News

More than a million young people in England could be missing formal full-time education, fuelled by significant gaps in education legislation, rising child support needs and a lack of funding.

“At a time when the Government is rightly discussing devolving powers to local areas as part of the Levelling Up White Paper, it is crucial that this is not undermined by sidelining the expertise of local government in the delivery of skills and employment support."

"We are concerned that this is being rolled out too quickly, with inadequate local engagement meaning that other agencies risk being unable to pick up any increases in demand for their services."

"Councils in England face an overall funding gap that is expected to exceed £5 billion 2020. Faced with ongoing and significant funding pressures, the LGA said councils will struggle to maintain current subsidies for bus routes across the country."

Excluding councils from the Government’s newly created Cultural Renewal Taskforce removes the local voice on cultural renewal, the Local Government Association warns. 

The number of local councillors who have reported feeling at risk in their role due to rising levels of abuse and intimidation has increased to a new high in the last year.

“Every area has its own unique labour market. Councils want to unlock this potential talent, using their unrivalled local insight to bring employers, training providers and jobseekers together with their proven track record in delivering more for less."

Non-recyclable materials being placed in the recycling bin contributed to more than half a million tonnes of household recycling being rejected at the point of sorting in 2019/20, the Local Government Association reveals today.

One in 10 councils surveyed had a councillor who had stepped down in their authority since May 2021 due to the requirement for them to attend council meetings in-person.

Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to today’s 70th anniversary of the NHS.