Latest JLGC London activities include new staff arrivals, international engagement, UK visits, and policy exchange work.
In July, our Japanese colleagues, led by our new Director General Toshiyuki Hatano, visited Sevenoaks Town Council at Town Clerk Linda Larter’s invitation. Linda showed us sporting and cultural facilities managed with the council, explaining how developer contributions and heritage funding have revitalised the town, improved public spaces and increased residents’ satisfaction.
Over a working lunch with Town Mayor Victoria Granville and Council Leader Claire Shea, we discussed challenges and opportunities for smaller councils in England and Japan, highlighting town and parish councils’ contribution to communities as local government reorganisation continues across England.
Our thanks to Linda, Cllrs Granville and Shea, and Kassia Estrada-Castillion at the Sevenoaks Town Council team for their hospitality and for strengthening our understanding of the parish sector and local government knowledge exchange.
In August, we visited the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for a session on business planning and housing issues, led by our former colleague Keiko Okawa.
Keiko shared insights into the policy development process and the challenges associated with housing shortages. Conducted entirely in Japanese—a rare opportunity for JLGC—the session enabled deeper discussion and comparative understanding of housing issuesc in both countries.
Our thanks to Tower Hamlets for hosting this valuable inter-municipal exchange and to Keiko for leading it.
Also in August, Japanese staff visited the Oxford Street Development Corporation (OSDC) to explore pedestrianisation plans and a more strategic approach to planning, property and stewardship of public spaces.
Discussions considered the potential democratic deficit associated with new urban governance structures alongside opportunities to shape major urban spaces strategically. Parallels with Tokyo and other global cities highlighted the value of international learning and adapting ideas to different urban and institutional contexts.
Our photograph beside Oxford Circus’s Shibuya-style diagonal scramble crossing provided an apt backdrop. Thanks to CEO Nabeel Khan and Kat Hanna for arranging the visit.
In September, the Japan Local Government Centre (JLGC) and Newcastle University’s Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) jointly organised a seminar and roundtable led by Professor Andy Pike for the Japan Finance Organization for Municipalities (JFM).
Contributors included Mia Gray (University of Cambridge), Mark Sandford (House of Commons Library), Jack Shaw (Groundwork Research), Anthony Breach (Centre for Cities), Hulya Dagdeviren (University of Hertfordshire) and Joanne Pitt (CIPFA), alongside JLGC Director General Toshiyuki Hatano and Shingo Ando, seconded from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Discussions examined changes in English local government finance since 2010, including council pressures, borrowing powers, financial distress and intervention.
Participants explored how resilience depends on funding, political and organisational cultures, governance, council incentives, inequalities between local tax bases, equalisation and central–local relations. They also considered earlier identification and resolution of financial difficulties, support for sustainable tax bases and managing future pressures.
The event offered Japanese colleagues diverse UK perspectives on English local government finance and borrowing, while enabling UK participants to reflect on shared international challenges. Our thanks to all contributors, Professor Andy Pike and CURDS.
In September, JLGC supported JFM’s UK research visit on local government finance and investment. Meetings with the National Wealth Fund in Leeds and Hull City Council, one of its project partners, were followed by a session at the Local Government Association (LGA).
Our thanks to the LGA’s Finance team for sharing expertise on English local government, local authority borrowing and the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB).
The programme enabled UK–Japan exchange and provided insights to inform JFM’s continuing research. We thank everyone who contributed their time and expertise.
In September, we supported a London visit by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Office of the Governor for Policy Planning. Discussions with London Councils, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets explored urban governance, planning and growth.
At London Councils, the focus was the London Growth Plan, strategic collaboration with the GLA and borough coordination on growth priorities and strategic planning. Discussions also covered London-wide planning and development, including responses to housing pressures while protecting community assets and local character.
The visit provided a valuable exchange between Tokyo and London on the challenges and opportunities facing major global cities.
The new JLGC London website provides a refreshed and more accessible platform for sharing information on programmes, events, and UK–Japan local government engagement. The updated site is designed to make it easier for stakeholders to find key resources, follow ongoing activity, and stay up to date with JLGC London’s work.
Alongside the website launch, we’ve reorganised our social media updates and engagement. This is intended to ensure consistent messaging across channels and to encourage timely sharing of news, events, and opportunities, with professional and policy content on our LinkedIn page, and culture and tourism on Instagram. Together, the new website and renewed focus on social media support clearer communication and stronger visibility of JLGC London’s activities.
