Briefings and responses

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities held a consultation on implementation of plan-making reforms between 25 July and 18 October 2023. A genuinely local, plan-led system delivers positive outcomes for places and communities. The LGA are supportive of the plan-making process being sped up in order to help achieve greater coverage of plans across the country, but only where there is no dilution of plan quality, and democratic and community engagement.

The Government needs to give social housing providers clear guidance on what materials can be used to replace unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding.

A local, plan-led system continues to be vital in ensuring that councils and the communities they represent have a say over the way places develop. This includes the delivery of homes, where locally required, and the supporting infrastructure needed to create sustainable, resilient places. This will be even more critical as we move towards recovery after COVID-19.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Delivery of the new building safety regime is dependent on council building control and the fire service. The funding to achieve the necessary increase in skills and capacity has not yet been agreed and we are concerned that it may be inadequate. The LGA asks that new funding is administered to councils and fire services to deliver this new work.

The most controversial aspect of the Bill remains the question of who pays to remediate the consequences of twenty years of systemic failure in building safety.

The LGA has a set of core asks around the Building Safety Bill. These are addressed in order of priority.