Protecting the public realm without shutting it down
As Martyn's Law approaches, this free special report from LocalGov and Hill & Smith sets out how councils can protect public spaces without shutting them down.
Scrap Jobcentre Plus and devolve support to Mayors, think tank urges
25/09/2026 Employment support should be devolved to mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs) and Jobcentre Plus scrapped entirely, according to a new report. |
Public backs devolution but wants deprived areas prioritised
25/09/2026 Devolution must deliver tangible economic change for England's left-behind towns and neighbourhoods if it is to retain public support, report argues. |
LGA: Devolution will fail without fixing council finances
23/09/2026 Growth ambitions will fall flat unless the Government tackles council finances and ensures devolution benefits local authorities everywhere, LGA warns. |
London boroughs welcome devo plans but warn of £5.2bn funding gap
23/09/2026 London Councils has warned of a widening £5.2bn funding gap facing the capital's boroughs by 2030, even as it welcomes Government devolution plans. |
Burnham 'growth in every postcode' ambition dismissed
23/09/2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been warned against awarding groundbreaking tax powers to every region. |
Watch: LGIU's Jonathan Carr-West on the Government's LGR pause
16/09/2026 LGIU chief executive Jonathan Carr-West talks to LocalGov about the pause to local government reorganisation and what it means for councils left in limbo. |
Scottish councils press for more powers
14/09/2026 Councils in Scotland are pressing to gain powers over public health, transport and further education as part of a Government shake-up. |
Mayors handed power to introduce overnight visitor levy
10/09/2026 Mayors and local leaders across England will be given the power to introduce an overnight visitor levy as part of the Government's fiscal devolution drive. |
EXCLUSIVE: Burnham wish for new settlement with sector
10/09/2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told council leaders he wants to ‘create a new settlement between central and local’. |
Concerns over reorganisation delay impact on devolution
09/09/2026 MPs have raised concerns around the impact that a delay to local government reorganisation (LGR) announced this week will have on the Government’s devolution agenda. |
Healey: Fiscal devolution needed for successful cities
08/09/2026 Fiscal devolution is needed to ‘transfer power and resources from Whitehall to our regions’, chancellor John Healey has insisted. |
Luton and Milton Keynes push for strategic mayoral authority
02/09/2026 Two councils are pressing the Government to form a mayoral strategic authority covering Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes. |
New body launched to push for Leicester and Leicestershire mayor
18/08/2026 A new organisation, Devolution Leicestershire, has been launched to build the case for a regional mayor covering Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. |
Devolution race exposes divisions over mayor question
13/08/2026 The Government was this week facing hurdles as it races to complete the devolution map across England by the end of 2028. |
Action needed to avert reorganisation’s threat to councils’ links with charities, report warns
13/08/2026 Action is needed by councils undergoing local government reorganisation (LGR) to ensure the changes do not hinder partnerships with their local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. |
Breaking down England's fiscal devolution plans
04/08/2026 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. |
New devo powers risk widening regional divide, report warns
04/08/2026 New fiscal powers allowing strategic authorities to retain income tax and business rates could deepen regional inequalities, a new report has warned. |
PM hands mayors share of income tax
31/07/2026 English mayors are to receive a share of income tax revenues and business rates as part of ‘a new era of devolution’, PM Andy Burnham has announced. |
Norfolk deputy leader urges Rayner to halt £96m reorganisation
30/07/2026 Norfolk CC's deputy leader has written to newly appointed Secretary of State for local government Angela Rayner, urging her to halt reorganisation in Norfolk. |
Skills Pipelines: What local government needs to know
