Good news for #Sheffield and its #LocalGov democracy campaigners- bigger picture isn't great though! nowthenmagazine.com/articles/she...

Sheffield will be allowed to keep committee system instead of being forced to more centralised form of governance. Congratulations @itsourcity1.bsky.social and everyone who has campaigned for upholding the results of the referendum, and for democracy! nowthenmagazine.com/articles/she...

'We are outraged at the manner in which the council has been conducting itself and in disbelief at the clear lack of respect...for the city’s community organisations that are attempting to engage with them' - passionate statement by Save #Birmingham to the council savebirmingham.org/news/save-bi...

We'll be speaking at this (free!) conference at the London Assembly on 27th Nov, in association with @londonassembly.bsky.social and @cfgs.bsky.social www.cfgs.org.uk/holding-mayo...

What an inspiration! #Cooperatives 💪🏾❤️♀️

Brand new worker cooperative offers help to organisers, charities, public sector etc with tech support and advice - see more at techcare.coop

This free online community organising course looks great - starts 10th Nov ! actionnetwork.org/forms/trust-...

Great studio/production manager job going with our pals @mediaco-op.bsky.social in Glasgow! mediaco-op.net/news/studio-... #workercoops #coops #ethicaljobs etc

#Birmingham 's financial distress was grossly overstated; this and the decisions that followed - section 114, commissioners, cuts - should be the subject of far more criticism and comment. We signed on to the open letter mentioned here in @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/9045...

A year since we released 'Councillor Experiences of Scrutiny' - our first piece of research directly looking at #councillors, identifying structures, cultures & behaviours that impede good scrutiny & proposals for change researchforaction.uk/report-counc... #LocalGov #transparency #accountability

It's been a wee while! We've been very busy with exciting new projects, which is exactly why we're now hiring for a new Studio and Production Manager! Read the full job description and find out how to apply at mediaco-op.net/news/studio-...

"We believe that greater openness will ultimately facilitate better public participation and healthier local democracies." Our blog on @lgiu-local-gov.bsky.social based on recent report on how to make #localgov financial information more accessible, and why it matters: lgiu.org/blog-article...

Our friends at Corporate Watch are putting on this campaign/activist research training 28th/29th Nov in London- free corporatewatch.org/research-for...

@sammgreg.bsky.social hello Sam, could you follow us? Have a request! Thanks

Always great to meet local independent news blogs - here's the Stray Ferret from Harrogate ! thestrayferret.co.uk

[email protected] [paywall] has exec director of finance at Birmingham Council describe Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) correctly as 'a pretty expensive loan' rather than simply additional money. www.room151.co.uk/funding/gove...

The biggest shake-up of local government since 1974 is underway in Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex, writes Stephen McNair. New mayors. New unitary authorities. More accountability – or just more complexity?

With the PM expected to announce regeneration funding for 300 areas today, our recent poll found... -40% of Britons say their local area is in a bad state -48% say it is worse than 10yrs ago -32% expect it to get worse in a year's time yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

Rentier economy. 61% of England local authority budgets spent on social care, mostly privatised. Adult social care providers profit margin up to 42%. Children's care homes, 23%. Money buys less. Front line services suffer. Political paralysis: No major party plans to end to privatisation.

Very interesting and well-argued opening from Unite the union on how the government could deal with Birmingham's debt: A way forward for councils in debt crisis www.room151.co.uk/treasury/a-w...

What a thorough profile of the new secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Steve Reed in the @brixtonbuzz.bsky.social This kind of detail about an ex council leader's record is what local media does best, and why we need it for democracy www.brixtonbuzz.com/2025/09/stev...

Yesterday, we followed the 2nd reading of the English Devolution Bill in Parliament. Only 4 MPs spoke on local audit! With only 4% of councils submitting audited accounts last year, this accountability crisis needs more attention. Our take on the reforms here: researchforaction.uk/local-audit-...

📚 I've co-written this report for @research-for-act.bsky.social into how to urgently improve the poor accessibility of financial information from local councils, in collaboration with Sussex Uni researchforaction.uk/new-report-o...

Will selling off community centres, sports clubs & nurseries fix the local authority funding crisis? No. Will giving more councils the power to borrow in the short-term to fund everyday services fix the local government funding crisis? Also no. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

📈 Staggering new BBC report shows scale of community spaces being lost to pay council debt 🏫🏚️ £2.9bn of public assets have been sold in the last two years, from care homes to sports clubs to nurseries to youth centres to pubs. 1/ 🧵

Next week, Parliament will debate the English Devolution Bill that suggests the biggest upheaval of #localgov in decades. The bill also tries to fix the local audit crisis - welcome start but more is needed, we say: 👉👉 researchforaction.uk/local-audit-...

