Getting the LGA fighting fit

Over the past few weeks, Manchester has rapidly risen up the ranks of political power, rivalling Westminster's 700-year monopoly as the UK's political hub, thanks to Andy Burnham's bid for leadership and his plan for a No10 North.But Burnham is not the only Greater Manchester politician heading to Westminster. In the Local Government Association's (LGA) Smith Square headquarters, new chair Eammon O'Brien is another graduate of the Manchester school of politics. Leader of Bury MBC, O'Brien holds the technical education and skills portfolio for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.Appointed unopposed, the new chair arrives at a pivotal moment for both UK politics and for the LGA. Amid the tight fiscal backdrop, there is a long list of priorities facing the sector and, by definition, the LGA: tackling social care, building more homes, improving special educational needs and disabilities provision, launching public service reform, building inclusive growth and driving social cohesion.Unsurprisingly, he is optimistic about a potential Burnham government. He tells The MJ: ‘It is a very interesting time in local government, and I think there's an enormous opportunity for us to grasp some of these tricky issues and make some real progress on them.‘I think we've got a really strong case to make.'He admits there are ‘a lot of priorities', not least financial sustainability. ‘Without solving adult social care... we cannot hope to have a sustainable local government,' he says.In a government that is likely to struggle to offer extra cash to local government – despite Andy Burnham's acknowledgement that local government is ‘threadbare' – O'Brien claims there is still a lot to be done.‘It's not always about putting more money in, it's about making sure that that money is being spent in the right way,' he says. That means putting more money into housing to save on temporary accommodation, more into prevention than service spending and more into public service reform.Amid the national political upheaval, the LGA has faced its own internal issues. Attempts to fix the finances and make the organisation fit for the future – all the while balancing the increasingly diverse political groups – stalled after a planned restructure ran into opposition from staff.Does he expect to see a move towards fiscal devolution, letting councils raise their own taxes to prevent national tax hikes?He tells The MJ: ‘I always remind people that we have tax raising powers at a local level in council tax.'‘We do need to start looking seriously at the future of council tax,' he adds. ‘Fiscal devolution, more generally, ought to be explored.‘I don't think it's the sort of thing that will happen overnight, but it follows what we are saying at the LGA, which is bringing power and resources closer to communities.'O'Brien began his public service career setting up a food bank in one of the deprived communities of Manchester, dealing with people who were being let down by central and local government.‘I ultimately thought, rather than try and treat the problem, we've got to try and prevent [it]' he explains. ‘I thought going into local government would be one way in which I could change how I was trying to help people and communities.‘My ultimate ambition is to get to a point where the food bank I set up can be shut down, and that there is no need for it.'Amid the national political upheaval, the LGA has faced its own internal issues. Attempts to fix the finances and make the organisation fit for the future – all the while balancing the increasingly diverse political groups – stalled after a planned restructure ran into opposition from staff.Former chief executive Joanna Killian's departure was confirmed last week and O'Brien takes over from former chair Louise Gittins, giving a clean sweep at the top, but the issues that prompted the restructure are yet to be resolved.It is perhaps unsurprising that the organisation chose former Camden LBC chief executive Jenny Rowlands, who has strong links to Sir Keir Starmer's Government, as interim chief, and O'Brien, with his ties to Burnham's Manchester mayoralty, as chair. In doing so, the association appears to have hedged its bets on the country's future political leadership.‘It's vital that we ensure the LGA is fighting fit,' he says. ‘We've got to have people excited and optimistic and positive about the work that we do.'But as with the food bank that brought him into local government, O'Brien's motivation remains the same for both local government and the LGA.As he puts it: ‘Somebody's got to try to fix it.'

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LGA CONFERENCE

Getting the LGA fighting fit

By Heather Jameson | 07 July 2026

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