Briefings and responses

We support the principle of biodiversity net gain and the broader ambitions of the 25 Year Environment Plan to be the first generation to leave our natural environment in a better state than we found it.

Between 2010 and 2020, councils will have lost almost 60p in every £1 of central government funding. This has created an unsustainable gap in council funding that is having a significant impact on the services which local authorities deliver in their communities.

The Local Government Association is here to support, promote and improve local government. We will fight local government's corner and support councils through challenging times by making the case for greater devolution, helping councils tackle their challenges and assisting them to deliver better value for money services.

Councils are approving 9 in 10 planning application and in almost 70 per cent of planning appeal cases the Planning Inspectorate uphold councils’ decisions.

Research commissioned by the LGA reveals that the skills gap is worsening. By 2024 there will be more than four million too few high-skilled people to take up available jobs, two million too many with intermediate skills and more than six million too many low-skilled.

Children should be supported to get the best, not just to get by. It is however increasingly challenging to turn this ambition into a reality when the financial pressures are forcing an increasing number of councils to make difficult decisions about the allocation of limited resources.

A summary of the main recommendations of relevance to local government and the LGA's initial response.

This briefing provides a summary of the Strategy, with a specific focus on those elements which are most likely to directly impact upon local government. The key concepts within the strategy are subject to consultation which is likely to take place from January 2019 onwards.

The LGA has long called for businesses and manufacturers to pay the full cost of recycling or disposing of their packaging.

The Bill provides a vital opportunity for long-awaited reform. It is important that this opportunity is not missed and that the Bill is passed as the current situation is not sustainable for councils and our communities.