The Local Government Leaders' Council or simply the Leaders' Council is a forum in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

that brings together the

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

, other ministers in the

UK government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

, and leaders of representative bodies of

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

Purpose

The council aims to be a "regular forum for the key sector representatives to discuss strategic questions impacting local government, to share key and evolving challenges, and co-design solutions". The English Devolution White Paper published on 16 December 2024 states that the council "… ringstogether a representative group of local authority leaders with the Deputy Prime Minister and other ministers so that local leaders have a seat at the table in government and policy solutions can be co-designed with local government."

Members

Organisations represented on the council include the

Local Government Association The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local government in England, local authorities in England and Wales. Its core membership is made up of 317 English councils and the 22 Welsh councils through the ...

Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities

Core Cities Group The Core Cities Group (also Core Cities UK) is a self-selected and self-financed collaborative advocacy group of large regional cities in the United Kingdom outside Greater London. The group was formed in 1995 and serves as a partnership of tw ...

Key Cities
County Councils Network,

District Councils' Network The District Councils' Network (DCN) is a special interest group in the Local Government Association. It represents 164 non-metropolitan district councils in England, representing over 40% of the population and 68% of the land. It is funded by mem ...

, and

London Councils London Councils is the collective of local government in Greater London, England. It is a cross-party organisation that represents London's 32 borough councils and the City of London. It was formed in 1995 as a merger of the London Boroughs A ...

. Most members of the council represent only

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, but a small number also represent cities in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The main local government representative bodies of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are not represented on the council. As of October 2024, the membership of the council is as follows:

Meetings and activities

Meetings

The first meeting of the council took place in October 2024. The council is expected to meet four times a year.

Activities

On 7 October 2024, the organisational members of the council sent a letter to the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...

Rachel Reeves Rachel Jane Reeves (born 13 February 1979) is a British politician who has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds West and Pudsey, formerly Leed ...

urging reform of the local government funding system to help stable local authority finances.

References

External links

Inaugural Leaders' Council
{{Administrative geography of the United Kingdom Local government in the United Kingdom