The Local Authority is a podcast by Local Government Chronicle. Each month, the podcast will ask fundamental questions about how local government needs to adapt to fulfil its full potential and best serve local populations. It will see LGC assemble a small panel of significant figures from the sector to discuss one specific issue per episode. All will have a focus on the future, with the emphasis being on innovation, fairness, policy change and place leadership. Between launch in May 2021 and June 2023 the podcast was sponsored by TPXImpact.
Episodes
Wednesday Apr 29, 2026
Wednesday Apr 29, 2026
With more than 5,000 seats up for grabs across English councils in May, this episode of The Local Authority examines what the elections could mean for the major parties, the rise of Reform and the Greens, and what the results might tell us about the state of British democracy.
LGC news editor Kirsty Weakley is joined by elections expert Colin Rallings and Polly Curtis, chief executive of cross-party think tank Demos, to explore projections for Labour and Conservative seat losses, the growing role of independent candidates and residents' associations, and the extent to which fragmented multi-party politics has made traditional swing analysis obsolete. The panel also discusses whether these elections feel less like a verdict on the current government and more like a broader expression of public disillusionment with the political system as a whole.
21 days ago
Comments were made about the reduction of councillors and councils making them more remote. No mention was made of the solution to this that is the use of and creation of more Town and Parish Councils. They do, on the whole, represent local communities. They are accessible and are democratically elected with the ability to precept for funds. To be more effective they need extra support which could be done by extra funding going to the National Association of Local Councils and their County Associations. It would be even more accountable and democratic if elections wore to be by Single Transferable Vote. The major problem with the sector is that often area with greatest need have lowest Council Tax base so there could be an equalisation scheme that have to be adopted by the relevant Principal Authority.