Group Leader’s Year in Review 2024
As we look back on 2024, I am filled with enormous pride in all our members and all that we have achieved together this past year. We have surpassed ourselves growing in number and influence right across the country, changing things for the better in our communities, our councils and our country. With a growing team of over 3,300 members, we are keeping our three excellent office staff very busy indeed!
As the LGA Independent Group of councillors we care and think about issues, and we have shown ourselves to be effective. By holding timely webinars and conferences on hot topics, we have drawn on the strengths of our group members, shaped LGA policy and thus their work with the media and with the Government. Working at all levels, we have changed LGA policy in areas such as the Right to Buy, and we have together changed the Government stance on some issues, such as the housing targets previously and now the size of the unitaries. The task of representing you as members to bring the funding and legislation we need is as exciting now as ever. Thank you for your encouragement and support that makes so much possible.
Independent Group Annual Conference, CIM Business Centre, Maidenhead
We have just finished another fantastic weekend conference at the home of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Cookham, Maidenhead and I was thrilled to see such a full house of over a hundred members. Earlier in the year, I met with some of our new Independent MP’s wanting to work more closely with the LGA and our group members, to get a better deal for local government. James Giles stood in for Ayoub Khan and is helping our members in ever more effective campaigns.
It was heartening for our Executive to receive 83 nominations for awards this year, the highest ever. Commendations went to Councillors Matt Edwards (Bradford Metropolitan District Council), Steve Stuart (Warwickshire Borough Council), Paul Hayward (East Devon District Council) and Celia Hibbert (Wolverhampton City Council), for outstanding achievement within their local community. Citation winners were Councillors Mandy Ewings (West Devon Borough Council), Natalie McVey (Malvern Hills District Council), Petrina Lees (Uttlesford District Council), and Johnny Denis (Lewes District Council).
Each one of these members have done fantastic things in their community, changing the lives of so many residents and making a difference. They deserve our sincere thanks for making us so proud.
Many congratulations go to our joint winners for the 2025 Clarence Barrett Award, Councillors Kevin Etheridge OBE (Caerphilly County Borough Council) and Hannah Dalton (Epsom and Ewell Borough Council). Both have served their communities with distinction; Kevin has dedicated over 40 years to local government and is a tireless campaigner for bowel cancer awareness. Kevin recently received an OBE for his local work on the council, always keeping residents up-to-date in the local media. Hannah is Leader of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council and has actively been involved with the LGA and District Councils Network as our current Independent Group Vice-Chair. Hannah is currently engaged in the white paper and as our regional lead peer for London and the South-east region. Both are highly deserving of this year’s award and I want to thank them for their courage, conviction and determination throughout the years.
We had a very powerful and timely debate on ‘Devolution, local government reorganisation and public sector reform’, right on the day when Councils have had to submit their bids to Government on re-organisation.
We welcomed Sonika Sidhu, LGA Assistant Director of Policy to outline the situation. Professor Colin Copus, online as he was about to be ‘father of the bride’, gave a clear clarion call on the loss of democracy, especially for Independent Group councillors. This was echoed in the presentations from Cllrs Hannah Dalton, Emily O Brien, Julian German online and NALC, as well as well-informed and furious councillors. This was extended in the afternoon into campaign actions, under “Keep it Local”.
Workshops included the Government proposals to increase sanctions for councillors, and to enforce suspension or expulsion for accusations of more serious offences, whether they have actually been committed or not. Cllrs da Costa, Gemmell and Jackson ran a useful workshop on ‘Meeting the 2030 carbon target’, including mandatory targets for councils. ‘Taking into account the next generation’ was led by Cllrs Hubbard and Oscar Ford and Georgia Power of the Children’s Society.
Regional networking sessions were very useful, led by peers Cllr Adam Paynter, Hannah Dalton, Jo Beavis, Sue Baxter and Georgina Hill.
The day was completed with different models of leadership described by Cllrs Linda Gilham, Craig Browne, Kevin Foster, Caroline Jackson and Paul Harvey. The styles all showed an inclusive approach, working across political groups and engaging closely with local communities.
Abigail Gallop, Head of the Independent Group Office had led in setting up the conference, but was forced to step back due to illness, both before and during the conference. I would like to pay tribute to our office staff, Rodrigo Sanchez and Noleen Rosen, who rose to the occasion and delivered a superb conference. If you attended and would like to share feedback, whether good or bad, please contact the office. In particular, if you have a recommendation for a venue for next year’s conference, we would love to hear from you!
