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 councils under No Overall Control after the May elections and flagged 22% of English social-care councils as reliant on emergency financial support.
Last refreshed: 24 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does the IfG's record 61 NOC councils finding mean for British democracy?
Timeline for Institute for Government
Mentioned in: England loses 96 councils by 2028
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: Labour crumbles in two more wards
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: The finance bill Reform outran returns
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: UK launches £96m Sovereign AI wave
European Tech SovereigntyFlagged that LGR continuity under a Burnham government is unresolved
UK Local Elections 2026: Suffolk fights on over council shake-upBackground
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.
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.