The latest sleaze scandal shines a light on the rot within national politics. But a more serious, community powered model of democracy is emerging at a local level, writes Adam Lent.

27th April, 2021


Together, councils and communities did extraordinary things during Covid-19. Our Shifting the Balance research explores how practices, cultures and attitudes changed - and how to keep hold of some of the advances for the future.

27th January, 2021


From the start of 2021, HOPE not hate Charitable Trust are starting to build a Towns Leadership Network, to improve community cohesion. The initiative is a central part of their Hopeful Towns project, and aims to support a more...

11th January, 2021


"How do we know what to measure?" This is a key question for local government.

3rd June, 2020


Under pressure following criticism of his approach to testing for Covid-19, at the start of April Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a new target: the government would be carrying out […]

29th April, 2020


These are unsettling times – there is much to fear and much to lament. But of all the developments of the last few weeks, the one that I’ve found most […]

27th March, 2020


Insights of changing organisational cultures in councils from chief executives.

29th November, 2019


This October, I had the pleasure of participating in an NLGN Innovation Exchange for the first time.

6th November, 2019


EY is delighted to have sponsored the NLGN’s International Women’s Day speed-mentoring event. 16 inspiring senior women from Local Government and beyond speed mentored over 200 future female leaders about […]

13th March, 2019


I’m delighted that this year we have such a strong line up of brilliant women coming along to inspire everyone at our NLGN International Women’s Day 2019! Slowly but surely […]

8th March, 2019


Today we are holding our second speed mentoring event to celebrate International Women’s Day. In this blog, External Affairs Officer Vanessa Schneider reflects on the role models she experienced growing […]

8th March, 2019


Money and an office of one’s own: why do young women still struggle to get a foot on the professional ladder? I recently read Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s […]

8th March, 2019


Most people living in poverty in the UK today have a job. Work was meant to be the surest way out of poverty, but not any more. Without a statutory […]

9th November, 2018


As the local government clans gather in Birmingham this week, let me offer a view counter to the apparent increasing trend for local political leaders to work full-time in their […]

2nd July, 2018


We know our staff are our biggest asset and at a time of limited resources we need to ensure we are utilising their full potential. We deploy operational staff in […]

30th April, 2018


Local government is undergoing a cultural renaissance. In many councils the culture is shifting away from a top down style of management to one of openness, collaboration, and self-determination. This […]

8th March, 2018


Social value in commissioning and procurement is important because it considers the role of spending on services to improve economic, social, and environmental wellbeing in an area. These often have […]

28th February, 2018


Community participation in local government initiatives has become an imperative globally, including the UK, since it lies at the core of democratic values. Nonetheless, it continues to be a challenge, […]

3rd February, 2018


Exploring different methods to frame and implement your transformation programme.

20th August, 2017


Having first assumed his role as communities secretary and local government last year as the aftershocks of the Brexit vote reverberated, Sajid Javid’s reappointment last week came at no less […]

19th June, 2017


“Too many areas of policy covered by local government are male dominated – infrastructure, highways, planning… the most important thing is to put women in positions of responsibility in those […]

14th March, 2017


Cities are largely designed by men, and for men. There is nothing unusual in this – we instinctively design, plan and make policy that reflects our own experiences and biases. […]

10th March, 2017


Disruptive, cognitive technology will be a major driver of change in our economy over the next decade, as Artificial Intelligence becomes more accessible to UK organisations, very quickly. This has […]

28th February, 2017


If solving the housing crisis was a simple case of fixing legislation or introducing incentives for builders, the housing crisis would have been fixed ages ago, or never reached this magnitude at all.

10th February, 2017


Councils are changing. Prompted by the funding cuts of the last decade, they have had to transform. No longer just seen as service deliverers, they are becoming collaborators, place leaders, […]

1st February, 2017


Councils are changing. No longer just seen as service deliverers, they are collaborators and place leaders, commissioning councils, commercial councils and co-operative councils. But while the purpose and priorities of […]

18th January, 2017


As our economy becomes increasingly globalised, our public policy response needs to become more localised. To ensure places are not buffeted by outside forces and are able to create relevant solutions, strong place-leadership is needed to forge adaptation and...

15th November, 2016


In January 2015, NLGN held a discussion event in partnership with Zurich Municipal to look at the future of local political leadership. With the role of councils rapidly changing and developing, how will the Leaders and Chief Executives of...

29th April, 2015


The new age of austerity risks creating a reclusive society characterised by public affluence and private squalor, localism think tank NLGN warns today. In a provocation paper setting out scenarios […]

29th February, 2012


Local Government Minister Bob Neill MP, writing in a new essay collection from NLGN, states that government will be looking to local leaders to help deliver its decentralisation agenda. The […]

12th September, 2011


Some may remember when the phrase ‘commissioning’ entered the local government lexicon. It meant something different to almost everyone; yet it evolved into a way of working rather than a […]

1st January, 1970