Articles & insights
Thinking on LATCo governance, finance, commercial strategy and performance — published on LinkedIn.
Follow Nullam Method on LinkedIn →Research papers
Failings in LATCos and the Lessons to be Learnt
Eleven years of council-owned company failure — Robin Hood Energy, Brick by Brick, Bristol Energy and more — and the nine recurring failings behind nearly every case.
Read the paper →Research paperSuccesses in LATCos and What Makes Them Last
Every verified LATCo dividend, the companies that genuinely stand up to scrutiny, and the nine marks of a durable council-owned company.
Read the paper →Articles
- 3 November 2026·Business planning
What good looks like in a LATCo business plan
The companies doing it well — Sutton Living's seven stress tests, Essex Cares' transparent 3% margin, Ubico's four years of KPI history — and an 11-point checklist for your next plan. The final part of Inside the LATCo business plan.
Read the article → - 27 October 2026·Business planning
How do LATCo business plans measure up?
26 published plans compared against a best-practice checklist: strong on vision and readability, but only 3 included a SWOT, none showed the Teckal headroom calculation, and none set out a risk appetite statement. Part 2 of Inside the LATCo business plan.
Read the article → - 20 October 2026·Business planning
I went looking for every LATCo business plan in England. Here's what I found.
Findings from 244 council-owned trading companies and 62 documents: only one in five publish a plan, most are strong on purpose but thin on numbers and KPIs, and too many are approved after the year has started. Part 1 of the three-part series Inside the LATCo business plan.
Read the article → - 30 July 2026·Strategy
What Local Authority Trading Companies are actually for
LATCos let councils operate with commercial discipline while serving a public purpose. Beyond the headlines about failures, well-run trading companies generate returns for communities and grow public-sector talent.
Read on LinkedIn → - 23 July 2026·Governance
134 becomes 38: What local government reorganisation really means for your LATCo
England’s councils are consolidating into new unitary authorities. What that means for trading companies — and why LATCo boards should prepare now, before shadow authorities take control in 2027–28.
Read on LinkedIn →
Put the thinking into practice
Take the free diagnostic to see which areas your LATCo should focus on.
Take the free diagnostic