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.
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. |
EXCLUSIVE: MHCLG tells councils not to use public funds to win unitary argument
12/08/2025 Senior Whitehall mandarins have reminded councils not to use public funds to persuade residents to back their favoured reorganisation proposal. |
What Council Unitarisation Means for Neighbourhood Services
12/08/2025 APSE’s guidance on safeguarding neighbourhood services, aligning working practices, and planning efficiencies during local government reorganisation. |
Brighton & Hove expansion 'absolutely outrageous'
28/07/2025 An MP has described Brighton & Hove City Council's proposal to expand to the east as ‘absolutely outrageous'. |
Recognise Cornwall as fifth nation, council says
28/07/2025 A majority of Cornwall Council members have backed a motion urging the Government to formally recognise Cornwall as the fifth nation of the UK. |
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. |
Devo Bill to reintroduce supplementary vote in blow to Reform
10/07/2025 The supplementary vote system will be reintroduced to elect mayors in a move that is expected to reduce the chances of success for Reform UK. |
Third of Londoners want the Assembly to have more power
09/07/2025 A third of Londoners believe the London Assembly should be granted more powers if the Mayor of London is given more devolved powers. |
McMahon: Government will abolish council committee system
24/06/2025 The Government has announced plans to legislate to abolish the committee system. |
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. |
Government announces allocation of £7.6m reorganisation fund
04/06/2025 The Government has revealed how much of the £7.6m grant to support the cost of local government reorganisation each region will receive. |
Scottish councils keen to explore further devolution
29/05/2025 Scottish councils are keen to explore ‘enhanced' devolution but have expressed reservations about following the English model of regional mayors. |
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. |
‘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. |
Voters head to polls amid local government reorganisation
01/05/2025 Voters are heading to the polls in parts of England to elect thousands of councillors against the backdrop of local government reorganisation (LGR). |
Surrey councils stand firm in reorganisation plans
30/04/2025 District and borough councils across Surrey have published proposals for local government reorganisation, defying the Government’s requests for unity on final proposals. |
Local elections in the shadow of reorganisation
28/04/2025 Dr Jonathan Carr-West of the LGIU discusses the meaning of the local elections against the backdrop of local government reorganisation (LGR). |
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. |
UNISON: Reorganisation must not be ‘cover for job cuts’
20/03/2025 The abolition of district councils as part of local government reorganisation puts thousands of frontline jobs at risk, says UNISON. |
One unitary in Worcestershire could save £20m a year
20/03/2025 Replacing Worcestershire's seven councils with a single unitary authority could save more than £20m a year, according to a new report. |
Warwickshire councils signal preference for two unitaries
19/03/2025 There is a ‘clear preference’ for a north and south unitary option among district and borough councils in Warwickshire, says district council leader. |
Notts leader backs ‘city + 2’ reorganisation model
18/03/2025 The leader of Nottingham City Council has backed proposals that would see the authority merge with two other councils. |
Exeter reorganisation could see city expand to over 300,000
18/03/2025 Exeter could dramatically expand from a population of 130,000 to over 300,000 under the city council’s local government reorganisation proposals. |
East Midlands mayor suggests LGA not the right 'fit'
17/03/2025 East Midlands mayor Claire Ward has said the Local Government Association ‘might not be' the place where combined and strategic authorities ‘fit'. |
Hampshire hits reorganisation deadlock
14/03/2025 No decision will be made on the number of unitaries that will cover Hampshire and the Solent ahead of the deadline for interim reorganisation plans. |
Minister: 500,000 figure for unitaries an 'average'
13/03/2025 Jim McMahon has said a population size of 500,000 could end up as the ‘average' when unitary government is completed across the country. |
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. |
DCN: Government’s reorganisation plans risk ‘dysfunctionality’
13/03/2025 Local government reorganisation could ‘create larger versions of dysfunctionality’ and fail to bring about the public service reform required, report claims. |
Suffolk councils oppose unitary plans
12/03/2025 Suffolk’s district and borough council leaders have joined forces to oppose plans published by Suffolk County Council for a single unitary authority. |
Two unitary plan for Lincolnshire
12/03/2025 Plans to merge Lincolnshire's 10 councils into two unitary authorities have been published. |
Plan calls for Isle of Wight to retain own council in reorganisation
11/03/2025 The Isle of Wight should remain ‘as is’ as part of the overhaul of local government, according to the first draft of a devolution plan. |
Derbyshire councils agree plans for two unitary authorities
10/03/2025 Local authorities in Derbyshire have agreed on a draft plan to create two unitary councils covering the north and south of the county. |
