Councils want the LGA to do more to promote and defend the reputation of local government.  The new LGA Chair, Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell, has called for a “renaissance of confidence in the vital work we do” with a unanimous motion passed at the LGA conference in Birmingham this week calling on the organisation to step up a gear in countering what is seen as unfair criticism. But, as delegates made clear this is a not a call for a slick marketing campaign.

Instead the need is to realign public perceptions through greater engagement and transparency, with localism and local councillors at the fore. Therefore it is worth considering what public perceptions actually are and whether they need to and can actually change. New research from the LGA/LGinsight (pdf) suggests that the “renaissance of confidence” is as much about challenging the views of local councils as it is about local residents. It is not residents who need to listen less to the media, but local government itself.