We have today issued the below statement for immediate use on the local authority elections taking place in May 2026. An MHCLG spokesperson said: “Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in …
This week we made available around £78 billion for English councils through the Final Local Government Finance Settlement. The Settlement brings the total new investment in local services to more than £5.6 billion over the next three years and also provides an additional £740 million since the Provisional Settlement …
There has been some national and local media coverage of a major expansion of the Pride in Place scheme, announced by the government yesterday. The new package is worth up to £800 million, allowing 40 new areas across England to decide where to …
There has been some initial inaccurate reporting in a number of outlets that a High Court order today ruled the government cannot proceed with potential postponements to some local elections in areas undergoing reorganisation. This is entirely wrong and misleading. …
There has been continued speculation in the media about the potential number of areas that may have their local elections postponed this May. To be clear: no decisions have been taken. Councils had until 23:59 tonight (15 January) to submit …
Yesterday, the government announced that English councils undergoing reorganisation have been invited to give views on postponing their local elections next May. This follows multiple councils approaching the department and requesting delays, noting that upcoming elections could undermine their plans …
Today, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced planned reforms to provide local authorities with powers to clean up local politics. This responds to the challenges local authorities have faced since the Localism Act in 2011, which has …
In June we opened a consultation on the Fair Funding Review 2.0 which set out our proposals to fix the outdated way local authorities are funded to make it fairer and fit for the future, so local leaders can deliver …
There has been media reporting that some local authorities will increase council tax because of the government's Fair Funding Review 2.0. The current, outdated way in which local authorities are funded means the link between funding and need for services …
Recent media reporting has criticised the government for allowing councils to sell allotment spaces. Allotments are a valuable and important community resource, and there are strict criteria in place to protect them. These rules on sales of assets have been in …