LGA Annual Conference, Harrogate
Thanks to the General Election in July, this took place in October in Harrogate, and saw our group come together for its annual meeting and what is more commonly known as the ‘Glastonbury of local government’. For our plenary session, I was grateful to have Councillor Craig Browne of Cheshire East Council, speak about his role as Chief Executive of Citizens Advice in North Staffordshire and the important work this organisation has been doing since 1939. At the same time, the conference welcomed our new Secretary of State Angela Rayner MP, who hosted our first ever ‘Leaders’ Council’, and announced reforms on remote attendance at council meetings, privacy for home addresses and councillor standards. This year conference returns to Liverpool and will usher in a new start following leadership elections of the Independent Group, announced at our Annual General Meeting on 1st July 2025.
May local elections
With the two big national parties in a poor state, many residents were rethinking their vote. They looked for something better – and that is where our members come in - well respected and closely connected to our communities. Independents gained 104 members and Greens increased by 74 members, both up by a magnificent 70 per cent in councils with elections. In total, the group saw 464 members elected, a gain of 184 seats (with four from Reform UK and two from the Workers Party included), on a par with Labour and leaving the Conservatives reeling with a loss of 474 seats. The ascent of Independents and Green councillors is nothing short of breathtaking. As a result, over 40 councils are already led by Independent, Green and Plaid Cymru councillors, which help form the LGA Independent Group and the Independent Network. In Wales, Plaid Cymru saw their Police and Crime Commissioner, Dafydd Llywelyn successfully re-elected for the four counties of Dyfed-Powys with over 40 per cent of the vote.
The Local Government Association
In 2024, just 107 out of the 339 councils had elections, most by thirds, creating a total of around 2,600 seats for election, out of 17,600 seats in England and Wales. Although our Independent Group had 18.5 per cent of the members following the election, and growing, but the LGA has its own formula, as Welsh members come through the WLGA. The LGA proportion puts Labour as the largest group 38.8 per cent Conservatives at 31.4 per cent, the Lib Dems at 15.5 per cent and Independents, Greens and smaller parties at 14.3 per cent. The make-up of the LGA Board and all other boards and committees was been recalculated to reflect our increased proportion. The chair and the LGA Board was re-elected at our LGA General Assembly, and the Independent Group further confirmed their appointments to the various LGA policy boards, committees and other working groups ahead of the new committee cycle which started from 1 September.
General Election 2024
The PM, Rishi Sunak MP decided to go for a summer general election based on early signs of economic recovery from the effects of Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget. However, the Conservatives appeared to have given up from the start and the campaign instead focussed on limiting a potential Labour ‘super-majority’, surpassing Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory. The super-majority never happened, but Labour still scored a majority with significant impacts. For us, a record number of Independents (459), Green (629) and Plaid Cymru (32) candidates stood in the general election, with most constituencies having six or seven candidates standing! A good number of our own members stood, including Councillor Georgina Hill, one of out of 57 Independents who kept their deposit! Similarly, our Group Treasurer Councillor Andrew Cooper came second with 10,568 votes, beating the Conservatives in the Huddersfield constituency. Nevertheless, we saw six Independent Members of Parliament get elected, five Reform UK, four Green and four Plaid Cymru. Together, they provide a useful channel to the heart of decision-making in Parliament and will represent our diversity of opinion and ‘key asks’ within the Independent Group for many years to come.
Labour in Government
Romping away with their majority, Labour immediately ‘reset’ the relationship with local Government to include regular direct meetings. At the same time, we saw some ‘bold announcements’ including the re-introduction of housing targets for local authorities and a requirement to build 1.5 million more homes over the course of this parliament, forcing a target in housebuilding that is some 50 per cent higher than before. The LGA made clear that we are signed up to a ‘plan led’ approach, but the Government is changing that too, giving the developers even more of an easy ride over residents. With all potential sites up for grabs including renaming green belt land into ‘grey belt’, available for development. With suddenly increased housing targets, Council-led local plans are immediately out of date, and we are open to unplanned, speculative developments and all that overdevelopment in the wrong place can bring.
‘Levelling-up’ money for reducing geographic inequalities (£3.7bn by Dec 2023) was officially scrapped, hopefully just giving the money to our councils to get on with the job! The LGA has long criticised the short-term ‘bidding wars’ for access to fragmented funding and instead has called for enough direct funding to run our services.
Most controversial of all has been the white paper which will see local government reorganisation and the future of local decision-making change forever. The Independent Group has long called for a ‘devolution of powers and monies’ to our local authorities rather than a dissolution of local authorities. Furthermore, we remain resolute that it should be down to local authorities to decide whether they opt to merge with other councils, not Government. This ill-thought plan will see our districts and counties disappear in the name of ‘super councils’, with a mayor in charge of key services and new spending powers over a vast area. Councillors will disappear with those left expected to represent a larger catchment area, leading to increased casework. We must continue to fight this plan every step of the way and keep out district and county councillors. The message from me is loud and clear: Local democracy matters, and this seriously undermines local voices, sweeping away local Government as we know it. Let’s Keep it Local!
