Improvement and innovation bulletin

December 2025

Sector support offers

Local government reorganisation (LGR)

We have published an aide-memoire to support the identification and mitigation of risks that could affect the successful transition to a reorganised unitary authority.  This is the latest addition to the Devo and LGR Hub which includes information on support, networks, resources and FAQs relating to LGR.

Good practice guidance on member-officer relations protocols

We recently published good practice guidance on member-officer relations protocols, designed to help members and senior officers set and promote clear expectations about how members and officers work together for the benefit of local residents, with the aim of supporting good governance in your authority.

Council Housebuilding Support Service – support now available

The Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS) helps councils strengthen capacity, build capability and increase confidence in delivering new homes. Our tailored support covers HRAs and non-HRA routes, delivery vehicles, land and pipelines, governance and leadership. Councils interested in developing or accelerating their housebuilding ambitions can submit an expression of interest form or email choss@local.gov.uk

Golden Triangle development events

We are running a series of in-person events and online webinars starting in January 2026 for Chief Executives, S151 Officers and Monitoring Officers to support you in your collective role in maintaining the corporate health and effective financial and ethical governance that ensures councils can deliver for the local community. The events will bring together the distinct roles to support your building of a good governance culture, identify practical tools and actions to embed back at your organisation, and benefit from peer-to-peer networking and learning.

Sign up via the Golden Triangle registration form and email virginia.ponton@local.gov.uk with any questions.

Make Work Pay

As the Employment Rights Bill continues its course through Parliament, the government has issued a number of related consultations. Details of these can be found on our Make Work Pay webpage. We also have information on the Department of Health and Social Care consultation on the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body, the closing date for which is 16 January 2026.

Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme

Councils are invited to sign up to join the next round of recruitment for Impact, the LGA’s flagship national graduate programme. A virtual information session is being held on Wednesday 14 January 2026, providing an opportunity for councils to learn about the programme, and further information is available on our website where you can sign up for Impact: Cohort 28 or get in touch via impact@local.gov.uk.

Pathways to Planning - applications open now

Local planning authorities, statutory consultees and councils hosting NSIPs can now apply to hire graduate planners and graduate surveyors to work in a wide variety of built environment roles through the Pathways to Planning programme. Graduates will start work in September 2026 and receive a bursary to fund their postgraduate study on an accredited course. Local authorities hiring graduates to work as planners can also access partial salary bursaries through the application form, with first awards intended to be made before Christmas. To apply, or find out more, visit the programme website.

Brownfield Land Release Fund

The Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) 2.4 has launched, offering up to £19.8 million capital grant funding to support the release of council-owned brownfield land for new homes. A new Continuous Market Engagement approach replaces the previous competitive process. Councils are encouraged to discuss their ideas with the One Public Estate team before submitting proposals.

Projects that meet core eligibility and gateway criteria will be recommended for funding, subject to the availability of funds. For full details about BLRF2.4 visit our website.

Webinars and events

Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme

Wednesday 14 January 2026, 12.00 noon - 1.00pm

Join this session to learn about the LGA’s flagship graduate scheme, Impact, and how it supports councils in developing future leaders. You’ll hear how the programme works, the benefits of hosting graduates, and how councils across the country are using Impact to address skills gaps and bring fresh thinking into their teams.

Book now: Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme.

Designing and implementing a successful data strategy in local government

Tuesday 27 January 2026, 1.00pm - 2.30pm

Join us to explore how councils are designing and implementing data strategies.

Book now: Designing and implementing a successful data strategy in local government.

Connecting the dots: Using performance, finance and risk information together to inform decisions, scrutiny and assurance

Tuesday 27 January 2026, 10.00am – 11.30am

This session will consider how the respective roles of decision-makers, scrutiny, audit and officers can complement each other to keep local authorities safe and financially sustainable while delivering outcomes for their communities.

Book now: Connecting the dots.

LGA sustainability roundtable: Measuring greenhouse gas emissions

Tuesday 10 February 2026, 10.00am - 11.45am

Explore best practice in setting and updating greenhouse gas reporting boundaries and baselines. See a live demo of our free GHG Accounting Tool and Waste Emissions Calculator, hear from a council leading on emissions measurement, and share insights with peers in interactive discussions.

Book now: Measuring greenhouse gas emissions roundtable.

Data and managing council performance – training for councillors

Wednesday 11 February 2026, 2.00pm - 4.30pm

The session will be facilitated in the form of a taught course, with plenty of opportunities for attendees to participate throughout.

Book now: Data and managing council performance.

Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) annual conference

Thursday 12 March 2026

The CfGS annual conference will take place on Thursday 12 March 2026 in Birmingham. The event will enable members and officers to share insight and expertise on delivering excellence in governance and scrutiny and explore how to respond to the changing landscape of local democracy.  Bookings before 31 December secure a 20% discount. 

Book Now: CfGS annual conference.

Additionally, you might be interested in...

Local Government Challenge 2026

We’re very pleased to reveal the cohort of ten officers who will be taking part in the LG Challenge 2026. Starting in January, the cohort from a wide range of roles and councils from across the country, will take part in five real-life council hosted challenges. Participants will work in teams, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives on a series of service areas, all whilst going on a leadership and development journey to develop the key skills required to succeed in the sector.

Be part of the new Local Government Reorganisation HR leads network

Join our collaborative community supporting HR and workforce resilience during LGR. Our monthly meetings will explore expert advice, practical tools, and peer support for managing the challenges and opportunities of LGR. HR leads in LGR councils can email luann.donald@local.gov.uk to find out more about future meetings.

LG Inform and LG Inform Plus

Indices of deprivation update complete - LG Inform and LG Inform Plus

Our full update of the Indices of Deprivation update is complete - Two Indices of Deprivation LG Inform reports are available to all users for single tier and district comparisons:

• Indices of Deprivation - LG Inform
• Indices of Deprivation (Part II) - LG Inform
  

We are pleased to say that all indices are now available in LG Inform Plus for subscribers. We have also produced this data for many other geographies such as wards, parliamentary constituencies and combined authorities. A key element of Fair Funding Review, see the LGA’s response here.

For information on LG Inform contact us at lginform@local.gov.uk, or to take advantage of the benefits of subscribing to LG Inform Plus contact lginformplus@local.gov.uk.

first magazine

first is the LGA's membership magazine, distributed to around 18,000 councillors and local authority chief executives in England and Wales.

Yours faithfully,

Cllr Jane Scullion
Chair of the LGA Improvement Committee