I've published Substack #3. AN ANATOMY FOR INTERPRETING DEVOLUTION? I’ve been thinking about how we talk about devolution in England — and how unhelpful “centralisation vs devolution” framing has become.

I've published Substack #3. AN ANATOMY FOR INTERPRETING DEVOLUTION? I’ve been thinking about how we talk about devolution in England — and how unhelpful “centralisation vs devolution” framing has become.

I've published Substack #2 this morning: FORGET STATE CAPACITY: WHAT ABOUT LOCAL CAPACITY? The Government is going to war on ‘sludge’. In the last fortnight, Darren Jones has put Whitehall on a war-footing.

I've published Substack #2 this morning: FORGET STATE CAPACITY: WHAT ABOUT LOCAL CAPACITY? The Government is going to war on ‘sludge’. In the last fortnight, Darren Jones has put Whitehall on a war-footing.

The Government announced today - unless I've missed it elsewhere, which is entirely plausible - that it will increase the threshold at which a Housing Revenue Account needs to be opened. It'll also extend the PWLB preferential borrowing rate. Has any analysis been done on the appropriate PWLB rate?

Fascinating infographic from the FT on the relationship between democracies and economic growth:

I've launched a new substack: Notes on Local Government. Please subscribe! For my first column I've written about the slow, visible decline of the public realm, which not only reinforces the perception that things are getting worse but is also corrosive to public trust. substack.com/home/post/p-...

I've launched a new substack: Notes on Local Government. Please subscribe! For my first column I've written about the slow, visible decline of the public realm, which not only reinforces the perception that things are getting worse but is also corrosive to public trust. substack.com/home/post/p-...

The Government has published its Written Statement on the Devolution Priority Programme. Each Mayoral Strategic Authority will hold elections in May 2028 - rather than May 2027 as previously conceived. questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

How much will strategic authorities receive as part of their Integrated Settlements? From the Institute for Government:

One detail I missed in the Local Government Finance Policy Statement this week: the Government will review whether sales, fees and charges can be devolved. www.gov.uk/government/p...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is consulting on the 17 proposals it has recieved for local government re-organisation. The consultations run until 11 January 2026: questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

Police and Crime Commissioners will be abolished in 2028. Responsibilities will go to strategic authorities where they exist or Police and Crime Boards where they do not: questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

I've written for The Productivity Institute about the 'zonification' of place-based economic policy. Over the past decade we’ve seen the “rise of the Mayor” — with strategic authorities taking more responsibility for shaping local economies. www.productivity.ac.uk/news/the-rol...

A number of interesting amendments to the Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill submitted by Members of Parliament. Should the Government establish a recall process for councillors that breach the Code of Conduct?

The Local Government Association has published its Autumn Budget submission: www.local.gov.uk/parliament/b...

Shropshire has announced that is has requested Exceptional Financial Support.

The Government has issued a statement on local government re-organisation in Surrey. Both proposals met the criteria, but the Government has chosen two unitaries - East Surrey and West Surrey - rather than three. Government will re-pay £500 million of Woking's debt in 2026-27:

Kent County Council is requesting that a portion of income from Dartford Crossing be allocated to it and that it is considering introducing a tax on "foreign freight", which should be hypothecated for fixing potholes.

I wrote about local authorities run by Reform UK for Renewal Journal earlier this year. Given the challenges facing Kent County Council, this feels pertinent:

There is evidence that local authorities aren't using their Community Infrastructure Levy contributions. Striking that by December 2024 - as the Public Accounts Committee reports - 17 per cent haven't even published their Infrastructure Funding Statement from 2022-23:

The Institute for Fiscal Studies highlights today that should Referendum Principles be set higher and local authorities were to increase council tax by 1 per cent more than expected, it'd raised £500 million in 2029-30. Presumably a tad shy of that over the next three years.

The rate of Exceptional Financial Support fell in 2025-26 following a sustained increase. Three pertinent questions: 1. Will it continue to fall in 2026-27? If so, that'd be a significant achievement for the Government.

That local authorities are using reserves at an unsustainable rate is well understood, but the specific dimensions of that aren't. For example, the Institute for Government's new Performance Tracker highlights that LAs are drawing on reserves consistently, in higher numbers:

Reading the amendments tabled to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill under consideration by the Bill Committee. Protecting green spaces is important, but should strategic authorities really have oversight over allotments? I suspect it'll be withdrawn.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published its Devolution Annual Report for 2024-25. It includes a helpful list of devolved functions for strategic authorities: www.gov.uk/government/p...