New chair and chief executive
As a result of the general elections in 2024, we saw a new chair, Councillor Louise Gittins elected and we also welcomed a new chief executive, Joanna Killian. I continue to have regular one-to-one meetings as well as the formal and informal cross-party meetings. Both have been constructive in our discussions and take on board our ‘key asks’ as a group, especially on issues such as reforming ‘Right to Buy’, Net Zero and local government reorganisation.
Tackling Climate Change Internationally
In November, I had the chance to speak at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, representing you and all 130,000 councils in 41 countries across the whole of Europe, sent by the Congress of European Municipalities and the Regions (CEMR). The best part of COP29 is leading representatives at all levels, from all over the world gathering to encourage, inform and inspire action to do more to tackle climate change and mitigate the impacts. To the CEMR plenary, I contributed on ‘Climate finance’ and on the significance of the work of local government. Wider afield, I spoke on ‘greening’ our local transport, and how we can provide the tools that enable our councils to do the job better. The cheapest energy remains the energy we do not use, highlighting the need to use less of the earth’s resources, especially with energy efficient buildings. This year, a bill of $300 bn/year by 2035 was agreed, just for mitigating the losses in the global south, largely caused by the excesses of the global north. The agreement under this presidency does not refer directly to a phase out of fossil fuels but simply reaffirms the call on nations to give up coal, oil and gas. Clearly, still a long way to go if we are to achieve net zero by 2030!
Next Generation 24/25 cohort
We welcomed the latest cohort for our Next Generation Programme this past year. Thank you to both Abigail Gallop, Head of the Independent Political Group Office, and Adam Paynter, our National Lead Peer for supporting 14 ambitious councillors on the start of this exciting journey. The programme aims to help aspiring councillors climb the political ladder and enter into leadership positions within their councils and local communities. Members gain skills and confidence, learning from a set of speakers, tailored to match the group’s needs and certainly among the very best in the country. Thank you for taking part in the programme and to all who worked to make it such a success.
Plaid Cymru Autumn Conference, Cardiff
On behalf of the LGA, I hosted an Executive Roundtable on ‘Civility in Public Life – protecting and supporting local politicians and councillors’, held at the Plaid Cymru conference in Cardiff. I am grateful to Councillors Beca Brown, Caryl Roberts, Christopher Franks, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS and former Plaid Leader Adam Price MS for sharing experiences and recommendations on such a delicate subject. Representing the LGA Independent Group, I was able to contribute at the Association of Plaid Cymru Councillors AGM, meet all four MPs and both members of the House of Lords, Lord Wigley and Baroness Carmen Smith of Llanfaes, the youngest member of the House of Lords at 28. We heard about their work on free school meals for all primary children, radical measures to increase the housing supply for local people in areas with high levels of second homes and temporary holiday accommodation, and a delay to the new farming scheme. I was interested to see Plaid Cymru is in favour of renewable energy and passed a motion objecting to excessive solar panels on farmland as there are better alternatives. I also had an opportunity to hear from, as well as meet with Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, to discuss increased cooperation going forward into the May 2026 Senedd elections.
Constitution Review Working Group
The Working Group met to review all the changes that have been proposed, discussed and debated. I would like to send my special thanks to my deputy, Councillor Caroline Jackson, on steering us through the inevitable ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ of this tricky process, as well Abigail Gallop, Head of the Independent Political Group Office, for providing her unique insight into the intricacies of such a complex document! My sincere thanks also go to fellow members of the Group: Councillors Georgina Hill, Hannah Dalton, Andrew Cooper, Andrew Walters, Kevin Etheridge, and Nate Higgins. Thank you for your time and effort spent on such a difficult project and for your valuable contributions which will make our group stronger and more democratic in the years to come. The revised constitution was presented at our special general meeting at the recent LGA Annual Conference in Harrogate and all changes were agreed.
