SIGOMA's next chapter

Posted on June 25, 2026

Writing in The MJ, our Acting Chair, Mayor Chris Cooke, highlights the upcoming SIGOMA AGM as a key moment to confirm new leadership and set priorities, alongside work on a new strategy and manifesto for a fairer, more sustainable local government finance system.

The local elections marked an important moment for the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA). I have written to each of our new leaders to welcome them to SIGOMA and underline their role in shaping our work. Our strength is our ability to come together across political parties to advocate for the needs of our councils, and that collective approach will be more important than ever in the months ahead.

The SIGOMA AGM in July will confirm new leadership arrangements under a proportional governance model that reflects the make-up of our membership. More than that, it will be a chance to align around the priorities that will define the next phase of our work.

In recent years, SIGOMA has secured tangible and hard-won progress for members. The Fair Funding Review represented a step forward, ensuring that resources better match the level of need in councils' communities. This was coupled with the continuation of the Recovery Grant; this additional support has been vital in helping to stabilise finances for many of SIGOMA's members.

However, long-standing challenges remain. That is why SIGOMA is now developing a new strategy, including a manifesto to be launched later this year.

This work sets out reforms to move local government finance towards a system that is fair, stable, and sustainable over the long term, including a funding framework that explicitly recognises deprivation as a key driver of demand.

Alongside the funding system itself, the manifesto will consider reform to Business Rates and Council Tax. These taxes play a significant role in shaping the distribution of resources, but contain structural weaknesses that limit their ability to support high-need areas. The manifesto will examine how these systems can be reformed to better reflect differences in tax capacity, improve transparency, and operate more coherently alongside national funding.

At the same time, there is an urgent need for long-term solutions to policy pressures that undermine financial stability, from SEND to adult social care and children's services, where councils are experiencing sustained financial and operational strain and where current arrangements are not viable without national reform.

SIGOMA's focus is therefore twofold: ensuring that the progress we have made to date is protected, while also setting out a clear and ambitious plan to create a more stable and sustainable system for the future.

By speaking with a unified voice, we are well placed to shape that next stage on behalf of our communities.

You can read the full article in The MJ here.