Cllr Shaun Davies

Councillor Shaun Davies is the Chair of the Local Government Association and Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council.

Shaun was elected as LGA Chair in July 2023, becoming the youngest ever Chair of the Association, and having served previously as LGA Labour Group Leader (where he attended Shadow Cabinet) and as LGA Senior Vice-Chair. 

In his inaugural speech as Chair at LGA annual conference, he outlined his vision for the LGA - including a focus on the role of councils in supporting care leavers, influencing party manifestos and preparing for the first King’s Speech of a returning or new government, and ensuring the LGA is the very best membership organisation it can be, working day-in day-out for the benefit of its councils, councillors and residents as the national voice of local government. 

As part of his ambition for the LGA to be “General Election ready”, he has championed the production of a cross-party White Paper outlining how local government could work with central government in a new equal partnership and deliver services and support faster, better, and more efficiently. This work on a new local deal, and Shaun’s programme of visits to member councils across the country, is designed to ensure that the LGA reflects the voice of councils of all tiers, regions, and parties. 

In the context of significantly reduced Whitehall funding and higher demand for council services, Shaun continues to ensure the LGA is focused on making the case for multi-year settlements and appropriate funding for the hundreds of services our residents rely on. 

At home, and as Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council since May 2016, Shaun became the youngest Leader of an English council upon his election, is the longest serving Leader in Telford and Wrekin Council’s history, and led the Council to a number of ‘local authority of the year’ awards, including at the MJ Awards. Alongside securing one of the largest recent Direct Foreign Investments into the UK and overseeing the transformation of the council’s Children’s Services from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Outstanding’, his ‘inspirational’ leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic meant Shaun was a finalist for the LGIU Council Leader of the Year in 2021