Comment
Our latest blogs, long-reads, videos and podcasts about all-things community power, local government, public services, and more.
Search/Filter +
A new leadership model is transforming local government
Jessica Studdert shares four fundamental shifts that are taking local government leadership into new territory and explains why the changing sector landscape demands a common understanding of leadership.
20th March, 2025
Devolution and reorganisation • Leadership • Local government • Strategy and leadership
How We Did It: Unlocking empty properties to tackle the housing crisis
Steve Grimshaw explains how Kent County Council brought more than 8,000 empty properties back into use over 20 years through its No Use Empty project.
19th March, 2025
Design Thinking, Digital Divides and Radical Decision Makers: An Interview with Ben Unsworth
In a career spanning councils, digital agencies and central government, TPXimpact’s Ben Unsworth has been at the forefront of reshaping local government. We speak to him about why councils...
By Ben Unsworth
19th March, 2025
Design Thinking • Digital • Leadership • Local government • Strategy and leadership
“Decline is Not Inevitable”: How Councils Can Bring High Streets Back to Life
Croydon Labour councillor Rowenna Davis explores why some town centres thrive while others decline - and what councils can do to turn the tide.
By Rowenna Davis
26th February, 2025
Economy and business • High Streets • Inclusive Economy • Local economies • Regeneration
How We Did It: Using outcomes focused relational working to reduce demand on statutory services
Graham Beamish and Marie Pye explain how Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils have saved 1000 years’ worth of care days for children and young people.
17th February, 2025
Childrens' Services • Local government • Partnerships • Prevention • Public Services
Social Care Solutions: Leading Essex’s Commission for Change
Cllr Beverley Egan is a councillor for Thundersley in south-east Essex. In 2023, she was appointed to chair of Essex Council’s Caring Communities Commission, an ambitious two-year look at...
5th February, 2025
What is the ‘new local’? Power, prevention and place
As the Government’s agenda for local government, devolution and public services takes shape, a ‘new local’ is emerging, built on the principles of power, prevention and place.
27th January, 2025
Community Power • Local government • Place-based budgets • Politics • Prevention • Public Services
New Local response: English Devolution White Paper
New Local response to the English Devolution White Paper
16th December, 2024
The roots of a more radical shift
The government needs an overarching strategy for public service reform that dispenses with traditional Whitehall ‘business as usual’ assumptions, writes Jessica Studdert.
13th December, 2024
Central government • Community Power • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
Platform for change: Hosting the biggest ever conversation about the NHS
As the NHS grapples with significant challenges, a new approach to public consultation is giving citizens and healthcare staff the power to shape its future. In the largest-ever conversation...
4th December, 2024
Where We’re At: Vale of Glamorgan Edition
Rob Thomas, Chief Executive of Vale of Glamorgan Council, tells us about the council’s deepening partnership approach, why there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to delivering vital local...
By Rob Thomas, Chief Executive, Vale of Glamorgan Council
26th November, 2024
Community Power • Local government • Strategy and leadership
New Local Appoints Jessica Studdert as Chief Executive
New Local has appointed local government and public service reform expert Jessica Studdert as its new Chief Executive
19th November, 2024
How We Did It: Community Wealth Building – using council power for communities
Caroline Wilson, Director of Inclusive Economy and Jobs at Islington Borough Council, explains how the council’s approach to community wealth building has emerged and deepened, how it’s helping to...
11th November, 2024
Community engagement • Community Power • Economy and business • Local government
Addressing the structural weakness at Whitehall’s heart
The new Government has an opportunity to shift the institutions at SW1 to actively seek insight beyond its small postcode, says Jessica Studdert.
11th November, 2024
Central government • Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Local government • Policy • Public Services
Cradle to Career: How place-based collaboration is transforming North Birkenhead
In North Birkenhead a unique programme is joining up services and putting community priorities at the heart of decision making, creating impact that could be a model for national...
7th November, 2024
Community Power • Local government • Public Services • Social Care • Total Place
What does local government need from the Autumn Budget?
Jessica Studdert identifies three shifts local government needs from the first fiscal event of the new Parliament.
23rd October, 2024
Budgeting • Central government • Local government • Politics • Public Services
How We Did It: Using our equalities strategy to address power imbalances between council and communities
We put Hal Khanom in our ‘How We Did It’ hot seat to hear how the London Borough of Barnet has developed its equalities strategy, A Fairer Barnet.
