LG2040 is the LGA’s flagship futures research programme.
‘Forces shaping local government’, its first-phase report published in July, examines the trends likely to shape councils and communities over the next 15 years.
One of its clearest warnings is the continued loss of social infrastructure: libraries, parks, youth centres, leisure facilities, community hubs, sports clubs and shared public spaces.
These places are not optional extras. They help reduce loneliness, support families, keep young people engaged and enable older people to stay connected.
They are often where problems are identified early, long before someone needs urgent or costly support.
When social infrastructure disappears, the need does not disappear with it. Instead, it can emerge through greater pressure on the NHS, policing, mental health services, housing, social care and community safety.
That challenge is becoming more urgent as pressures on communities grow more complex. People are living longer, young people face increasingly insecure prospects, health inequalities remain deeply rooted in many areas, and climate shocks and economic uncertainty continue to affect local places.
The strength of a community’s social fabric can determine whether these pressures are managed early or allowed to become crises.
Councils are already finding new ways to support residents sooner, use data more effectively and build stronger local partnerships. But local innovation alone cannot compensate for rising demand, tight budgets and short-term funding.
A stronger future for local government will require sustainable long-term funding, greater freedom to join up services and more scope to invest in prevention. It will also require national recognition that social infrastructure is central to community resilience and better public services.
- Find out more about LG2040.