Future of local government: Time to rebalance

Foreword

I feel sure I’m not the only council chief executive thinking the sector stands at a crossroads.

We all see ever-rising demand for social care services alongside increasingly unsustainable costs for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).  I believe this is setting the agenda for local authority finances and narrowing public debate on what councils are for. The narrative around our sector is increasingly being defined around crisis management and a sense that we are just about ‘holding on’. 

Social care services for children, families and adults remain critical.  These are not merely statutory duties; I believe they are a moral duty for all of us in public service.

Yet, I want to put forward a broader, dare I say, bolder narrative for the future of local government.  Alongside delivering vital, statutory services, let us reclaim our role as shapers of place, convenors of partnerships, and long-term stewards of communities.  

In this paper, I aim to show how growing financial pressures have contributed to the erosion of foundational services such as parks, libraries, leisure, shared spaces, heritage, and environments. These services have come to be viewed as a matter of choice, perhaps even luxuries for some authorities.  Yet the evidence shows they form the social infrastructure that supports health, wellbeing, economic participation, social cohesion, civic pride, and trust in institutions. 

Investing in what I call the ‘foundations’ should therefore be seen not as optional, but as a long-term commitment to ‘prevention’.  I believe local authorities are uniquely placed to deliver these ‘foundations’.  This matters now more than ever.  Government has committed to ‘Rewiring the State’.  More funding and powers devolved to Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) will surely follow.  An expanded role for mayoral strategic authorities. Substantial constitutional change.  

All of this poses some obvious and big questions: what are local authorities for now and in future; how will councils operate alongside strategic authorities; who will lead on what; and what are councils’ unique selling points in a ‘rewired’ state?  

There are doubtless many more questions.  My point is that we, as a sector, need to answer these questions for ourselves.  If not, others will.  In the debates to be had on ‘rewiring’, I believe we need to come forward with an ambitious future vision and narrative for local government. 

In that context, I’ve always been impressed by examples of municipal ambition from history.  Growing up in Birmingham, I lived with the legacy of previous generations of civic leaders who grasped past challenges and took bold decisions.  Not all proved successful; place-shaping comes with risks and requires nerve at times.  Yet, I believe examples from the past and present can inspire us to be confident in our collective ability to drive social and economic change. 

In this paper, I’ve also used examples from my own authority to show how councils can use their democratic legitimacy, local knowledge, and convening power to tackle complex issues through long-term, place-based action. 

I believe the future direction for local government should move beyond a narrow focus on managing crises.  Instead, we can define our future around a set of positive themes, including: councils as stewards of social infrastructure; prevention as a form of national infrastructure; and foundational services as critical enablers of prosperity, resilience, and community wellbeing. 

A confident, empowered local government sector is well-placed to work with strategic authorities and national government to address long-term social, economic, and health challenges.