Local government
Our research assesses the performance of local government services and how to improve them.
Performance Tracker 2023
Performance Tracker 2023: Adult social care
The government has provided more funding, but the sector may struggle to address unmet need in the face of rising costs and competing priorities.
Performance Tracker 2023: Children's social care
The sector faces workforce shortages alongside increasing demands; with referrals at pre-pandemic levels and an increasingly complex caseload.
Performance Tracker 2023: Neighbourhood services
Neighbourhood services – libraries, road maintenance, and waste collection – entered the pandemic with reduced or changed amenities.
Our analysis
Local government
The local government system varies in many ways between the four nations of the UK. We explain the structure and political balance in each nation.
Local government funding in England
How local government is funded in England and how it has changed since 2010.
Local government section 114 (bankruptcy) notices
What is a section 114 notice, and why have councils been issuing more of them recently?
Neighbourhood services under strain
England’s most deprived areas were hit by the largest local authority spending cuts during a decade of austerity.
Missing Numbers in Children’s Services
What data is available on children’s centres and youth services, and how government might overcome the barriers they face improving this data.
Six things we learnt from the 2023 autumn statement
The chancellor presented his autumn statement alongside the latest forecasts from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.
Short-term policy making has trapped public services in a ‘doom loop’
Chronic short-termism is harming service performance in key public services.
Birmingham’s budget woes should be a warning to government – or other councils could follow suit
The government should take action on systematic failures in local government finance.