Future Local Lab
Local Government Explained
Local Elections England: 2026Local government audits
Local government audits, the process by which local authority accounts can be independently verified as reliable, are vital for understanding the state of local government finances, ensuring local accountability and supporting democracy.
Our research
In England, the process is in crisis. There are severe backlogs that risk undermining trust in local government.
The Local Democracy Research Centre will be bringing together experts in the sector to explain the crisis: how we have got here, how local audit works in other countries, and what needs to change. This essay series will act as a comprehensive and accessible examination of a fiendishly complicated – but vital – topic.
About the Local Democracy Research Centre
The Local Democracy Research Centre (LDRC) is where LGIU gathers the evidence and develops ideas for change and innovation in local government. We bring together experts, practitioners and academics to investigate the key challenges for local democracy around the world.
We are always solution-focused and we work closely with our extensive member base and the wider sector, meaning that our research programme always reflects local government’s priorities. More.
