Future Local Lab
Local Government Explained
Local Elections England: 2026
We are here to demystify the world of local government finance for you. This training will explore:
- how the council receives its funding,
- how the council plans, manages and reports its spending
- how councillors can effectively engage with their council’s financial decision-making processes.
Plenty of time will be provided for participants to ask questions, with all answers provided in plain English!
No prior knowledge of local government finance is required. All finance jargon, acronyms and terms will be explained.
Key outcomes
- Understand how local government finance works and how it impacts on wider council decision-making.
- Get to grips with the various sources of funding available to the council and the constraints, pitfalls and controls on each.
- Understand how the council plans, manages and reports its finances.
- Overcome the barriers of jargon that make finance difficult.
Who should attend
Councillors who want to understand the basics of local government finance and financial management, and develop a grasp of the financial implications of decisions made. Local authority officers and local government partners will also find this session relevant.
Trainer
Dr. Ian Fifield
LGiU Associate Trainer
Ian Fifield, Ian is a CIPFA qualified accountant with over 20 years of experience in designing and delivering financial management training for local authorities and other public service organisations. Ian’s training experience includes seminars for finance professionals, service managers and elected members. He has co-authored multiple Centre for Public Scrutiny publications on finance, budgeting, and scrutiny, for local governments.
