Evidence for the claim that local elections are fought on national issues, with voters in May's local elections casting their vote based on the cost of living, immigration and crime, rather than roads — despite them being cited as the most important local issues in March.

The Greens and Liberal Democrats have proposed the idea of a 'rotating leadership' in Birmingham — England's largest authority. Meanwhile in Bradford, Reform run the local authority with 28 out of 90 councillors. The consequences of political fragmentation.

I've written for The MJ about two common objections against fiscal devolution: capacity and the 'race to the bottom'. The former calls for more investment, not less devolution. The latter is a myth and unsupported by evidence. www.themj.co.uk/fiscal-devol...

The short answer: yes. Though each combined authority has less than one FTE Local Democracy Reporter working on a SA (the link only shows LAs and SAs, but they cover other public services too!) www.bbc.co.uk/lnp/document...

I'm thinking about accountability for a submission to a Select Committee. Does the BBC's Local Democracy Service assign LD Reporters to strategic authorities, or only local authorities?

Have the local elections put a spanner in LGR? Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, Hampshire and Harlow are — or plan to — mount legal challenges against the Government. Are there others? In 11 months, after the 2027 elections, more local authorities could do so.

NEW SUBSTACK: Local authorities shape many of the conditions that drive productivity: housing, planning, skills, transport and public health.

In 2019 Weymouth Town Council asked the Government to consider giving Parish and Town Councils the ability to pay its councillors a Carers' Allowance, which already happens in Wales. The Government declined the request on 22 May 2026, only seven years later.

The politics of the Visitor Levy are emerging. Reform's Andrea Jenkyns and Luke Campbell and the Conservative's Ben Houchen rule it out, as is their right. But they will see less investment than those that introduce it. Do we know how much international tourists will pay?

Snippet from the Chancellor at UKREiiF about the fiscal devolution roadmap: "The Treasury will publish an interim progress report on the roadmap in the summer." www.gov.uk/government/n...

In important leadership news, Reform UK has lost control of Worcestershire County Council. An interesting development is that opposition parties have significant appetite to unseat Reform, despite the 'rainbow coalitions' it may take to get there.

MHCLG will reportedly update Best Value guidance after their research found some authorities were skeptical about the reasons for intervening. Helpful to codify, but I think this a missed opportunity to review the whole package of support for authorities. www.themj.co.uk/exclusive-mh...

What's the most insightful literature - academic or otherwise - on the Reform Party? Or on 'anti-system' or 'populist' politics more generally? Recommendations welcome (for a peer-reviewed article)!

New TPI research by @jacktshaw.bsky.social & @joepeck.co.uk argues local authorities must play a bigger role in tackling the UK’s productivity challenge. It calls for better data, more prevention, digital investment & stronger local capacity, shifting from short‑term efficiency to long‑term reform.

Thoughtful piece from the Labour Growth Group's Chris Curtis and Mark Mcvitie on a new economic settlement for the UK. It's clear that devolution is a central plank of that agenda. Pleased to make a small contribution to that debate. www.labourgrowth.co.uk#download

NEW SUBSTACK: Much of the post-election analysis has focused on what the local elections mean for Labour. But there are also important implications for local authorities. Three short reflections:

Reform UK has said it won't support coalitions, but it is the largest party in four authorities - Norfolk, Bradford, Birmingham and (jointly with the Liberal Democrats) West Sussex - without clear majorities. www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/uk-news...

I would be lying if I said I didn't share this partly so that I can point out that I have been promoted to, ahem, "veteran" local government advisor'.

Birmingham had more than its fair share of challenges, but the results there are unlikely to serve its residents. Here's what I said to Samir Jeraj in his excellent piece on England's second biggest city before the elections. Will I be proven right or wrong?

Good to speak to Bloomberg about the prospect of authorities with No Overall Control: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NEW SUBSTACK: Much of the post-election analysis has focused on what the local elections mean for Labour. But there are also important implications for local authorities. Three short reflections:

The London Borough of Havering has been No Overall Control since 2014, but Reform won control this morning. The authority received Exceptional Financial Support for 2026-27 and will need to make savings of £23 million by 2028-29, so it's one to watch.

I've written in @unherd.com ahead of today's local elections: unherd.com/newsroom/nei...

Relevant also from @jacktshaw.bsky.social! unherd.com/newsroom/nei...

