in circles

My piece ‘Local elections don’t matter’ is the leading item on the New Statesman webpage this morning, the day many go to the vote. You can probably guess my views (though please don’t ask me to who vote for).

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/05/local-elections-dont-matter

The argument in a nutshell is that local government is a misnomer. Beyond parking and those aspects of planning still under its control, it does not govern in a truly local sense. Local authorities are now enfeebled service-delivery arms of what Westminster decides.

Public understanding of what local government actually does is remarkably low, and the leaflets through my door suggest every party is happy to keep it that way.

Alongside my academic work, I’ve been conducting fieldwork in three parts of England for over three years. I’ve met excellent, deeply committed councillors, particularly in Barking and Dagenham – some of whom face losing their seats today; I’ve also come across exceptionally poor ones in the Fens. My views are not their views. My positions are carefully set out in a number of reports, including this one, just published, No-one left behind, ten years on: A briefing on inclusive growth in Barking and Dagenham, 2016-2026.

I’m now writing a new book, bringing to life the stories of hundreds of people I’ve worked with across England over the last few years. It asks what’s left when the state is hollowed out, trust unravels, living standards shrink and a politics of resentment replaces hope. It combines front-line reportage from Gateshead, Barking and the Fens with a deeper conceptual excavation of purpose and power. It is an angry book with a clear political message. If anyone has any suggestions about representation, etc., do get in touch.

Though we made this film last year in the Fens about infrastructure and local democracy, little has substantively changed. It sets out the scene in the Fens, and the writing, including The case for Fen Power is a radical, idealistic case for socialist renewal that grows out of England’s deprived, angry hinterlands.

A phrase I’ve heard a number of times over the last few years in shabby libraries and community centres: ‘the worm is for turning’. Where it turns is unclear.