LGR: Maps, Mayhem & the Lame Ducks | Rowan Cole & Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Series

In this episode of the LGR Podcast, Councillor Paul Follows discusses the implications of local government reorganisation in Surrey, focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by unitarisation and devolution. He expresses concerns about the financial sustainability of the new council, the need for local government finance reforms, and the importance of engaging residents in the decisio...

This week, the focus is on what happens when elections don’t happen. Across England, mayoral contests are being pushed back, council elections postponed, and existing leaders are carrying on in office long after voters expected to have their say. The machinery of local government keeps turning – budgets are set, decisions are made – but the mandate behind those decisions starts to look increasingl...

Local Government Reorganisation is often treated as a technical exercise in redrawing boundaries and merging councils. This article argues that structure alone does not determine success. Drawing on a detailed conversation with former council chief executive Robert Moran, it examines why reorganisation only improves planning and delivery outcomes when councils are clear about authority, delegation...

Local Government Reorganisation is reshaping councils, planning systems and democratic accountability across England. In this episode of the LGR Governance Series, series editor Rowan Cole speaks with former Cabinet Member for Planning Andrew Kelly about the democratic consequences of creating larger unitary authorities. While reorganisation is often sold as an efficiency reform, Kelly argues the...