“How can we continue to secure the dignity, wellbeing and happiness of people after nearly a decade of cuts?” pondered the Chief Executive of one London council at a dialogue session for our latest research. Cuts demand councils deliver...

18th July, 2017


At a time of intense financial pressures and when central government’s mind is on other things, many are asking themselves where local government goes next. In a think-piece launching NLGN’s new vision, Adam Lent and Jessica Studdert call for...

1st July, 2017


The links between problems like homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill health, violence,domestic abuse and extreme poverty often go unrecognised by services and systems mostly designed to deal with one issue at a time. As such, people rarely get the...

10th May, 2017


In recent years, the word ‘place’ has become a bit of a buzzword in the local government sector. Terms like ‘place-leadership’, ‘place-branding’ and ‘place-building’ are now ubiquitous in strategy documents and comms plans – used to imply a more...

27th March, 2017


At Essex County Council we are passionate about making a positive contribution to the lives of Essex residents and businesses. It is what we exist for. The qualities of the places around us play an important role in our...

23rd March, 2017


Local government faces a funding gap of £5.8 billion by 2019/20. At the launch of NLGN’s latest research report Tomorrow’s Places, Theo Blackwell, Councillor at LB Camden, stated “Technology will help us balance the books if we do it...

22nd March, 2017


Technology is always evolving. However over the last decade our ability to harness the data it can generate and the connections it can bring has undergone a step-change. Using the capabilities of smart technology, data analytics, and the networks...

17th March, 2017


DOWNLOAD NLGN RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTIONS NLGN were commissioned by Power to Change in March 2016, to provide the most comprehensive possible mapping of asset transfers from local authorities to communities in recent years. This report found steady progress in...

2nd November, 2016


This final report moves the debate into practical territory by focussing on actions rather than structures, and the wider resources of places rather than the organisational boundaries of institutions.

17th March, 2016


The fire and rescue service (FRS) has a critical choice to make about its future. Severe budget cuts in the Revenue Support Grant and limitations on council tax income are eating into the service’s capacity, leaving an estimated total...

30th July, 2015


This research outlines a clear pathway to an integrated future for public services. A new report from NLGN has outlined business models that councils can adopt to help them work towards integration.

17th September, 2014


This report focuses on what local areas can do themselves to transform, and how central government can support this. What we really need is radical change of relationships at a local level, and to support areas to catalyse this...

6th May, 2014


What will the councillors of the future look like? This paper starts with a short futures exercise which explores the styles of political leadership that are likely to emerge by the end of the decade as members grapple with...

16th July, 2013


A new report from localism think tank the New Local Government Network (NLGN) will this week show which areas of the country are most ready to benefit and most at risk from the Government’s Big Society agenda. The report...

29th June, 2011


The financial situation means that public services have to develop a new relationship with citizens, whether that is to discuss which functions to cut back or, more positively, to find new ways to engage people in shaping their local...

19th April, 2011


Local authorities are indispensable in our current crisis and are therefore under enormous pressure. They manage the public services that people are increasingly reliant on, support the most vulnerable people in our communities, and hold information that keeps local...

1st January, 1970


Local authorities are indispensable in our current crisis and are therefore under enormous pressure. They manage the public services that people are increasingly reliant on, support the most vulnerable people in our communities, and hold information that keeps local...

1st January, 1970