The Business and Planning Bill is a positive step in the journey towards economic recovery, supporting the reopening of hospitality businesses as well as setting out measures to boost construction.
Key messages
- Local government’s delivery of important public services during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the value of place-based leadership. It has demonstrated how national polices are best achieved with local flexibilities and councils as democratically elected leaders should be free to shape priorities locally as they work best in their communities.
- Councils want to work with the Government to develop post COVID-19 recovery options. The economic, social and environmental recovery our communities need will look different in different areas of the country and only a locally coordinated response will be effective. As the economy is being re-opened, businesses that were forced to close have looked to local government for guidance and support about how they can reopen safely.
- The Business and Planning Bill is a positive step in the journey towards economic recovery, supporting the reopening of hospitality businesses as well as setting out measures to boost construction.
- We are supportive of amendments to prevent or limit smoking within pavement licenses, so that everyone can benefit from the provisions in the Bill to enable increased outdoor dining.
- It is also important that proposed licensing measures are amended to provide reassurance to local communities about the hours during which alcohol can be sold off-premises, as well as to protect people’s safety by limiting the use of glass outside.
- The full set of LGA key messages on the legislation can be read in our previous parliamentary briefings available on our website.
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