Study reveals 72% of residents trust councils

The research was conducted as part of the LGA’s appraisal on the sector-led approach for delivering improvement.

Two-thirds of residents surveyed trust their council, compared with a third expressing the same trust in parliament. On the sector-led approach, three-quarters of council policy chiefs said it was the right way forward, with 95% confident in their ability to deliver change.

Cllr Peter Fleming, chair of the LGA's Improvement Board, said: “Not only was the old system of inspection and centrally-set targets incredibly expensive to administer and out of touch considering 70% of council spending is now raised locally, it simply wasn't achieving results.

“The sector-led approach to improvement is not a replacement for inspection. It offers us a new way to ensure all councils meet the expectations and needs of their residents by giving us the freedom to establish a constructive and positive environment in which to share new ideas and work with one another to implement best practice.

“It is really encouraging to see senior officers and elected members engaging with the approach and taking up the LGA's offer of support. I have also heard nothing but positive things from ministers and civil servants in the Department for Communities and Local
Government.

“Ultimately we are answerable to our residents and the new approach to driving change is helping to improve services to meet local needs and offers transparency for both local and national audiences.”

To find out more about the report please click here