Public want to know more about council decision making, survey suggests

More than a quarter of the public (26%) wish to have more of a say in how decisions are taken in their local areas, a survey from the LGiU has suggested.

In a report detailing the findings of its annual' State of the Locals' poll carried out by Ipsos, the LGiU noted that a "large proportion of respondents think that decisions affecting the local area should be made by an equal mix of residents and local experts".

The survey also revealed a lack of knowledge of local government, with almost two-thirds of respondents (63%) reporting that they did not know "very much / at all" about the work of their local councillors.

Meanwhile, 65% said they knew "not very much / at all" about how decisions are made by their local authority.

The survey found that 36% of respondents want more information on how decisions are taken in their area but "don't want to be involved beyond that".

Twenty-six per cent of respondents meanwhile said they would "like to have more of a say in how decisions are taken" in their areas – and 8% said they would like to become actively involved in decision-making.

Around half of the respondents (45%) supported responsibility for local decision-making being shared between local residents and local decision-makers with expertise in these areas.

The LGiU report said: "Bringing people into the decision-making loop is fundamental to revitalising their relationship with councils and the services that they deliver.

"Our polling demonstrates that the public is eager for residents' voices to be heard in decision-making alongside experts. Local government, together with communities, must start exploring what that mix should look like and, more broadly, examine what we mean by local representation within a democratic framework."

The polling also revealed a rising lack of trust in government across the board.

Almost three-quarters (71%) of respondents said they did not trust the UK Government very much or at all, up 7% since 2023.

The majority of respondents (53%) said they did not trust their council very much or at all.

The LGiU said: "While public trust in government has fallen across the board, local government remains more trusted than Westminster.

"This is a far from positive outcome but it does indicate the potential for rebuilding public trust in government from the ground up, harnessing the connection that people have with local decision making."

It added: "Reflecting this opportunity, the results show that people, on the whole, feel that local residents should be included with experts in decision-making processes.

"This indicates an appetite for a rebalancing of power and that local government is well situated as a site for experimentation in new forms of democracy and representation."

Adam Carey