The new PM and secretary of state with Cllr Abi Brown, Cllr Chris Read, Tony Travers and Claire Hazelgrove
The Local Authority PodcastShow Notes
On Monday 5 September the next prime minister of the United Kingdom was announced, followed by the appointment of a new cabinet and set of junior ministers. In the latest edition of The Local Authority podcast LGC, along with our partners TPXimpact, consider what the new administration will mean for local government and key policies affecting the sector. What should councils expect from the new PM and their administration? Will levelling up and agreeing more devolution deals remain a priority? Will the new secretary of state be a localist? What does it mean for adult social care funding and reform? Joining Sarah Calkin for this exciting episode is, Cllr Abi Brown, Conservative leader of Stoke-on-Trent council and chair of the LGA improvement and innovation board; Cllr Chris Read, Labour leader of Rotherham MBC; Tony Travers, LSE department of government and director of LSE London and Claire Hazelgrove, community and political engagement director, TPXimpact.
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Councils are increasingly in the eye of the storm when online misinformation and disinformation spreads through their communities. Sometimes the council finds itself at the centre of a social media storm; at others, online disinformation can threaten community cohesion. To explore how to spot emerging concerns, get ahead of the narrative and act in the middle of a storm, acting editor Martin George is joined by Helena Hornby, head of community collaboration at Orlo, Jake Morgan-Stead, head of digital campaigns and communications at Lambeth LBC, and Matt Nicholls, head of communications improvement at the Local Government Association. This episode of the Local Authority is sponsored by Orlo.
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With around half of councils having declared the results of their elections, the LGC team analyses the main themes that have developed so far. Acting editor Martin George is joined by head of news Kirsty Weakley, chief reporter Caitlin Webb and finance and devolution reporter Elliot Topham. [Published 16:00 on Friday 08 May 2026 - results correct at time of recording]