Title

ELECTIONS

EXCLUSIVE: 'Make local elections a "mini-referendum" on fair funding'

The main parties at the Local Government Association could turn next year’s local elections into a ‘mini referendum on fair funding for all councils’, according to the director of the Political Skills Forum.

The main parties at the Local Government Association (LGA) could turn next year's local elections into a ‘mini referendum on fair funding for all councils', according to the director of the Political Skills Forum.

Writing online for The MJ, Paul Wheeler said that with the elections planned for earlier this year deferred until next year, ‘the comprehensive nature of next year's elections gives councillors ‘a golden opportunity to agree a joint statement on what is needed for effective local services'.

He added: ‘There will always be political debate on how the money is spent, but we desperately need to get away from allowing central government to play one set of councils off against another.'

Mr Wheeler said it was evident the pandemic had ‘blown a huge hole in the patchwork quilt that was local government finance'. The crisis had not only ‘exposed the dangerous reliance on an outdated property tax and an unrealistic burden on local businesses', but it had also ‘collapsed the strategy of many councils on building a revenue stream from services and commercial investments'.

He added: ‘It hasn't helped that the Government now appears to have gone back on its word to council leaders to support the extra financial costs associated with supporting its local communities during the early stages of the pandemic.'

Local government can look for powerful allies

ELECTIONS

Reform council leaders set out 'clean up' achievements

By Ann McGauran | 06 September 2025

The leaders of four Reform UK controlled county councils took to the platform at their national party conference to set out steps they have taken to uncover ...

ELECTIONS

Farage eyes London council elections and the Mayoral race

By Ann McGauran | 06 September 2025

All of London’s boroughs are in the electoral sights of Reform UK next year as it ‘gets ready to have a mayoral candidate so that we can beat Sadiq Khan next...

ELECTIONS

Exclusive: Fair funding 'won't resolve insufficient overall investment'

By Paul Marinko | 04 September 2025

The Government’s fair funding review will ‘not resolve the underlying issue of insufficient overall funding’ for the sector, auditor Grant Thornton has said.

ELECTIONS

How councils will fare under Fair Funding 2.0

By Jonathan Meek | 04 September 2025

Simon Christian and Jonathan Meek analyse the impact of the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on different council types and highlight the winners and losers among the...

Ann McGauran

Popular articles by Ann McGauran