29/07/2026 Councils and mayors are to be handed a central role in developing skills pipelines for local industries, as the Government unveils what it calls a ‘fundamental change’ to the education system aimed at tackling youth unemployment. Here's what council leaders and officers need to know. |
Whitehall devolution resistance 'over for good'
24/07/2026 Whitehall resistance to devolution is ‘over for good', PM Andy Burnham has insisted ahead of his first meeting at the newly-created No 10 North in Manchester. |
Think tank urges Burnham to learn from past growth policy
22/07/2026 A new report from Localis is urging incoming PM Andy Burnham to draw on lessons from decades of local growth policy as he pursues ‘Manchesterism’. |
Dorset Council leader calls for quicker progress on devo deal
21/07/2026 The leader of Dorset Council has appealed to Prime Minister Andy Burnham to urge him to accelerate the approval of a devolution deal for the south west. |
Burnham urged to build new partnership with Northern leaders
21/07/2026 The Great North has called on PM Andy Burnham to build a new partnership with Northern leaders, placing devolution at the heart of national renewal. |
Council chiefs urge Rayner to reset local government reorganisation
21/07/2026 County council leaders have urged newly reappointed Housing Secretary Angela Rayner to reset local government reorganisation (LGR). |
Burnham promises to empower councils as Rayner returns to replace Reed
20/07/2026 Andy Burnham has promised to give councils more powers to tackle problems such as rough sleeping and social care while moving decision-making from Whitehall. |
Westminster leader calls on Burnham to overhaul London's governance
20/07/2026 The leader of Westminster City Council has written to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to rethink how London is governed. |
Andy Burnham, make devolution mean devolution!
20/07/2026 As Andy Burnham enters No. 10, Colin Copus argues he should pause local government reorganisation and ask whether Whitehall's shake-up is devolution at all. |
Think tank warns Burnham must move fast to avoid ‘two-tier England’
16/07/2026 Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being urged to accelerate and widen devolution plans or risk entrenching a ‘two-tier England’. |
LGR opportunity to rebuild trust as complaints surge, Ombudsman says
15/07/2026 Local government reorganisation (LGR) and devolution represent a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to rebuild trust in councils, Ombudsman says. |
Call for new fiscal devolution framework for councils
14/07/2026 A major APPG report has called for a new fiscal devolution framework that balances local shares of national taxes with strong equalisation safeguards. |
Minister in Pride in Place funding threat
13/07/2026 Devolution minister Nesil Caliskan has threatened to pause Pride in Place funding if accountable bodies delay or obstruct decisions on how to spend the cash. |
Homelessness set to rise 25% by 2030, report warns Burnham
13/07/2026 A new report has warned prime-minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham that homelessness is set to rise by a quarter, pushing councils ‘closer to bankruptcy’. |
Call for stronger scrutiny of mayors
08/07/2026 Stronger accountability and scrutiny of mayors is needed should they be given greater fiscal powers under an Andy Burnham-led government, think-tank says. |
Think tank calls for more devolution and digitisation to fix public services
02/07/2026 Decentralising responsibility to local areas while widening access through digital tools should be at the heart of public service reform, ThinkLabour argues. |
Oxford CC slams Oxfordshire's Thames Valley devolution veto
01/07/2026 Oxford CC has voiced its disappointment after Oxfordshire CC vetoed a devolution deal which it argues could have brought billions in investment. |
Devolution progress strong, but scrutiny must be strengthened, auditors say
01/07/2026 Good progress has been made on English devolution, a National Audit Office report has found, but it also calls for strengthened local scrutiny arrangements. |
Burnham puts devolution at centre of leadership pitch
29/06/2026 Andy Burnham has pledged the ‘biggest rebalance of power our country has ever seen' as he prepares to enter Downing Street. |
Devolution and putting place first