"Financial reporting ‘hit by austerity and lack of standard requirements'" Coverage of our & University of Sussex's recent report on Room 151: www.room151.co.uk/news-in-brie... Read full report on our website: researchforaction.uk/new-report-o...

Have you ever tried to engage with council budgets & been left baffled by the complexity? Had to fight really hard to get information? In a new report with Uni of Sussex, we make recommendations how #localgov could present financial information more accessible: researchforaction.uk/new-report-o...

📣 NEW REPORT! 👀 Scrutiny of #localgov finances is more important than ever, yet councillors, academics, the public all struggle to understand this financial information. Our new report (with University of Sussex) makes the case for changing that. Read it here ▶️ researchforaction.uk/new-report-o...

The second reading of this (first opportunity for debate) is in Commons on 2nd Sept - we are going to publish our thoughts for what needs to be discussed soon!

Here's an example of campaigners responding to #CouncilsInCrisis by underlining the need for services to be there when people most need them - this time libraries on a Saturday in Birmingham. www.birminghamloveslibraries.org/post/save-ou... #SaveOurSaturdays

It might sound obvious, but make sure you're sending your FOI request to the right authority. A quick bit of research can help you find out who is likely to hold the info you’re after. #FOI20 #Scotland

⁉️NEW: A guide to councils in crisis and Westminster interventions👀 Everything you ever wanted to know about councils getting taken over by the government. What’s a section 114? Who are commissioners & what do they do? What are different types of interventions? researchforaction.uk/guide-local-...

Any #LocalGov nerds have a clear understanding of the difference between (new) Ministerial Envoys and Ministerial Commissioners in local gov interventions? I've got a combo of Hansard, individual directions for specific councils, press stories etc but it still doesn't add up.

We're hoping to do an update of our Local News Map this summer. If we've missed an outlet — or got details wrong — please fill in the form on the map.publicinterestnews.org.uk page. 🗺️ 📍 📰

Commons report “The Funding and Sustainability of Local Government Finance” concludes: “Residents are seeing a deterioration in the services they rely on, while being asked to pay more and more in taxes.” publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...

🙋Who's reading the HCLG Committee report on Funding and Sustainability of #LocalGov Finance? Am going to share some key first impressions and stuff we think is important. committees.parliament.uk/publications...

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee has published its report on local government finance. In it, it recommends that the Government should publish its vision for local government by the end of 2025:

Govt appoints commissioners at Croydon Council #CouncilsInCrisis news.croydon.gov.uk/government-a...

The National Audit Office (govt spending watchdog) has refused to sign off Whole of Govt Accounts for 2nd year running. Again, #LocalAudit backlog is a huge part of this - only 4% of #LocalGov councils in England submitted adequate audited data www.nao.org.uk/reports/whol...

@stillawake17.bsky.social thanks Joanna!

@benworthy.bsky.social thanks Ben!

#TowerHamlets intervention may escalate - shame this is paywalled as its a good article for explaining some of the detail of decisions in Westminster interventions into #CouncilsInCrisis www.lgcplus.com/politics/gov...

We at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk have coordinated a letter in @thetimes.com today in which numerous individuals and organisations call on the government to withdraw its mistaken rules which are having a serious chilling effect on civil servants speaking in public…

⁉️NEW: A guide to councils in crisis and Westminster interventions👀 Everything you ever wanted to know about councils getting taken over by the government. What’s a section 114? Who are commissioners & what do they do? What are different types of interventions? researchforaction.uk/guide-local-...

Local Government Accountability. Statement made by Jim McMahon on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-07-03/HCWS773

☀️RfA Summer News🌴- governance upheaval, waiting for audit reform (still) and how you can help our #CouncilsInCrisis research researchforaction.uk/summer-news-...

Just subscribed to @insidecroydon.bsky.social , doing essential local media work around #CouncilsInCrisis #LocalGov #Interventions

Govt proposal to override the democratic will of Sheffield people re council governance is really worrying. Please read this statement from @itsourcity1.bsky.social and co researchforaction.uk/sheffield-de... #LocalGov #Devolution

Some great updates from Save Birmingham campaign over on FB www.facebook.com/615513746359...