CCN: Splitting up social care could cost £500m a year
07/03/2025 The annual cost of splitting up social care services into multiple smaller councils could exceed half a billion pounds, says County Councils' Network (CCN). |
EXCLUSIVE: Stretched capacity slows pace of reorganisation
07/03/2025 Small unitary councils are to be spared reorganisation until the map has been redrawn in two-tier areas, local government minister Jim McMahon has told The MJ. |
Survey reveals scepticism reorganisation will fix council finances
05/03/2025 A survey of senior council figures has revealed widespread scepticism that reorganisation will fix local finances while many warn of more bankruptcies. |
Cornwall rejection fails to stop strategic authority plan
04/03/2025 Devon, Plymouth and Torbay are pushing forward with plans to create a mayoral strategic authority after being rebuffed by Cornwall. |
City and county clash over reorganisation plans
28/02/2025 Staffordshire CC has teed up a clash with Stoke-on-Trent City Council by proposing a county unitary covering a population of 876,000. |
Call for devolution beyond England
28/02/2025 The Government has faced a call to extend its English devolution agenda to Scotland. |
Leicestershire pushes for 'transparent' talks with districts on reorganisation
27/02/2025 District councils have ‘excluded' Leicestershire CC from meetings and discussions about future plans for reorganisation. |
Slicing districts could slow reorganisation for fast-track areas
14/02/2025 Cutting across district boundaries to make new unitaries could create a backlog of legislation and boundary reviews that stymies the Government’s reorganisation timetable. |
London leaders seek new deal with Khan
07/02/2025 London borough leaders have demanded more formal influence over powers devolved to the capital. |
Council leaders welcome new combined authority
07/02/2025 Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority has now been formerly established, moving the area closer to unlocking a £400m investment fund. |
New Lancashire combined county authority launched
06/02/2025 The new Lancashire combined county authority has officially come into being. |
Learning from NHS digital transformation
05/02/2025 Justin Day, CEO and co-founder of Cloud Gateway, considers what local government devolution can learn from NHS digital transformation. |
Six areas chosen for devolution fast track
05/02/2025 Six new areas have been chosen to join the Government’s devolution priority programme. |
Local Government Reorganisation: What It Means and Why It Matters
04/02/2025 Discover what local government reorganisation means, its impact on services, efficiency, and local accountability, and why it matters for England. |
Medway bids for city status
31/01/2025 The leader of Medway Council has called on the Government to grant Medway city status to prevent reorganisation leading to a ‘significant loss of identity’. |
Government has no evidence to support ‘mega councils’, DCN says
31/01/2025 Freedom of Information requests have exposed an ‘alarming’ lack of evidence to support the creation of mega councils, according to the District Councils’ Network (DCN). |
Questions over financial impact of reorganisation
30/01/2025 Questions have been raised over whether the Government's approach to local government reorganisation will help resolve the financial crisis facing the sector. |
Districts warn against ‘mega councils’
24/01/2025 District councils are prepared to engage with local government reorganisation but warn against ‘rigidly insisting’ on a minimum population of 500,000. |
Mayor warns of creating 'behemoths'
22/01/2025 A mayor has warned of creating local government ‘behemoths' overburdened with responsibilities. |
Norwich councillors back unitary bid
22/01/2025 Norwich City Council members have voted in favour of pursuing unitary status as part of the Government’s efforts to reorganise local government. |
Lincolnshire leaders back local government shake up
22/01/2025 The leaders of three councils in Lincolnshire have proposed reducing the number of local authorities in the county from 10 to two. |
Edinburgh tourism tax could be starting point for fiscal devolution, experts suggest
20/01/2025 The approach to a tourism tax being taken forward in Scottish and Welsh cities could be a starting point for fiscal devolution in England, experts suggest. |
Ministry confirms 18 councils seeking election postponement
16/01/2025 The Government has officially revealed that it has received requests to postpone elections this year from 18 councils. |
Council leader calls for Woking BC debt ‘write off’
14/01/2025 The leader of Surrey County Council has urged the Government to ‘write off’ £1bn of Woking BC's debt to enable the creation of a unitary authority. |
LGA: Councils with ‘scarce resources’ need reorganisation support
13/01/2025 Councils that have bid to be on the fast-track for new devolution deals and reorganisation need extra funding and a quick decision on local elections, the LGA says. |
Fifteen county areas bid to fast-track devolution and reorganisation
10/01/2025 Fifteen county areas are bidding to be on Labour's fast-track for new devolution deals and local government reorganisation (LGR) with all applying to postpone May elections to make this possible. |
Voters ‘set to be deprived of local democracy’
10/01/2025 The District Councils’ Network has warned that millions of voters will be ‘deprived of their local democracy’ due to plans to postpone some county council elections. |