29/06/2026 The real lesson of Andy Burnham's Makerfield success, argues Dr Jonathan Carr-West, is that place – not personality – is the key to Britain's future. |
'Fiscal devolution to be more likely with Burnham as PM'
24/06/2026 Fiscal devolution will ‘likely become more important' with Andy Burnham as Prime Minister, experts have predicted. |
Thames Valley devo deal thrown into doubt
23/06/2026 A deal to create a Thames Valley foundation strategic authority has seemingly collapsed at the 11th hour. |
Call for fiscal devolution to be based on clear criteria
09/06/2026 Fiscal devolution must be based around local taxes or revenue rather than the existing grant system, a report has urged. |
Devolution could 'deepen regional imbalances'
02/06/2026 The Government’s chosen path of devolution could make regional inequality in England worse, a think-tank has warned. |
Bill 'first step' in fiscal devolution era
13/05/2026 The Overnight Visitor Levy Bill is the ‘first step in a new era of fiscal devolution in England', the Government has said. |
Devo minister resigns
12/05/2026 Junior devolution minister Miatta Fahnbulleh has resigned and urged PM Keir Starmer to ‘do the right thing' and ‘set a timetable for an orderly transition'. |
Why devolution is the solution to stronger public services
23/04/2026 Chelsea Chamberlin, Chief Technology Officer at Roc Technologies, argues that devolution can help the UK local government sector pool talent, cut costs and improve digital public services. |
Key amendments stripped from English Devolution Bill
23/04/2026 Ministers have moved to block curbs to their powers under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. |
Call to devolve employment support
17/04/2026 Mayors should be enlisted to provide support for people out of work due to ill health, a new report has urged. |
Scotland’s housing emergency calls for strengthened council powers, COSLA says
07/04/2026 The management of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme should be devolved to councils to help combat the housing emergency in Scotland, COSLA has argued. |
Further devolution plans unveiled
01/04/2026 Council leaders in the Midlands and West of England have begun responding to a call from ministers to reveal their devolution plans. |
Health devolution deals to give great powers to mayors
26/03/2026 Two new health devolution deals are to give greater powers to mayors in Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire. |
Small Scale, Big Potential: Town and parish councils and devolution
24/03/2026 Parish and town councils could play a central role in making devolution work for communities. |
Shadow minister warns devolution Bill will 'die' without talks
23/03/2026 Opposition politicians have warned the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will fall unless the Government listens to their concerns. |
LocalGov Weekly Round Up
20/03/2026 A pivotal week for councils sees fresh devolution plans, new service pilots and key legal and political battles, writes LocalGov editor William Eichler. |
Leaders united on devo despite reorg rivalry
12/03/2026 Council leaders in Hertfordshire have insisted they remain united over devolution despite presenting the Government with a range of reorganisation options. |
Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority formerly established
26/02/2026 The transfer of powers from Westminster to the newly created Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority has been formally confirmed. |
Government using strategic planning agenda to speed up devo
18/02/2026 Concerns have been raised over the Government's use of its strategic planning agenda to speed up decisions around devolution. |
Norfolk withdraws cooperation on LGR over elections debacle
17/02/2026 Norfolk CC’s leadership has withdrawn its cooperation with ministers to deliver local government reorganisation (LGR) following Steve Reed’s u-turn on postponed elections. |
Government proposals on spatial development aligned with devo
16/02/2026 The Government is consulting on plans to map out spatial development strategy (SDS) areas across England. |
Report calls for slashing of London boroughs
03/02/2026 London boroughs should merge so the number of local authorities in the capital is reduced by about two-thirds, a report claimed today. |
Will devolution deepen the UK's social divide?
