
Akash Paun
Programme Director
Akash's recent work
All work
Mayoral and local elections 2025: The government should hold its course on devolution despite the rise of Reform
Labour will need to learn to work with local political leaders from opposition parties.
Mayor of South Yorkshire
On 2 May 2024, voters in South Yorkshire elected their metro mayor.
Mayor of the North East
How was the first mayor of the North East elected?
Mayor of the East Midlands
On 2 May 2024, voters elected Claire Ward as Mayor of the East Midlands.
Local and mayoral elections 2025
On Thursday, 1 May 2025, local and mayoral elections took place in many parts of England.
Scottish independence
How could a second referendum on Scottish independence happen?
Councils’ divisions over local government reorganisation show need for local leadership
Local government reorganisation has revealed deep disagreements in many places across England.
Labour’s Devolution Priority Programme is welcome – but the government must be alert to the delivery challenges
What is the government proposing in its latest devolution plan?
How to make Westminster’s relations with Wales and Scotland work
Nine former Scottish and Welsh ministers reflect on Westminster’s approach to devolution.
Local government unitarisation
Unitarisation is a type of local government reorganisation that replaces separate county and district councils with a single tier of local authorities