Briefings and responses

The LGA supports the locally led approach to standards and conduct introduced by the Localism Act 2011. Reversing the locally-led approach to standards and conduct would be a backward step. We believe that any future changes to the current framework should be at the discretion of local authorities to introduce and shape in a way that is suitable for their areas.

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Local buses provide 4.7 billion passenger trips a year in England, which is around three times as many trips made by rail. Bus services are key to providing people with access to work, education and leisure time.

This briefing sets out the LGA’s key messages on the subject and our analysis of council revenue account budgets.

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.

The Grenfell Tower fire has exposed the inadequacy of the system by which assurance is provided that cladding systems are safe.

Waste and recycling are among the most valued services any council provides. They are used by all council taxpayers and represent the third biggest spend item in a council’s budget. A doubling of spend by councils to £3.28 billion has seen recycling rates improve 400 per cent in the last decade.

Homelessness is a tragedy for all those it affects and is one of the most visible signs of the nation’s housing crisis. Local government wants to end homelessness by preventing it happening in the first place. We support the Government’s ambition to halve rough sleeping.

The commissioning and provision of adult social care and support is a vital council service that can transform people’s lives. It is a crucial public service that supports working age disabled adults, older people and their carers, as well as promotes their wellbeing and independence.

Schools should also be given greater certainty of future funding, to help them better plan for the spending pressures they face. Three-year budgets should replace annual budgets.