Insights

Don’t wait for national social care reform to solve your financial problems; start now by understanding what you're spending on prevention, what it achieves, and how preventative investment can help manage future demand and financial risk. That’s the topic of this blog written by our Director, Laura Power-Wharton. The national picture It’s great to see...

Across the country, decisions on local government reorganisation are landing. Structures are being confirmed, shadow authorities are forming, and a wave of councils are moving from the decision phase and into the delivery phase. In this blog, written by Laura Bridges, Director and LGR lead at 31ten, Laura sets out key considerations for councils facing...

As Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) accelerates across England, councils face the challenge of delivering significant structural change while continuing to support economic growth and investment. But how can leaders ensure growth remains a priority when organisational transformation demands so much attention? First-hand insights of LGR Drawing on insights from a recent senior leaders' virtual roundtable...

By Siena Caridi-Ross, Consultant, 31ten Consulting When we commission services, we talk about people constantly. We meet with stakeholders, gather opinions, design specifications, and engage suppliers. But if these services exist to support residents, why are residents so rarely part of the process?  In this blog, written by 31ten’s Consultant Siena Caridi-Ross, we delve into...

With the news, and indeed Downing Street abuzz, with talk of a potential No.10 office in Manchester, at 31ten, we are thinking ahead to what this could mean for devolution.   Greater Manchester has been one of devolution’s great success stories.  Arguably, a non-London centric No.10 outpost would be better placed in an ‘up-and-coming’ combined authority, rather than the mature combined authority that is Greater Manchester. However, the proposed...

At 31ten Consulting, Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) is not a separate initiative, it is embedded into the way we operate as a business. As a certified B Corp, we are committed to balancing commercial performance with positive environmental and community impact, and we recognise the important role businesses such as our own has to play...

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is often discussed in structural terms; which councils merge, what the new boundaries look like, how services will be configured. But behind every reorganisation decision is a group of leaders facing the far more personal challenge of guiding their people through deep uncertainty, while managing their own. In this blog our...

And what we can learn from Families First With significant changes to the SEND system planned nationally, local authorities are in the process of finalising and submitting reform plans that outline how they will transform locally.  At our recent webinar, Support with the 2026 SEND Reforms, together with our co-hosts, Mime- data specialists for local government, we brought together local government leaders and officers with responsibility...

A new policy for fairness The Government’s reintroduction of a 10‑year rent convergence mechanism marks a significant moment for councils with social rent stock. While convergence policy has existed previously, the new framework creates refreshed opportunity and complex decisions for social landlords. The new policy aims to ensure fairness in the rents charged; at present...