Localis

🍾This July at the LGA conference in Liverpool we are hosting a drinks reception and fireside chat from 18:00 until 19:00 at the Hilton City Centre.

Hear from Mayor of Liverpool @metromayorsteve.bsky.social and Birmingham City Councils Joanne Roney

Sign up to attend: forms.office.com/e/iN8v2zfTak

You can read the full report here: t.co/1yuez4ALYG

Thanks to isio and @localpartnerships.bsky.social for their support on this report!

The report calls for:

🏛️Reclassifying social housing as national infrastructure

🌱Strategic alignment through Local Growth Plans

💰Enhanced guidance and support for LGPS investment

📈Optimizing the LGPS pooling process

🏠Central oversight by Homes England

The report highlights the government's ongoing reforms to the LGPS, including the push for "megafund" pools, to enhance investment in UK growth-related assets, and also notes the substantial aggregate surplus currently held by LGPS funds in England and Wales.⬇️

🌞Today we are releasing a new report that argues council pension assets should be funding solution to UK’s affordable housing crisis 🏘️

In 'New Stable' we make an evidenced case that institutional investment in affordable housing would boost social prosperity. ⬇️

Careful cutting the fat cats: Local governments' problems go much deeper than eye-watering salaries It is fair to say that the annual TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) ‘Town Hall Rich List’ is feared and loathed by council leaders as a yearly punishment beating ordeal.

New opinion piece by our Chief Executive @jonathan-werran.bsky.social on the @lbc.co.uk website about local government salaries

Last teaching day this term on the MA Urban Planning & Resilience covering rural planning with Trevor Cherrett, local government finances with Joe Fyans from Localis, and Monica Altamirano direct from Delft on water resilience 🙌🏽

Yesterday we launched our new report 'Generating Hope' with E.ON UK at in-depth roundtable discussion. We talked all things net zero and local government. Thank you to everyone who came! #ukpolitics #netzero

Setting up our E.ON UK launch roundtable for our new report Generating Hope 🚀

How can local councils help us reach net zero?

#localgov #netzero #renewableenergy #ukpolitics

3️⃣ Private Sector Should
- Practice meaningful community consultation over the direction of projects and funding.
- Prioritise local job creation
- Work with a local supply chain to ensure the retention of economic benefits.

You can read the whole report here: localis.org.uk/wp-content/u...

2️⃣ Local Government Should
- Provide robust data and measurement mechanisms
- Target quantifiable benefits to local communities.
- Develop financial instruments such as Community Municipal Investments and Green Bonds
- Embed Green Public Procurement in their procurement of energy services

1️⃣ Central Government Should
- Provide local authorities with support in procurement and contracting
- Provide capacity support for planning applications
- Produce a contracting framework for local authorities looking to procure long-term public-private partnerships.

Enabling the Local Power Plan 💡
- Formalise local area energy planning
- Consolidate funding streams for clean energy projects in local areas
- Build community capacity
- Establish regional energy data centres
- Streamline the application process for grid connection
- Invest in skills programmes

With detail on the Local Power Plan as yet unclear, this report looks at how the plan can best build on best practice and overcome local barriers to drive decarbonisation

☀️ Today we are launching our first report of 2025 'Generating Hope'. ☀️

The current government has made very well known it ambition to achieve net zero by 2050. The Local Power Plan, aims to support local and combined authorities, as well as community energy groups.
#localgov #netzero

Today we are at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Beer 🍺to talk about our report on pubs released with the @bbpa.bsky.social last year. You can read all about the report and the importance of pubs to local communities here: www.localis.org.uk/research/inn...

Ambitious plans are needed for the fix we're in Everyone has had a chance so far to give their opinions about the chancellor's reset growth speech.  All that is, bar the bats and newts we can now safely stop worrying...

New comment piece by @jonathan-werran.bsky.social in The MJ. "The Plan for Growth represents continuity in that it ‘misses the target in ways uncannily reminiscent of Levelling Up’" ⬇️

Today we helped Norse Group record the beginning of a new podcast series on housing coming out later this year with special guests Samer Bagaeen and Darren Rodwell. #localgov

Earlier today our Head of Research Joe Fyans went in front of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. Here is some of what he had to say⬇️⬇️⬇️
#localgov #mhclg

Is there a gorilla in our midst? The excitement of drawing boundary lines in maps of our country to fit devolutionary whims is seemingly as irresistible to armchair commentators as it is to the...

Existing local government staffing and resourcing could struggle to deliver on the missions at the heart of the new vision for English devolution.

Is there a gorilla in our midst? themj.co.uk/gorilla-midst from the Municipal Journal @jonathan-werran.bsky.social

🌊today's Environment Agency report on flood risk shows 6.3 homes in England at risk of flooding - our recent "Plain Dealing Revisited" report asked how we can reduce number of homes built in high-risk flood areas 🏘️ - see 👉 localis.org.uk/research/pla... #climatechange #flooding

The Fair Funding review has been in stasis for years. What impact would implementing it have on the funding of councils in England? #localgov #devolution #britishpolitics

Last week in our webinar 💻 ahead of todays Local Government White Paper we asked Joanne Pitt from @cipfa.bsky.social what her views were on Local Government reorganisation. This is what she had to say⬇️ #localgov

YouTube video by Localis Webinar | Biting the Bullet Funding Local Government in this Parliament and Beyond

You can read the full report here: www.localis.org.uk/wp-content/u...

And watch the webinar here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAaG...

Participants proposed improvements to grant funding, business rates, and fiscal devolution, emphasising the need for greater transparency and alignment between funding and service delivery. The discussion also touched upon the role of public engagement and potential local government reorganisation.

Yesterday we hosted our final webinar of the year "Biting the Bullet". 🗝️Key issues include: insufficient funding for social care, education, and temporary accommodation, alongside outdated funding formulas and a lack of clarity regarding the government's long-term vision for local government.

Dr Ruth Adams, Chief Executive of SEE giving a speech at the launch of the Restoration and Resilience Report in London.

Last night, Ruth and Kirsty joined colleagues from South East Councils and Localis to launch the Restoration and Resilience report. To read the report or find out more visit: www.localis.org.uk/research/res...

Thanks to @seemployers.bsky.social
and South East Councils for their help on this project which you can read in full here:

💵Diversifying revenue streams

🔨Investing in workforce development and capacity building

⬆️Promoting collaboration and partnership working

📈Reforming the funding system

💡Empowering local authorities through devolution.

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