New report on making councils’ financial information more accessible
Posted inAudit and Accountability Councils in Crisis Publications

New report on making councils’ financial information more accessible

 In new research in collaboration with the University of Sussex, we make a series of urgent recommendations for making council finances less opaque during this time of critical challenge and upheaval in local government.   At a time when scrutiny of council finances is even more important than ever – as authorities declare effective bankruptcy and rely on borrowing and flogging off their assets to balance the books – even experienced researchers, accountants and councillors struggle to find and understand local authority financial information. This is the core finding of a new report by Research for Action and the University of... [continues]
Press release: Local Audit Office plans in devolution bill do not go far enough in fixing crisis
Posted inAudit and Accountability Councils in Crisis Current

Press release: Local Audit Office plans in devolution bill do not go far enough in fixing crisis

15 July 2025 In a surprise announcement, the English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill, published last week, outlined the government’s plans for the Local Audit Office. The government had previously promised to fix the local audit crisis and consulted on a range of ways of doing this, but now some of these measures do not feature in the devolution legislation.  The creation of the Local Audit Office (LAO) marks a significant change in the local audit regime. Since the abolition of the Audit Commission in 2015, local authorities have been audited by private companies. This has resulted in declining quality... [continues]
Summer News: governance upheavals, audit reform saga, how you can help our research
Posted inAudit and Accountability Councils in Crisis Current Newsletters Projects

Summer News: governance upheavals, audit reform saga, how you can help our research

Dear friends and followers,  Summer is in full swing and there’s lots happening in the world of local democracy. Here are some of the most recent news from Research for Action and friends, and a call for help with our current research…Government wants to abolish the committee system - against the will of Sheffield residents In June, the government announced its intent to ‘simplify’ governance arrangements for local authorities in England, effectively forcing all councils to transition to the leader and cabinet model. It said that the alternative, the committee system, ‘can be unclear, duplicative, and wasteful, leading to slower, less... [continues]
Sheffield democracy campaigners respond to Government intention to overturn their governance referendum
Posted inAudit and Accountability Citizen Auditors Councils in Crisis Current Guest blog

Sheffield democracy campaigners respond to Government intention to overturn their governance referendum

On 24th June, the government announced its intent to ‘simplify’ governance arrangements for local authorities in England. The proposed legislation would force all councils to transition to the leader and cabinet model, stating that the alternative, the committee system, ‘can be unclear, duplicative, and wasteful, leading to slower, less efficient decision-making’.  We at Research for Action have heard from councillors that strong leader models of local governance are more centralised, leading to the marginalisation of backbench councillors and thus are often less democratic. Generally, we have strong reservations about the upcoming English Devolution actually leading to further centralisation of power... [continues]
Councils in Crisis
Posted inCouncils in Crisis Current Projects

Councils in Crisis

Councils in Crisis We are currently undertaking a three-year project exploring and exposing the deepening crises in UK local government and instigating alternative narratives and potential interventions. It consists of three interlinked parts: research that seeks to understand the democratic impacts of local government ‘bankruptcies’; work with citizen auditors and local journalists to support their scrutiny function; and legislative monitoring to advocate for government to prioritise audit reform legislation. This is a crucial moment to focus on councils at risk of collapse. There has been a startling increase in councils declaring themselves at risk of bankruptcy (a ‘Section 114’ notice);... [continues]