Executive, Peers and Policy Boards
Throughout this past year, I have continued to be supported not just by my loyal and hardworking Deputy, Councillor Caroline Jackson, but an incredible executive team. You do a fantastic job, and it is a privilege and a joy to work with and represent you at the LGA. Similarly, my thanks go to our National Lead Peer, Councillor Adam Paynter, supported by seven regional lead peers, including two greens. Wider afield, our pool of member peers has expanded to 42 in total, of which 12 are green and one is Plaid Cymru. Each peer brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, put to good use whenever we answer the call for a corporate peer challenge or peer mentoring request. I want to thank each one of you for your dedicated service and for being the ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground and delivering our sector-led improvement offer. You represent the professionalism and excellence of the Independent Group. Also, thank you to each one of our members and substitute members for the excellent work you do on the LGA policy boards. Together, you represent the best of Independent Group thinking, always putting the needs of residents first and what matters most for our communities, rather than adhering to party ideology. Thank you for giving up your time for making each strand of local government better and brighter.
Think Tanks
Thank you to Councillor Jon Hubbard for taking the time to create our superb think tank online forum. This is a radical improvement from our e-lists we used to have and now members can enjoy a user-friendly website, that is accessible and easy to follow. Please, if you have not managed to sign up to our online think-tanks and share your ideas, get in touch with our Political Administrator, Noleen Rosen, who can provide you with a link.
Independent Group Office
And finally, I would like to thank our superb team within the Group Office: Abigail, Rodrigo and Noleen. Each has continued to serve our members above and beyond the call of duty and provide a first-class service in their stewardship of the Independent Group Office. It is not easy, with many demands on their time both within the LGA and throughout the calendar year of meetings and events. We are lucky to have all of them and on behalf of all our members, thank you for all that you do for me, our executive, regional and member peers, policy boards and wider afield, our many, many elected members.
Thank you Members
Huge thanks to you, our members. I am incredibly proud to lead this group of amazing people, who work tirelessly for residents and communities. To make life better for our communities, we listen, think and work at all levels to protect and enhance the things that really matter in our home areas. We are in a tremendous time of upheaval, rocking our Councils dramatically, with so much at risk. We have a big battle in front of us and each and every one of us will be needed if we are to keep and enhance true local democracy as we know it.
And finally…
As always, please do get in touch with your regional lead peers should you require further help or assistance!
Best wishes,
 Councillor Marianne Overton MBE
Leader of the Independent Group
Vice Chair of the Local Government Association
www.local.gov.uk/lga-independent
NPPF Webinars 2025
The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) are hosting a series of online lunchtime webinars January and February 2025 to provide a structured briefing on the key changes in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published on 16 December 2024. These events will include updates from senior officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Please click on the Eventbrite links below to register for one or all of the workshops:
NPPF workshops 16 Jan 2025: Local plans and transitional arrangements
NPPF workshops 23 Jan 2025: Housing numbers
NPPF workshops 18 Feb 2025: Green Belt & Grey Belt
NPPF workshops 19 Feb 2025: The Golden Rules
Pathways to Planning: new bursary for graduate planner salaries
Pathways to Planning is the graduate recruitment programme which offers councils an affordable and reliable way to attract and retain new planners and has delivered more than 80 new planners in almost 60 different local authorities. The programme covers all recruitment costs and offers a bursary to facilitate the graduates’ postgraduate study and MRTPI accreditation. As a result of the additional funding announced by the Government, Pathways to Planning may be able to provide a select number of councils with an additional bursary to cover part or all of the costs of a graduate planner’s salary. The overall goal of the Pathways to Planning programme is to enable councils who are struggling with recruitment and delivery challenges within their Planning team to access additional resource in the form of a graduate planner. The options for how to allocate any bursaries are under consideration. If you are interested please complete the Expression of Interest form and indicate your preference for salary support. The bursaries will be allocated through an assessment process in early 2025.
Overhaul of local audit
Widespread backlogs in external audit are a considerable concern, and we have called on Government for a resolution. The Government has now published a consultation on its strategy for overhauling local audit; the proposals include the creation of a new Local Audit Office. Respond before the deadline of 29th January. Please have a look and let us know what you think. To contribute to the LGA response, please email them to the LGA Finance Team
Grants for Smoke alarms
A new £20.6m fund is available. Some residential buildings are able to access the fund to replace “Waking Watch” that they had previously.
Compulsory Purchase
You may want to respond to the consultation out now on giving Councils, Mayors and other public bodies powers to compulsory purchase “vacant and derelict” land at a cheaper price to build dwellings. The plan is not to pay the “hope value” where they are delivering in the public interest. Respond before 13 February.
Right to buy
In our submission on the MHCLG consultation on Right to Buy (RTB), the LGA has called on the Government to go further with its reforms of the area, to give local authorities more flexibility and control over how the scheme operates locally amid rising demand to buy homes through the scheme since Autumn Budget discount changes.