17th October, 2024
Community engagement • Community Power • Equality • Local government • Strategy and leadership
Embedding meaningful participation through devolution
Devolution should move beyond technocratic functionality and embed meaningful participation and dialogue in decision-making, says Jessica Studdert.
14th October, 2024
Devolution • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
Three spending shifts: How the Government can propel person-centred funding
The traditional siloed model of public services is ineffective for complex societal problems. But three public spending shifts can change this.
By Grace Duffy, Bridges Outcomes Partnerships
20th September, 2024
Central government • Local government finance • Person-centred funding • Policy
Where We’re At: Wealden Edition
Matthew China, Policy, Insight and Communications Manager at Wealden District Council tells us about Wealden’s ambition to become a community-powered council, how it’s building on strong foundations to take...
By Matthew China, Policy, Insight and Communications Manager at Wealden District Council
10th September, 2024
Community Power • Local government • Place building • Strategy and leadership
Total Place ‘Pilots Plus’ could help break the public service doom loop
With the Autumn Budget in sight, Former Secretary of State John Denham and New Local’s Jessica Studdert make the case for Total Place 2.0.
By John Denham
9th September, 2024
Devolution and reorganisation • Local government finance • Place-based budgets • Political reform • Public Services • Total Place
10 leadership practices which empower communities
Enfield Council’s Grace Murray shares ten pointers for community-powered leadership.
By Grace Murray, Volunteer and Involvement Lead at Enfield Community Hubs
5th September, 2024
Community Power • Leadership • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
How can services and communities collaborate to improve wellbeing? Lessons from Wales
By listening to and valuing the insights of communities, the public sector can build better services, improve outcomes and use limited resources more wisely. But what are the essential...
By Charlotte Morgan, Wales Centre for Public Policy
14th August, 2024
Collaboration • Community engagement • Community Power • Local government • Public Services • Wellbeing
Labour’s way forward? More lightning
After a bold start, the Government has an opportunity to pursue a test and learn approach to place-based service reform, says Jessica Studdert.
12th August, 2024
New Local statement on racist and Islamophobic violence
We at New Local condemn the racist and Islamophobic violence that black, Asian and migrant communities have been subjected to over recent days.
8th August, 2024
How Local Authorities Are Thinking Differently Under Unprecedented Financial Pressures
Councils are facing reduced funding, rising demand and increasing costs. New Local and IPPO's research project explores how local authorities are responding and what we can learn.
By Urte Macikene, Kezia Pugh and Jessica Studdert
31st July, 2024
Local government • Local government finance • Public Services
“When people believe they have power, magic starts to happen”: Katie Kelly on Radical Leadership
New Local Chair Katie Kelly talks to Shaheen Warren from our practice team ahead of our brand-new Radical Leaders event in September. Expect topics from leadership icons to Damascene...
29th July, 2024
Community Power • Leadership • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
Leadership Lucky Draw: Kath O’Dwyer, St Helens
Kath O'Dwyer has spent the last 40 years making her mark in public service, most lately as the chief executive of St Helens Council. Picking questions at random, she...
22nd July, 2024
Community engagement • Leadership • Leadership Lucky Draw • Local government • Northern England • Strategy and leadership
Community Power in an Age of Division
Sometimes even the most well-meaning idea can be turned into a source of polarisation and anger. How can deliberative and consensus-building approaches be used to take the heat out...
By Steph Draper, Misbah Malik, Samuel Augustine, Eve Holt
22nd July, 2024
Community Cohesion • Community engagement • Community Power • Stronger Things 2024
Nine things national government can learn from local government
New MPs have arrived for their first day on the job, the Cabinet is in post, and the wheels of government are turning once more. Catriona Maclay puts forward...
11th July, 2024
Central government • Community Power • Local government • Politics • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
How We Did It: Measuring the impact of community-led approaches
Lydia Hutchings and Beth Kilheeney explain how the Greater Manchester Better Outcomes Partnership works with young people to prevent homelessness and how the project is being evaluated.
11th July, 2024
Community Power • Homelessness • Measurement and Evaluation • Public Services • Young people
Democratic Dreaming: How to Shake the Dust off Area Forums
For many councils, area forums are at the heart of democratic engagement. But despite nobel intentions, some have drifted away from their purpose. How do we reimagine them?
1st July, 2024
Area Forums • Community engagement • Devolution and reorganisation • Practice work • Strategy and leadership
How can you build resilience locally? Three principles from the Resilient Communities Fund
Imran Hashmi outlines three principles for local authorities to strengthen their support for community businesses.
