New Local Government Network’s (NLGN) Leadership Index has
found economic confidence at its lowest levels since the survey
began, as over three-quarters of council heads call for more
funding to deal with the impact of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, those leading councils say local cohesion and trust
has never been higher, with over 95% of respondents calling the
contribution of community groups to their pandemic response
‘very significant’ or ‘significant’.
The Leadership Index is a quarterly survey of council leaders,
chief executives and mayors. It seeks to measure the mood of
local government, by asking recurring and topical questions of
every type of council, from across the UK.
This quarter’s Index showed the stark impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on local government’s economic confidence.
Respondents’ faith in the local business environment fell by
over a third since the last quarter, while belief in having
adequate powers and resources to boost economic development
dropped by 5%.
Meanwhile, council heads praised community efforts in tackling
the pandemic. 95% of council heads said the impact of community
groups has been ‘significant’ or ‘very significant’. Many local
authorities have worked closely with Mutual Aid groups and
others to deal with the effects of Covid-19. Local volunteers
have helped with tasks such as distributing food and medicine,
volunteering in health and social care services, building
shielding hubs, and more.
Respondents felt their areas were more united and more trusting
than at any point since our survey began in April 2018. They
scored ‘trust between local people’ at 71/100, and ‘local
community cohesion’ at 72/100.
Local government is on the frontline of the response to
COVID-19, and the survey shows the range of ways in which they
have responded, including providing business support, setting
up community support hubs and redeploying staff to meet urgent
needs.
Alongside more funding to deal with the outbreak (78%), council
heads called for more PPE (43%) and better data sharing (33%)
from national government. Some asked the government to improve
its overall approach to collaborating with councils.
One respondent wrote:
“End the top down creation of bright shiny schemes [like]
national volunteering, shielding, Nightingale hospitals, new
supply chains for PPE, etc, and genuinely work with councils
and combined authorities and other partners to create
locally-led solutions to community support and delivery.”
Adam Lent, Director of the New Local Government
Network, says:
“The survey tells a story of the resourcefulness of local
government, but also of the crushing economic impact of
COVID-19, and their depleted ability to deal with this blow. It
is interesting to note that this survey was conducted before
the government rowed back on its promise to fully reimburse
local government for its pandemic-related expense. This will
have further dented councils’ optimism, not to mention their
basic chance of financial survival.
“Amid this gloom, it is amazing to see indications of greater
community trust and cohesion, as people and council key workers
band together to face the crisis. This survey is a striking
endorsement of community power. Those who lead councils almost
universally praise the involvement of community groups in
tackling COVID-19, even as they criticise the uncollaborative
stance of Westminster.”
“We hope that these partnerships and spirit of
collaboration between communities and councils will continue to
flourish long after the pandemic is over.”
Notes to editors
The full report can be downloaded here: www.nlgn.org.uk/public/2020/leadershipindex9/
