A devolution priority programme combined with a wider council reorganisation that could be seen from space; Reform UK limbering up to terrify a Labour Government that was still adjusting the office chairs – how did 2025 play out? Martin Ford and Ann McGauran report
January
2025 got off to a flying start amidst fears local government reorganisation (LGR) would create ‘mega councils’. The Local Government Association (LGA) said the move to unitaries should be ‘a matter for councils and local areas to decide’. But the association was warned some members could throw in the towel over its stance. The District Councils’ Network (DCN) was understood to be trying to shift the association’s position.
A review of Prevent by Ted Cantle concluded councils should be left to concentrate on community cohesion, with the radicalisation programme dealt with at a national level.
February
Bedlam began for local authorities forced to make last minute changes to their budgets, with the final finance settlement stopping cash-poor councils from hiking up taxes to save their bacon. Just six local authorities were granted permission for council tax rises higher than 5%.
Over at the House of Lords, there was not a spare seat to be had. The benches were crammed with former LGA chairs James Jamieson (now Baron Jamieson of Maulden), Margaret Eaton (now Baroness Eaton) and Lord Gary Porter (now Baron Porter of Spalding). They joined the LGA’s deputy chair between 2019 and 2023, John Fuller, who became Baron Fuller of Gorleston-on-Sea last year and former LGA vice-president Sharon Taylor, who is now housing, communities and local government minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and sits on the Labour Government benches. A cosy home from home for a lot of Lords.
March
Councils in England’s 21 two-tier areas rushed to submit their interim plans for reorganisation to the Government ahead of the 21 March deadline.
The month ended with James Howells’ bitcoin-related request to access a Newport City Council landfill site. He vowed to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights after his ex-partner accidently threw out his hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins, which are now worth a pretty penny (make that hundreds of millions of pounds).
April
London’s boroughs squared up for a clash with the capital’s mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, asking him to share some of his powers. London Councils proposed a ‘bolt-on’ combined board model to bring the city more into line with mayoral combined authorities.
And along the M25, the Government called on Surrey – a guinea pig in the race to reorganisation – to put forward costings for a single unitary authority in its final LGR plans.
May
Voters in 23 English local authorities went to the polls on 1 May to choose councillors, resulting in a landslide victory for Reform UK. The party went into the election with just nine sitting councillors but emerged winning 677 seats – 41% of all those up for election. It took control of 10 councils, became the largest party in four other councils, and won two mayoral elections.
Unison, GMB and Unite recommended their members turn down the employers’ offer of a 3.2% pay increase for 2025-26, raising the possibility of strike action.
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