The LGA's media office provides the national voice of local government in England and Wales on the major issues of the day for national, regional and local press.
“To further tackle air pollution, the Government needs to use the Queen’s Speech to give councils more powers, like the ability for them all to enforce moving traffic offences."
“Councils are best-placed to ensure chargepoints are delivered in the right places and avoiding inappropriate or poor siting. All councils need to benefit and have full flexibility to maximise the impact of the funding."
“This funding, and recent government announcements pledging more money for local roads is positive, but has to be viewed in the context that councils face a £12 billion roads repair backlog bill."
The LGA has long-called for the ban on pavement parking to be extended to all areas of England, with councils able to make exemptions, so we are pleased government has launched this consultation.
“It is councils who know their local areas best, so they should be given the freedom to work with their local communities to get on with planning active travel infrastructure such as cycling schemes."
“Councils are determined to reduce the impact of harmful emissions on the health of our communities but if the Government’s air quality plans and any new local powers are to be successful, they need to be underpinned by local flexibility and sufficient funding.
“Councils also need local powers to further tackle air pollution, particularly with regard to moving traffic offences, government support on planning and transport matters, and robust national action to help the country transition to low-emission vehicles and power generation.”
"The recent funding announcements came as a disappointment for many councils, with more than half of the areas that applied for more support receiving no funding and over a third of the country’s population missing out."
“Local bus services can be a lifeline to older and vulnerable residents and can also play a key role in tackling congestion and reducing greenhouse gases"
"It is essential that councils can use this new funding to protect services and reverse the reductions in local bus routes forced on local authorities from the £700 million annual funding gap councils face in providing the concessionary fares scheme."