Our top takeaways from LGA Conference 2026

Maybe it was the heat, which drew eyes longingly to the beach. But beneath the usual networking (and there’s no doubt that there is a genuine warmth in this sector: people who like to see each other and share real solidarity), there was a somewhat liminal feel to this year’s LGA Conference. The sector feels poised.

Poised for LGR decisions.

Poised for progress on devolution

Poised for new leadership at the LGA. 

Poised for Casey, and a plan for social care. 

And poised for Andy….

As always, it was great to catch up with so many colleagues from our LGIU councils and strategic partners, and there was plenty of sharing of innovation and bold ideas – there’s hope for the future, and local government folk are, at heart, optimists. And of course they have views. Some of the most interesting I heard were as follows:

• Children’s services & adult social care need a joined-up national plan – Taken together, these two service areas pose a fundamental challenge to local government’s sustainability. In the absence of a serious national policy response, these risks will grow.
• Health is outpacing everything else – The NHS 10-year plan is seen as unworkable without the Casey Review landing first; Changes to NHS structures and geographies are moving faster than local government or the rest of Whitehall can keep up with.
• Devolution risks stalling – MHCLG announced that further decisions on devolution would await a new set of ministers. Some in local government suspect that reluctance in Whitehall is the real blocker. Almost everyone is worried about the impact of a multi-tier devo settlement.
• Underlying “brokenness” is democratic, not just service-based – We can’t fix public trust in politics simply by delivering services. This is a necessary but insufficient condition. The system needs to adapt, and we need to give serious consideration to electoral reform and deliberative democracy discussions, including at strategic authority level.
• Political change is real, but is it permanent? – Views differ as to whether we have seen a definitive shift into a multi-party system or whether this is a temporary aberration. 

• We need to move on from the “scattergun” –  The government’s policy towards local government (and more generally) has been busy but lacks a central narrative/purpose. This is a key demand for a Burnham-led government. 

• We still need to establish parity of esteem – Neither national government nor mayoral authorities can succeed if local authorities fail. Devolution and Mayoral Authorities offer exciting opportunities, but they will not be able to seize them if we neglect the layer of government that delivers the services that matter most to people, shapes places and gives a democratic grounding to the whole system. 

This last point resonated strongly with me, particularly during a private dinner we hosted with Chief Executives from LGIU councils and our strategic partners (Norse Group). We discussed council structure, governance, and operating model transformation. This roundtable marks the start of our new research programme, which aims to design frameworks for the next century of local government.

One thing that’s very clear is that while people are clear-eyed about the challenges facing local government and its occasional failings, there’s a real pride in the sector. That pride deserves to be reciprocated. 

Because, for all the energy, I don’t think you could describe this as a sector at ease.

There’s some optimism about where local government reorganisation will land – but no doubt that people have been bruised by the process. There’s real worry about how, or even if, devolution is going to work outside the existing mayoral areas. And underneath it all, there’s the relentless drumbeat of adult social care, children’s services, and TA marching closer and closer to a cliff edge. 

It would be too strong to call this trauma, or even generalised anxiety. This isn’t a sector waiting for a white knight to come to the rescue. But it felt, perhaps, like a sector holding its breath.