International local government news 29.10.24

Here are the latest newsworthy and interesting stories from the local government sector that caught our attention. In this round-up of what’s happening right now in the world of local government, you’ll find best practices, inspiration, and more from across the sector.

KENYA: The mayor making school lunch his signature policy
The population of Nairobi, Kenya, is expected to double by 2040. With this in mind, Nairobi City County Governor Sakaja Arthur Johnson is putting food and school lunches at the heart of efforts to build bridges between young people and local government. Mr Johnson’s signature program subsidises school lunches, which he explains is “preparation for the future” and gaining the trust of citizens. Mr Johnson took office in 2022, when close to a quarter of children were missing school because of hunger. Now, centralised kitchens across the city serve subsidised foods to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren, at a cost of just five US cents per meal. Since its launch, test scores, enrolment and attendance have improved. What’s more, the program uses innovative wristwatch technology which holds payments and dietary information, and doesn’t tell the children if they are getting their meal for free based on low parent incomes. Mr Johnson said this part of the scheme was designed to allow for “dignity”.
CityLab

AUSTRALIA: WA councils expecting challenges from population growth
According to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Western Australia’s population has surpassed three million people. Acknowledging the milestone, the state’s local government peak WALGA voiced their concerns that the milestone would place more pressures on councils to provide community services. Discussing new growing pressures on housing supply, WALGA president Karen Chappel said “100% of our 139 member councils view housing as a major challenge in their local government area”. The peak body is calling on the state to work with councils to unlock underutilised government-owned land for housing solutions.
Government News

USA: The solar-powered generators offering hurricane relief in North Carolina
A New Orleans-based nonprofit is working to displace fossil fuel-powered generators with renewable-powered alternatives during disaster relief operations. Following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene, The Footprint Project has built close to 50 solar microgrids for use across North Carolina, its largest response effort yet. The non-profit hopes to create a “lending library” to deploy after disasters. Standard, diesel and gas generators, the organisation argue, are expensive and polluting.
Reasons to be Cheerful

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