Data

Tom Prendergast says improving the UK’s housing cannot wait, and streamlining data linkage enables us to efficiently identify inequalities, evaluate housing improvement programmes, and target inter...

POLICY AND POLITICS

All change: Reform UK projected to make huge gains as local elections get underway

By By Heather Jameson & Dan Peters | 07 May 2026

The chairs of three of the sector’s major associations could change hands in the aftermath of tod...

AI

Building public trust in any new uses of AI technology is crucial

By Jon Rowney | 06 May 2026

There is a real risk that AI technology becomes something done to people, rather than with them, ...

HOMELESSNESS

Mayors: A secret weapon to tackle homelessness?

By Jack Shaw | 29 April 2026

Jack Shaw says mayoral leadership can add much-needed ballast to a broken, expensive system that ...

TRANSFORMATION

Local government: riding the wave of change

By Jonathan Carr-West | 22 April 2026

Jonathan Carr-West looks at the challenges of leading councils through turbulent times.

English council data breaches up 53%

By William Eichler | 21 April 2026

Data breach incidents recorded by English local councils have risen by 53% over the past five yea...

POLICY AND POLITICS

Homeless handed rising proportion of social housing

By Neil Merrick | 14 April 2026

The proportion of social housing being allocated to homeless people has risen, according to data ...

INTERVENTION

Council receives first record-keeping watchdog warning

By Martin Ford | 13 April 2026

A watchdog has intervened after Perth and Kinross Council was found to have abolished a director-...

PROCUREMENT

The missing link

By James Drury | 12 March 2026

With the right tools and data, contract management can delivers value and impact for communities,...

FINANCE

Local government leaders must connect the council financial crisis to lived experience

By Ben Page | 10 March 2026

The Government's partial write-off of SEND deficits is welcome, but it does not fix underlying pr...

PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM

Total Place and financial flexibility is back on the agenda

By Anna Randle | 10 March 2026

Ahead of New Local’s convention on place-based budgeting next week, Anna Randle says that if the...