University of Essex launches East of England case studies to strengthen local government financial resilience

The University of Essex and CIPFA are working with local authorities in the East of England as part of the development of the Governmental Financial Resilience Toolkit, a practical self-assessment tool designed to help local authorities reflect on how prepared they are to anticipate, respond to and learn from financial shocks.

Local governments are facing increasing financial and service pressures, including rising demand, inflation, funding uncertainty, demographic change and organisational reform. These challenges mean councils need more than financial indicators alone to understand their resilience. They also need to assess the organisational capacities that shape how they identify risks, make decisions, share information and respond under pressure.

The East of England case studies will help demonstrate how the Toolkit can be used in practice. By working directly with local authorities, the project will explore how councils can use the results to identify strengths, weaknesses and blind spots, support internal dialogue, and inform more practical follow-up action.

The case studies will provide practical learning for local authorities, policymakers and public finance professionals. They will also support the continued development of the Toolkit, ensuring it remains relevant, accessible and useful for practitioners.

The Governmental Financial Resilience Toolkit has been developed by researchers at the University of Essex, building on more than a decade of international research on local government financial resilience.

For more information about the project or to discuss participation in future case studies, please contact: ileana.steccolini@essex.ac.uk