The Government has launched a consultation today on the Local Government Pensions Scheme - including whether the roles of Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillor and Member of the London Assembly should be eligible to access it:

Council tax is broken to such a degree, that even properties sold for the same price have significantly varying council taxes:

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has signed a Memorandum of Co-operation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan. It's focus is on urban policy. www.gov.uk/government/p...

The answer? Yes. According to Reform UK, 20 councillors have defected to them during Conservative Party Conference alone.

This morning Reform UK announced nine defections from the Conservatives in Bournemouth, Rushcliffe, Gravesham, East Riding, Hertsmere and South Kesteven. The London Assembly Member for Havering and Redbridge also left the Conservatives for Reform UK last week. Will it continue?

The Government has published the Prospectus - and the allocations - for the Pride in Place Fund: www.gov.uk/government/p...

On the re-organisation of local authorities, last week the final proposals were submitted. Essex has submitted four proposals, as have Sussex and Hampshire. Norfolk has submitted three and Suffolk has submitted two. Decisions are expected in March 2026.

The Pride in Place Programme - announced today - has published its allocations. At first glance, I think £3.5 billion of the £5 billion is new - mooted in the Spending Review - and £1.5 billion is from the Long-Term Plan for Towns that has been previously announced. www.gov.uk/government/p...

I've written in The MJ with Patrick Diamond about London devolution. Stronger governance and more fiscal autonomy are important enablers to get London motoring, alongside more muscle to build infrastructure and homes: www.themj.co.uk/stronger-dev...

Local authorities run by Reform manage over £9.5 billion in public expenditure – delivering services for 18 per cent of people in England. They're the 5th largest party in local government with over 800 councillors. How will Reform oversee its authorities? renewal.org.uk/articles/ref...

SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: @jacktshaw.bsky.social takes a look at the new Reform-led councils, and considers how Farage's party will fare when confronted by the realities of local government renewal.org.uk/articles/ref...

According to new polling from Ipsos, there is significant cynicism - particularly among Reform UK voters - that public services are "ready to listen to complaints":

This week Shropshire and Halton have both declared warnings that they are 'at risk' of a Section 114. That may be the case, but declaring so has historically proved quite meaningless. I've written about this previously: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/measure...

Children's services are under significant strain. According to the National Audit Office, in some authorities more than 40 per cent of placements are outside of their boundaries:

I'm surprised more attention hasn't been on Reform UK and their proposals for the Local Government Pension Scheme - which are not clear, but almost certainly will be disruptive.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance on simplifying the funding landscape for local authorities: www.gov.uk/government/p...

I've written in @TheMJcouk today about the rise in temporary accommodation - particularly in London - and what local authorities are doing in response. Emerging. innovation, though piecemeal and fragile, offers a glimpse into a 'playbook for change'. www.themj.co.uk/solutions-st...

Should Homes England be abolished? Restate believes it should, and that strategic authorities should take responsibility for its functions. The Greater London Authority did following the Localism Act 2011 - over a decade after it was established.

This morning the Deputy Leader of Reform, Richard Tice, accused the Local Government Pension Scheme of underperforming and overpaying fees to the tune of £265 million. Tice said that Reform UK will urge each Pension Committee run by Reform authorities to “urgently change course”.

According to the Times, local authorities will raise £460 million in 2025-26 from the council tax surcharge on second properties. It's not clear how many authorities have introduced the surcharge, but it was only introduced this year so I'd expect more authorities to follow suit.

In London, I hadn't appreciated that Reform UK is now represented in the London Assembly, Bromley - as a result of a recent by-election - and in Westminster, Barnet and Wandsworth because of defections.

According to YouGov, Britons are more positive about the state of their communities than the UK as a whole, but 48 per cent still hold the view that their area has got worse over the past decade:

The Local Government Association has published its briefing on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. It's calling for a codified role for authorities in supporting devolution, the return of pensions for councillors and fiscal devolution: www.local.gov.uk/parliament/b...

This is how we pay for the Bakerloo Line extension FREE TO READ!) takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/bakerloo-e...