Future Local Lab
Local Government Explained
Local Elections England: 2026
Ask the Expert: Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill
Rewatch the session:
As the government introduces the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, this session explored the Bill’s far-reaching implications for councils, combined authorities, and communities across England. Drawing on LGIU’s briefing here and wider sector insights, we unpacked what the legislation means in practice—and what comes next.
Key areas explored
- A new constitutional framework for devolution, designed to codify, simplify, and accelerate local governance reform.
- Strengthened mayoral powers across planning, infrastructure, licensing, and regeneration.
- Local government restructuring, including provisions for new unitary and combined authorities, plus proposals to enhance transparency through a Local Audit Office.
- Community empowerment tools: expanded rights for communities to acquire local assets, shape public services, and engage through new “Community Covenants.”
- New protections for small businesses through the banning of exploitative lease terms like upward-only rent reviews.
Speakers
- Laura Hughes, Partner, Browne Jacobson
- Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU
See more about our speakers below.
Event Survey
Resource pack: Ask the Expert: Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill
Session Slides - Laura Hughes, Partner, Browne Jacobson
Please download the session slides here.
Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill 2025 – On the day insights for local government
Breaking the holding pattern that has gripped local government since the English Devolution White Paper, today’s Bill gives the deepest insight so far on the nature of local government reform. Here is LGIU’s immediate response and analysis. View here
Capacity and governance challenges in English devolution
This report examines the practical realities of devolution. Drawing on interviews with senior local government officials involved in establishing and running combined authorities, it reveals a significant gap between the ambitious rhetoric of devolution policy and the operational challenges facing those tasked with making it work. Read more here.
State of the locals: Deep Dive – views from Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) areas
Augmenting our polling earlier this year on public attitudes to local government, LGIU worked with Ipsos to understand how people living in DPP and areas undergoing local government reform feel about the proposed reforms. Find out more here.
How is devolution driving regional transport reform?
This briefing looks at how combined authorities (CAs) across England are increasingly leveraging devolved powers to reshape local transport systems, allowing them to design, deliver and operate infrastructure that better reflects the needs of their communities.
Service delivery in uncertain times
This report – supported by LGIU strategic partner Norse Group – highlights the impact that local government reorganisation is having on service delivery decisions that councils are currently making. The research is based on survey and interview responses from 71 individuals across 63 English councils.
Practical Guide to English Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
This fantastic guide from our strategic partner, Browne Jacobson, is a must-read for all. Offering a clear and concise overview of the current state of devolution and local government reorganisation while holding a dedicated focus on the practicalities around navigating the waters ahead. View here
Devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR): the essentials
This collection of LGIU resources provides you and your teams with all of the devolution and LGR essentials that you need right now. Our team is working around the clock on these issues and this page will be updated regularly. View here
Answer these five short questions to help shape our ongoing package of support for LGIU members.
Now more than ever, LGIU is focused on delivering resources, insights, shared learning and sector-leading research to support our member councils as we get to grips with and respond to the unprecedented level of change and reorganisation across the sector. Answer questions here
About our speakers
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Laura Hughes, Partner, Browne Jacobson
Laura Hughes is a Partner at Browne Jacobson. She heads up the public law team, as well as being the head of the insurance and public risk department, and the executive lead for Wales. Laura is an experienced public law expert who advises her clients on their most important and high profile matters. She acts across the public sector advising clients in government, local government, education, health, audit, sports and natural resources. Laura was named in the Lawyer’s Hot 100 for 2025, and was named Law Firm Lead of the Year at a National/Regional Firm at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards 2025.
Laura has over 20 years experience advising public sector clients on the full range of public law matters including devolution, local government reorganisation, consultation, statutory interpretation, statutory and guidance drafting, judicial review, health, education and regulatory matters. Laura’s clients include Welsh Government, Defra, Natural Resources Wales, Sports England, Qualification Wales, UK Sport and the Cabinet Office.
Laura’s vast and wide-ranging experience across the public sector means that she is highly sought after when dealing with high-profile, novel, contentious and complex matters. For example, Laura was the lead lawyer advising on the creation of the country’s first-ever Combined County Authority in the East Midlands; and supported Qualification Wales through its covid response dealing with the cancellation of exams and their replacement.
Laura is happiest when she is sat around a client’s Board or Executive table helping them through their trickiest issues to a decision which is defendable, lawful and made in the public interest.
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Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU
Dr Jonathan Carr-West has been Chief Executive of LGIU (Local Government Information Unit) since February 2013 where he leads on all aspects of the think tank’s policy, membership and influencing work.
Jonathan is a leading national expert on local government transformation, local democracy and public services. Some of his particular interests are in participative democracy, the evolving nature of public services and devolution. With an extensive media profile and sector credibility, he has published on topics as diverse as localism and public service transformation, cognitive and behavioural science, and the politics of cultural memory.
