Local Government Chronicle

Strategic authorities have the tools and increasingly the powers over housing and transport needed to address health inequalities, writes the deputy chief executive of Cles. Unaffordability is making us sick. Across the UK, high housing costs and expensive transport are contributing to worsening public health outcomes and the widening of health inequalities.

Redbridge LBC’s campaign won the campaign of the year category at the LGC Awards 2025. Entries for the LGC Awards 2026 close at midnight on Friday 9 January. Submit your entry here. This has to stop Objective: Reduce incidents of harassment and improve the sense of safety among women and girls; educate the public on the definition and impact of sexist harassment, and equip bystanders and communities with tools to challenge harassment and sexist behaviours.

Practitioners must use the government consultation to preserve a guardrail that protects member interests, fund autonomy and the credibility of the entire pooling project, writes the tri-borough director of treasury and pensions at Westminster City Council. Phil Triggs, tri-borough director of treasury and pensions at Westminster City Council When the new Local Government Pension Scheme investment regulations , many expected a modest tidy-up of the 2016 rules: evolution, not revolution.

As council pension funds prepare to set employer contribution rates for the next three years, excessive levels of prudence could see councils paying more than they need to, writes a partner at Isio. Steve Simkins, partner at Isio There has been a fundamental shift in the fortunes of UK defined benefit pension schemes like the Local Government Pension Scheme over the last three years.

Efficiency must be considered alongside the value councils bring – including driving growth, writes the chair of the District Councils’ Network. Richard Wright (Con), chair of the District Councils’ Network Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth was the name of the white paper in which local government reorganisation (LGR) was announced a year ago today. Since then, growth has been curiously low-profile in much of the LGR debate, despite it being ministers’ biggest priority.

New research shows what really matters is where new homes are placed within local authority boundaries, write two assistant professors at the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick. Nikhil Datta (left) and Amrita Kulka, assistant professors, Department of Economics, University of Warwick The government wants to build millions of new homes to tackle the UK’s housing crisis.

A new survey reveals key trends in facilities management in local authorities, writes David Parrett, founder and principal of Cadaema. Sponsored comment from Cadaema. David Parrett, founder and principal of Cadaema Local government is a sector in flux. In December 2024 the government published the English Devolution White Paper to set out its vision of a simpler structure of local government to create better outcomes and more accessible services for residents.

The approach taken for Wales and Scotland included proper parliamentary debate on reorganisation and the number and boundaries of unitary councils, says the chief executive of Wyre Forest DC, writing in a personal capacity. Ian Miller, chief executive of Wyre Forest DC Last December’s English Devolution White Paper created an astounding amount of work for principal councils in 21 shire county areas, as well as a number of existing unitary councils.

Listen now to the latest episode of The Local Authority, the podcast from LGC, to explore how councils can approach aged debt collection in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. LGC’s head of content Kirsty Weakley is joined by Alan Clark (Barnet LBC), Kevin Fox (Capita) and Helen Barnard (Trussell Trust).

Dumfries & Galloway Council won the 2025 LGC Award for large team of the year. Entries for the LGC Awards 2026 are now open. Read about the categories and awards here, and submit your entry here.