Institute for Government
Non-partisan UK governance think tank, analysing Parliament, Whitehall, and public administration.
In its 19 May 2026 governance brief, the Institute for Government counted a record 61 English councils under No Overall Control and flagged 22% of social-care councils as reliant on emergency financial support.
Last refreshed: 26 July 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
What does the IfG's record 61 NOC councils finding mean for British democracy?
Timeline for Institute for Government
Mentioned in: ONS revision halves the £8.1bn overshoot
Is Britain Actually Broke?Healey rules out three big tax rises
Is Britain Actually Broke?Mentioned in: Britain abolishes DSIT, splits its remit three ways
European Tech SovereigntyMentioned in: England loses 96 councils by 2028
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: Labour crumbles in two more wards
UK Local Elections 2026Background
The Institute for Government is an Independent, non-partisan think tank based in Westminster, founded in 2008 and funded primarily by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. It publishes research on government effectiveness and rapid analysis of major policy decisions, and its non-partisan reputation makes its critical characterisations difficult for ministers to dismiss as opposition research.
During the 2026 election cycle it served as a primary Independent source for local government statistics, deliberately excluding 162 Surrey shadow council seats from its Headline candidate count on the grounds those councillors were being elected to authorities not yet legally constituted, and it characterised MHCLG's handling of local election postponements as "a government fiasco".
Its durable role across the topic is as the Independent analytical voice cited by both government and its critics on the state of English local government finance and structure, most visibly in its running calculation of the statutory spending pressures squeezing county budgets.
IfG tracks England's council fiscal strain
The Institute for Government's 19 May 2026 governance brief found a record 61 English councils under No Overall Control after that month's elections, with 22% of social-care authorities balancing budgets only through Exceptional Financial Support. The finding gave an early, non-partisan reading of how fragile the sector's finances had become before ministers finalised the reorganisation programme.
Commenting on Suffolk County Council's 29 June vote to press on with its judicial review of that programme, the IfG noted an incoming Burnham government's stance on the wider reorganisation remained unresolved, a gap its analysts continued to flag as decisions moved through the summer.
Why did the IfG call the Surrey shadow councils situation a fiasco?
What is 'election by thirds' in UK council elections?
What does No Overall Control mean and how many councils have it?
What did the IfG say about the 2026 local elections?
What does the Institute for Government do?
What did the IfG say about the government's handling of election postponements?
Why does the IfG seat count differ from the Democracy Club figure?
When was the Institute for Government founded?
How many English councils have no overall control after the 2026 elections?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 26 July 2026. Editorial standards.