17th June, 2024
Community Power • Cost of Living Crisis • Economy and business • Local government • Resilience
Stronger Things heeds the call for powerful communities
Local Trust’s CEO Matt Leach shares three key takeaways from Stronger Things 2024.
By Matt Leach, CEO, Local Trust
17th June, 2024
Stronger Things is strengthening us all
Reflections on Stronger Things 2024 by Brendan Martin, Public World.
By Brendan Martin, Public World
7th June, 2024
Community Power • Local government • Public Services • Stronger Things
Why you should be at Stronger Things 2024
Five reasons why we think Stronger Things might just be the most valuable eight hours of your year.
20th May, 2024
Community Power • Local government • Public Services • Stronger Things
Leadership Lucky Draw: Kathy O’Leary, Stroud DC
Kathy O'Leary is the Chief Executive of Stroud in Gloucestershire. We dig into Kathy's leadership secrets as she picks questions at random from our lucky draw - from how...
15th May, 2024
Community Power • Leadership • Leadership Lucky Draw • Strategy and leadership
Three local government priorities for the next Parliament
As she steps into an interim CEO role, Jessica Studdert puts forward three proposals for the next government, at a critical time for councils.
13th May, 2024
Central government • Devolution • Local government • Local government finance • Place-based budgets • Total Place
If I was dictator for a day, this is how I would transform local government…
In his last week as chief executive of New Local, Adam Lent ditches sensible moderation and describes the change we really need: radical integration, radical devolution and radical community...
2nd May, 2024
Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Local government • Politics • Public Services
More than bins and potholes: celebrating local councils this election day
On local election day we're celebrating some of the many ways councils are transforming their places with the help of community power.
2nd May, 2024
Community engagement • Community Power • Democracy • Local government • Politics
Solution to Labour’s public services dilemma is just a train ride away
Labour lacks a strategy for a public sector under unprecedented pressure. The solution can be found on the frontline, says Adam Lent.
8th April, 2024
Community engagement • Community Power • Local government • Politics • Public Services
Community power: top questions answered
Adam Lent tackles some of the most common questions about community power in the public sector, from its benefits, to real-life examples, to its why its time has come...
8th April, 2024
Community Power • Health and social care • Local government • Politics • Public Services
Radical Leadership Lessons: Community as well as Institutions
Adam Lent reflects on New Local’s fourth Radical Leadership session with local government leaders.
4th April, 2024
Community engagement • Community Power • Culture • Leadership • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
Where We’re At: Reigate and Banstead Edition
Mari Roberts-Wood, Managing Director at Reigate and Banstead Council tells us about what makes the council unique and what you can expect to find along Banstead’s majestic Narnia Trail...
By Mari Roberts-Wood, Managing Director at Reigate and Banstead Council
27th March, 2024
Community engagement • Community Power • Health and social care • Local government
“This is our street”: How community-powered play creates health, happiness and connection
Summer Simpson speaks to Lucy Colbeck, programme manager at Playing Out, about the benefits of street play for local communities, growing support for the movement in local and central...
26th March, 2024
Community Cohesion • Community engagement • Community Power • Community-led • Local government • Wellbeing
“Everything we do is driven by our communities”: Inside Test Valley’s ground-breaking approach to community engagement
From giving residents a blank sheet to determine the council’s priorities, to making statutory consultation processes interactive and fun, Test Valley Borough Council is pushing the envelope on community...
20th March, 2024
Community engagement • Community Power • Local government • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
A weaker local government means a weaker Britain
The suffocation of local government leaves Britain profoundly weaker just as the world becomes more hostile, says Adam Lent.
14th March, 2024
Local government • Local government finance • Public Services
Leadership Lucky Draw: Katie Kelly
As Depute Chief Executive of Scotland's East Aryshire council, Katie Kelly was a leading part of some of the most radical power sharing done by any UK council. Now...
14th March, 2024
Community Power • Leadership • Leadership Lucky Draw • Local government • Strategy and leadership
Making community power business as usual: How to learn by doing
New Local’s senior practice lead Catriona Maclay explains how Barnet Council is supporting staff to embed community power across the borough and shares six lessons from the journey so...
11th March, 2024
Leadership Lucky Draw: Tony Clements, Ealing
The chief executive of Ealing council takes a chance on our Leadership Lucky Draw, exploring topics from how to get things done, to why Ealing is taking a positive...
7th March, 2024
Leadership • Leadership Lucky Draw • Local government • Strategy and leadership