22/01/2026 As the UK Government advances its devolution agenda, shifting power from Westminster to new regional authorities, it’s fair to ask what it means for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), says Gita Singham-Willis, Strategic Engagement Director at Transform UK. |
Devolution Bill attacked by peers
09/12/2025 The Government’s devolution agenda risks ‘leaving communities without a meaningful voice’, Local Government Association vice president Baroness Scott has warned. |
Future Forum North: Devolution is here to stay
05/12/2025 Devolution ‘can feel like a marriage with no prospect of divorce’ but is ‘here to stay’, the president of senior officers’ group Solace has told The MJ’s Future Forum North. |
Top table call for IT leads
02/12/2025 Council IT leads need a ‘seat at the top table’ to ensure local government reorganisation is not derailed, a think-tank has warned. |
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. |
Reed U-turn over committee system abolition
25/11/2025 Local authorities that already use the committee system will be allowed to retain it under strict conditions detailed by the Government. |
Devo Bill amendments to protect councillors' addresses
24/11/2025 Ministers have acted upon Conservative calls to table amendments to the Devo Bill so councillors' addresses do not have to be published. |
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. |
Review to assess fee devolution
21/11/2025 The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced a review of council fees to assess their suitability for devolution. |
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. |
Alexander urges Scottish Government to devolve to councils
14/11/2025 The Scottish Government must devolve funding and powers to councils to secure a ‘decent and prosperous' nation, Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander has said. |
Staffordshire councillors unite to oppose reorganisation
13/11/2025 All 62 members of Staffordshire County Council have united to call on the PM to abandon plans for local government reorganisation (LGR) in the county. |
Labour refuses to use devo Bill to protect councillors' addresses
13/11/2025 The Government has rejected a plea to use the devolution Bill to remove the requirement for councillors to publish their home addresses. |
Reed lobbies Treasury over fiscal devolution
13/11/2025 Local government secretary Steve Reed has made the case to the Treasury for devolving fiscal powers ahead of the Budget. |
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. |
Reorganisation plan promises £44m annual savings
21/10/2025 A plan published today sets out how reorganisation across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland could deliver savings of £44m a year by streamlining staffing. |
New strategic authorities should 'embrace' disagreement
17/10/2025 Areas moving towards devolution deals have been advised to ‘embrace’ inevitable disagreement between councils and new strategic authorities. |
New unitaries in the south to cost over £12m
16/10/2025 The creation of new unitary authorities in the South of England is due to cost councils millions of pounds. |
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. |
Autumn Budget Insights: Can reorganisation and finance move in step?
10/10/2025 The Autumn Budget is a test of whether the Government can align fiscal policy with local government reorganisation (LGR), says Jonathan Carr-West, LGIU. |
Nottingham calls for boundary review under reorganisation plans
10/10/2025 Nottingham CC has confirmed it will submit a proposal to the Government for a boundary review as part of the local government reorganisation (LGR) programme. |
CCN: Social care faces reorganisation ‘triple whammy’
09/10/2025 Plans to split large councils into smaller unitary authorities could hit vulnerable people with worse services, higher costs, and staff shortages, CCN warns. |
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. |
New partnership to give councils fresh reorganisation support
06/10/2025 A new partnership between Local Partnerships and the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) will give councils fresh reorganisation support. |
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. |
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. |
Keeping local audit on the agenda
24/09/2025 Local audit reforms risk being overshadowed by devolution and reorganisation. Why proper scrutiny is vital to protect accountability and public trust. |
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. |
MPs call for devolution of skills powers to local leaders
22/09/2025 MPs say devolving 16–19 education to strategic authorities is vital to boosting growth and improving young people’s prospects. |
Nearly 50% of residents unaware of reorganisation, survey finds
08/09/2025 Nearly two thirds of survey respondents across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were uninformed about local government reorganisation (LGR). |
Cornwall council leader promotes fifth nation petition
08/09/2025 Cornwall Council leader Leigh Frost has urged the public to back a petition recognising Cornwall as the UK’s fifth nation. |
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. |
MPs support Devolution Bill to boost local powers
03/09/2025 A majority of MPs have voted in favour of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill at its Second Reading. |
Government skipped own cost review of council mergers
29/08/2025 The Government did not conduct its own assessment of the costs of local government reorganisation, the BBC has revealed. |
Devolution Revolution: Solving the Data Deficit
19/08/2025 Jonathan Marwood, Partner at Hartnell Taylor Cook, explains why robust real estate data is essential for devolution, housing delivery, and regeneration. |
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'. |
Council accused of offering ‘freebies’ in devolution bid
13/08/2025 Oxford City Council has been accused of handing out ‘freebies’ to win support for its local government reorganisation plans. |