Local government pay 2025
The local government unions (UNISON, GMB and Unite) are expected to lodge their 2025 pay claim by the end of this month. We are also expecting to receive pay claims from the unions representing Chief Executives, Chief Officers and Craftworkers. Online regional pay consultation briefings will take place during February and March. All Leaders, Chief Executives, HR and Finance Directors are urged to attend. Please contact your regional employer organisation for details of the event in your area.
Innovation Zone Applications 2025
Each year, the LGA Conference Innovation Zone is a vibrant and creative space which showcases the outstanding, innovative work of councils across a range of service and policy areas. We are now accepting applications from councils, and organisations working with councils, to be part of the Innovation Zone at the LGA Conference 2025, which will take place from 1 – 3 July in Liverpool. Applications on all topics are welcomed. If you are unsure if your idea is relevant, please contact us via Innovation Zone Team we would be happy to provide guidance. Applications close on Monday 3 February 2025.
Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards
Organised by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards recognise and celebrate the success of UK SMEs trading internationally. The Awards recognise and celebrate UK businesses from a wide range of sectors achieving international success. Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards 2025 are now open for entries. Entry is free and open until 9 March 2025. Find out more.
New Year 2026 Honours round
The 2026 New Year Honours round is now open for nominations which can be submitted using this online form with at least two letters of support are needed for each nomination. Nominations should be submitted by midnight, on Monday 3 March 2025. Do contact the honours team you need any help, advice or if you encounter any technical difficulties.
Nominations open for 2025 flooding and coastal erosion awards
Two award schemes are seeking nominations for 2025. The Women in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Awards celebrate professionals of all genders, organisations and stages of their career who are making a real difference to gender equality in the workplace and sector. The Flood and Coast Excellence Awards recognise innovative action in the flood and coast community. Both schemes are open until 28 February 2025.
Dates for the Diary
Be a Councillor North East Regional Event
31 January, Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle
Our ‘Be a Councillor’ regional and online promotional events start at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle, hosted by our North East and Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Lead Peer, Councillor Georgina Hill. The event takes place on Friday 31 January with a start time at 3pm and finishes by 5.30pm. Refreshments will be served. If you know of anyone interested in politics and local government who is looking to stand in the upcoming county council elections, and resides in the following areas of Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland as well as Tyne and Wear, please get in touch with Councillor Georgina Hill for more details. Or you can phone her directly on 0775 374 9755. The session will be an opportunity to meet current councillors and hear from them directly about what it means to stand for council and the difference you can make once elected as a councillor. Please do encourage those that you know to attend and show their support for Georgina!
Fire Diversity & Inclusion Champions Network Meeting
Wednesday 22 January 2025, 2.00pm - 3.30pm
The next LGA Fire Diversity & Inclusion Champions Network meeting will be held on Wednesday 22 January at 2-3.30pm via Teams. Our guest speaker for the session will be Linda Francois, who will share the story of her son, Jaden Francois-Esprit, a young Firefighter who died by suicide in 2020. Due to the sensitivity of topics around mental health and suicide the session will be facilitated by Emma Brown from Belong at Work who will help us to ensure safeguarding and support for attendees and our speaker. Please note that this is an event for Fire and Rescue Authority Members only. Please contact Rebecca Johnson if you would like to attend this meeting.
We would also like to remind Members of the date for the next Fire Leadership Essentials Programme which will be held on Tuesday 4th – Wednesday 5th February at Warwick Conferences, Coventry CV4 7SH. The cost of attending this programme is fully subsidised. To book a place or for more information please contact Grace Collins.
Thursday 6 February 2025, 2.00pm - 3.30pm
As part of the LGA’s support for councillor safety, we are offering this session for councillors to build confidence around handling online abuse and intimidation, a growing problem faced by many councillors.
- Session 1: Wednesday 22 January 2025, 9.30am - 12.15pm
- Session 2: Thursday 6 February 2025, 9.30am - 12.15pm
- Session 3: Tuesday 25 February 2025, 9.30am - 12.15pm
Our transformation action learning sets provide a unique development opportunity for councillors and officers to work with peers to explore solutions to transformation challenges in an action learning set environment. Please express your interest in the series you will be available to participate in via this registration form. For any queries about the series please email Tom Denman
Tuesday 25 February 2025, 2.00pm - 3.30pm
Speakers from the Local Government Association, End Furniture Poverty and Liverpool City Council will discuss the work their organisations are doing on crisis support, and will facilitate a discussion on cash, voucher, and material approaches to welfare provision.
Tuesday 11 - Wednesday 12 March 2025, Gateshead
The Annual Fire Conference and Exhibition is a key event in the conference calendar for senior fire officers and members of fire and rescue authorities. The conference provides an opportunity to meet in-person and discuss key strategic and practical developments impacting the fire and rescue sector over the next twelve months.
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