The question of local government productivity is not just academic – it is a £130bn responsibility. For too long, the money we spend and the outcomes we achieve have been treated separately, obscuring the real test of value. The Government's plan – to launch a new Local Government Outcomes Framework (LGOF) alongside a consolidated funding pot (part of fair funding 2.0) – creates both opportunity and challenge. The LGOF will not show how money is linked to outcomes, or which of the measures (114 in the draft version) are the priorities to improve. We argue it therefore places the onus on councils to set their own bold ambition: to define, evidence and deliver productivity in ways that work for their communities.
So, how well set up is local government to understand and drive productivity?
