The clunkily-named English Devolution & Community Empowerment Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in April, represents one of the most significant reforms to local government in England for a generation. Much focus had been on the … [Read more...] about A New Era for Local Government? Cabinets, Committees, Elections
Local government in England has already become more presidential in form and style, with relatively little debate about the shift in governance from what was once more parliamentary than Parliament itself to an extreme form of presidentialism. This … [Read more...] about One Mayor to Rule Them All: Labour and Local Government
On 18 December, the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern, indicated that the Government had invited local authorities to advise on whether there should be a one-year delay to local elections. This invitation arises amidst … [Read more...] about Delaying Local Government Elections: Electoral Advantage or Genuine Reform?
On 13 November the (relatively new) Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced the government’s intention to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales. The dramatic and unexpected announcement made some bold claims – that the PCC … [Read more...] about With PCCs abolished, who polices the police?
In the May 2025 local government elections in England, Nigel Farage’s Reform party scored some notable successes. Mainly at the expense of the Conservatives. Reform won outright majorities in 10 local authorities – Kent, Durham, Lancashire, … [Read more...] about What can Reform do with their new power in local government?
As set out by UCL’s Tasneem Ghazi in a recent post on the Constitution Society blog, petitions have a long history in British democracy. Their meaning and role, however, have changed over time. This is particularly true in local government, where – … [Read more...] about E-petitions in local government: revitalising citizen engagement in democracy?
Although the international norm, the courts’ power of judicial review has long been a source of political frustration, dissension and tense debate in Britain. This became particularly acute first during the dispute over Brexit in 2016-19, and more … [Read more...] about The demise of the NIMBYs, or inconsequential reform?
The King’s Speech saw Labour announce plans to ‘establish a new framework for English devolution, moving power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best’. Labour intends to both deepen devolution by affording more powers to … [Read more...] about Five Questions on the Future of English Devolution
Sue Gray, Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, has apparently constructed a “sh*t list” of half a dozen potential crises that could hit a new Labour government early on. One of the items is the bankruptcy of more local authorities in … [Read more...] about The Hidden Crisis in English Local Government
As an election observer, I am used to observing elections in the UK and outside it with the election observation organisation, Democracy Volunteers. Following our observations, we make recommendations to election authorities about how to improve … [Read more...] about Elections change is largest in almost a century
In our ever changing political and constitutional landscape, England has remained an often-forgotten anomaly. In the past two decades, constitutional reforms have seen Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all gain significant autonomous … [Read more...] about Ending England’s democratic deficit
The localised approach to the pandemic is over for the time being. But the tensions in English governance it brought to the fore remain unresolved. The recent stand-off over financial support raised the profile of particular city leaders and … [Read more...] about English local government and devolution: inconsistent and incomplete
