In the second part of this three-part series, Ross Murray explores what AI can realistically do to support local government reorganisation (LGR), and where it currently falls short. As argued in the first article in this series, the greatest risk facing council leaders is not failing to get to Vesting Day. It's successfully reaching it while recreating the issues of yesterday at twice the size. If you ask people whether AI can help with a merger, you get completely opposite a

Over three blog posts, Ross Murray explores what the AI opportunity means for local government reorganisation (LGR). He argues that LGR is taking place at the same time that AI is disrupting usual ways of working across the public sector. This either presents a serious risk or a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The outcome will depend on the choices leaders make today. The government is embarking on an ambitious local government reorganisation (LGR) programme, replacing two-

What does “Manchesterism” actually mean for the country and in particular how the centre of government interacts with local areas. In this article, Andrew Laird shares some reflections following a Radical Reformers podcast conversation with Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Eve Holt. Manchesterism has already come to encompass a wide range of ideas: collective self-belief; collaboration across boundaries; devolution and subsidiarity; greater social justice; and good gro