It's local election day in England! Re-upping @jacktshaw.bsky.social's article from the other week about the stakes, and the limited potential foreither Reform or the Greens to pioneer a new form of local governance: renewal.org.uk/blog/the-sea...

I've written in @unherd.com ahead of today's local elections: unherd.com/newsroom/nei...

New blog from me in the @acadsocsciences.bsky.social' new Devolution Hub. Can English devolution help strengthen the union? acss.org.uk/union-diplom...

Just over a week out from the council elections in England, @jacktshaw.bsky.social asks whether the results are likely to yield anything new in terms of local governance

New piece from me in @renewaljournal.bsky.social. The 2025 local elections raised important questions about the future of local governance and whether Reform UK can offer a genuine alternative. Has it? And what does that mean for the Green Party? renewal.org.uk/blog/the-sea...

Interesting assessment from @jacktshaw.bsky.social of the emerging Green agenda for local government

NEW SUBSTACK: The latest installment of the Ideas Bank is out — a series for my new-ish Substack, Notes on Local Government. This week I explore another 10 practical examples to push power out of Whitehall and into places.

NEW SUBSTACK: The latest installment of the Ideas Bank is out — a series for my new-ish Substack, Notes on Local Government. This week I explore another 10 practical examples to push power out of Whitehall and into places.

The Mais Lecture by the Chancellor has shifted the Overton window. I've written in the LGiU about why we are at an inflection point — and why the Autumn Budget is the opportunity to capitalise on fiscal devolution. lgiu.org/fiscal-devol...

NEW SUBSTACK: Reform’s pledge to let Havering “exit London” grabbed headlines — but it can’t happen under current rules. There’s no route for a borough to simply leave Greater London without legislation and a wholesale reorganisation of governance, policing and transport.

Yesterday MHCLG published detailed - indeed prescriptive - statutory guidance on appointing a Mayoral Commissioner (Deputy Mayor): www.gov.uk/government/p...

Another Brexit on the cards, as Reform suggests Bromley should leave London. Reform has suggested Havering will have a referendum on leaving London if Reform wins there too. www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

I missed that York and North Yorkshire CA is seeking Established Status: yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk/york-and-nor...

Good news: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CA is applying for Established Status. Next stop: West of England, which is eligible for Established Status from September 2026?

NEW SUBSTACK: The second column in my Devolution Revolution series is out. I’ve started building an Ideas Bank — a running list of practical proposals to push power out of Whitehall and into places.

New Government amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: "This would prevent elections of English principal councils from being delayed by SI for more than 53 weeks for reasons which relate to a process of local government re-organisation".

NEW SUBSTACK: The second column in my Devolution Revolution series is out. I’ve started building an Ideas Bank — a running list of practical proposals to push power out of Whitehall and into places.

I applaud Green candidates pledging to explore inventive ways of running public services, but setting an illegal budget is - as the name suggests - illegal. Councillors cannot simply jettison their responsibilities. I'll write about local election pledges in my next Substack!

The Conservative Party reportedly wants to introduce a Protection of Public Services Bill to prevent local authorities from introducing a four-day working week, as South Cambridgeshire has. www.lbc.co.uk/article/cons...

Fact of the day from Rallings and Thrasher in the Local Government Chronicle: Labour performed well in London in 2022 attaining its highest share of seats in the boroughs since 1971.

The House of Commons Library has published maps of the proposed boundaries for new local authorities which will hold their first elections in May 2027 and take on their full powers in April 2028. Hampshire:

Both Essex and Suffolk have now suggested they will bring legal challenges over the Government's re-organisation decisions. Whether they do is another matter, but one to keep an eye on. It's not abnormal and reminds me of something I previously wrote for the New Statesman:

Today I read about the Conservative's plan for a National Pothole Portal to make it easier for the public to report potholes. Backed with £112.5 million, the Conservatives would then deploy "hundreds" of road-repair vehicles. Why would this succeed when billions to local authorities has failed?

NEW SUBSTACK: I’ve launched a new Substack series — Devolution Revolution — with an ambitious goal: to identify, map and analyse the many proposals for further devolution put forward over the past decade. So far I’ve crowdsourced 49 recommendations, but I know there are more out there.

I have just received a two-word text: "cattle grids".

I want to crowdsource ideas for a future Substack: what should the Government devolve that is hasn't already? For example, I think the Government should remove the Education Act requirement for written consent from the SoS for Education to put school land to a use other than educational purposes.