legal case collapses
24/10/2025 A court case accusing Birmingham City Council chief executive Joanne Roney of an antisemitic slur has collapsed as ‘there was not a shred of evidence’. |
SOLACE: Funding fails to offset the years of lost cash, claims president
16/10/2025 Central government funding for regeneration is positive but ‘can only go so far in offsetting the long years of lost funding', Solace president Robin Tuddenham has claimed. |
EXCLUSIVE: Surrey reorganisation decision delayed
08/10/2025 A final decision on the new unitary structures for Surrey has been delayed, council chiefs have been told. |
Labour conference: McGuinness calls for more health devolution
02/10/2025 More should be done to devolve health, mayor of the North East Kim McGuinness has told a Labour Party conference fringe session. |
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. |
Labour conference: Reed reveals 12 new town sites
29/09/2025 Housing secretary Steve Reed has revealed the location of 12 new towns as part of his pledge to ‘build, baby, build'. |
Labour conference: Reed puts councillors back into LGPS
29/09/2025 Councillors in England will be allowed back into the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), communities secretary Steve Reed has announced. |
