Staff picks: a summer reading, watching, listening list for local government

If you are after a proper, serious summer reading list, our Chief Exec, Jonathan Carr-West, has you covered with his annual list – ambitious, eclectic, as intellectually chewy as always.

We’re never entirely sure if he finishes them (or even cracks the spine), but the selections are always fascinating. Not to be outdone, we decided to compile our own list  We asked the LGIU team to share media they’d actually read, watched or listened to this year – the things that stuck with them.

Our only rule? It didn’t have to be serious. It just had to make us think.

What we noticed – five key themes for 2025

We collected a mix of books, podcasts, articles and television that made us reflect, laugh, worry, and sometimes even feel hopeful about the role of local government in the world. From historical biographies to documentaries showcasing rowdy Dutch teens, there were some consistent themes.

• Power and accountability: Whether it was cults, crumbling institutions or corrupt metrics, we were drawn to stories about how systems go wrong – and what it takes to fix them.
• Place and community: From Belfast to fictional high-rises to forgotten towns, we kept returning to questions about how people live together, what makes a place feel like home, and who gets to shape it.
• Voice and communication: There was a real interest in humour, storytelling, and how public issues are communicated. What makes people pay attention? And what gets ignored?
• AI and the future: Yes, we’re thinking about it too. Some picks wrestled with automation, risk, and staying human in a machine-shaped world.
• Experimentation and reform: But despite all the problems, there was also hope. We were drawn to stories of people trying something new, challenging the status quo, or just figuring things out together.

Why it matters

At LGIU, we believe great local government depends on curiosity, connection, and courage. These staff picks are a glimpse into the kinds of questions we carry with us – as professionals, as citizens, and as people who care about the places we live.

We hope you find something in here that makes you think too.

Our staff picks: 

Books — Non-fiction

• No More Normal — Dr Alastair Santhouse — Humane, clinical insight into stress, illness and the systems around care.

• Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom — David W. Blight — Sweeping, deeply researched biography of the great abolitionist; a study in moral courage, political strategy, and the fight for justice that still resonates in civic life today.

• The Tyranny of Metrics — Jerry Z. Muller — When targets distort reality; a must-read for anyone drowning in KPIs.

• Failed State: Why Britain Doesn’t Work and How to Fix It — Sam Freedman — Bracing diagnosis of governing failures—and what might actually fix them.

• The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York — Robert Caro — Caro’s propulsive epic on power, planning and accountability; a doorstop worth it.

• Abundance — A big-picture argument for designing from plenty, not scarcity—provocative and hopeful.

• The Coming Wave — AI and bio risks unpacked for non-specialists; sober, urgent, readable.

• And Away — Bob Mortimer — Warm, funny memoir; a reminder that joy and craft matter.

• Terror, Love and Brainwashing — Alexandra Stein — How closed systems hijack belonging; a case for open, trusted institutions.

• The Unaccountability Machine — Dan Davies — Why complex systems dodge blame—and how to design for responsibility.

Books — Fiction

• High-Rise — J.G. Ballard — Tower-block meltdown: class, space and civility under pressure.

• Brotherless Nights — Power, memory and conflict at human scale; haunting and compassionate.

Podcasts

• Strong Message Here (BBC Sounds) — Smart, funny takes on political language and public life; great for comms folks.

• Demos — “How to break the democratic doom loop” — Clear primer on rebuilding democratic trust and participation.

• Search Engine — “Why can’t we just turn offices into housing?” — US-focused but echoes UK planning, safety and viability hurdles.

• Cement City (podcast series) — Immersive reporting from a “left-for-dead” town and the inspiration for air quality legislation. a sharp, human look at small-town politics, identity, and resilience.

Find our single episodes recommendations and the first episode of series in our Spotify playlist.

Documentary & TV

• Trainwreck (Netflix documentary series) — Viral crowd chaos meets local decision-making; crisis comms and event management in the wild.

• Shifty (BBC documentary series) — Inventive look at how power shifts across a century—and who gets left behind.

• Last One Laughing UK (Prime Video) — Pure silliness; ideal palate cleanser after a day of committee papers.

Articles & essays

Great reads, but maybe not for the poolside. If you need something thoughtful to get you back into work mode…

• Power of joint working when piloting a new service — Practical lessons from collaborative pilots; start small, learn fast.

• Thinking about future of combined authorities — Sharp sketch of where CAs could go next—and the risks.

• Thinking about neighbourhoods — A reminder that hyper-local still matters: identity, agency, connection.

• AI prediction (complicated) — Short web essays on near-term AI; provocative scenarios to test your assumptions.

• The Great Survivor: The Persistence and Resilience of English Local Government (Local Government Studies, 2014) — Classic argument that, despite endless reorgs, centralisation and austerity, English local government adapts and endures because the work at local level never goes away

Staff contributors included: Dan Godley, Greg Stride, Henry Grant, Ingrid Koehler, Jane Sankarayya, Paolo Vestri,  Sean O’Riordan and Thomas Lynch. List compiled by Ingrid Koehler.