Matthew Fright
Senior Researcher
Matthew's recent work
All work
What is local government reorganisation?
Unitarisation is a type of local government reorganisation that replaces separate county and district councils with a single tier of local authorities
Ministers should lose their sweeping powers to delay local elections
The back-and-forth over election timings has been bad for central and local government alike.
Local elections U-turn is welcome – but this saga has been a government fiasco
Elections in 30 local area will now proceed on 7 May 2026.
Local elections 2026
On Thursday, 7 May 2026, local elections will take place in many parts of England.
The government’s decision to delay mayoral elections cannot be justified on democratic or fairness grounds
The government has postponed the May 2026 mayoral elections in Greater Essex, Sussex and Brighton, Hampshire and the Solent, and Norfolk and Suffolk.
New funding plans will give mayors more autonomy to boost growth
Longer-term funding arrangements are a welcome step towards deepening English devolution.
Reorganising district councils and local public services: options and challenges
How should councils approach local government reorganisation?
Labour's devolution plans could mark the start of a generational shift in power
The government can claim some success in kick-starting a ‘devolution revolution’.
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.