Briefings and responses

This briefing summarised the guidance and some of the key issues councils and combined authorities will need to consider in advance of further details about the UKSPF being released.

The UK’s exit from the EU represents an opportunity to provide local areas with new ways to manage their economies. We have made the case for reforming the funding landscape to secure better outcomes and a key chance to deliver this priority is the design of the UKSPF.

The UK system of devolution is unequal. Councils across England need to be given control over public services and investments.

Overall, we have significant concerns with the proposed changes to the Prudential Code and these are outlined in our response to the consultation on that. We are equally concerned at how those changes interact with and impact on the Treasury Management Code. In particular we are concerned that activity that is currently seen as good practice in Treasury Management will be restricted to the detriment of councils’ finances.

The response to, and recovery from, an emergency is carried out first and foremost at the local level. Better coordination between the local, regional and national levels of response and greater support for organisations involved in response planning is needed to share and apply learning from exercises and real-life events.

Councils are working hard to deliver the right kind of homes, and are currently approving nine out of ten planning permissions. However, planning departments are severely under-resourced. Taxpayers are subsidising the costs of planning applications by around £200 million a year.

The LGA believes this is a progressive piece of legislation that would undoubtedly impact on smoking prevalence and ultimately reduce rates of smoking-related disease. We look forward to working with the Government and others to enforce this ban as well as ensure plans for a smokefree generation are a success.

White Ribbon UK is part of the global White Ribbon movement to end men’s violence against women. UK White Ribbon Day, on 25 November 2021, is a national day to raise awareness, educate and campaign to change the cultures that lead to violence against women and girls and marks the start of the 16 days of Action to end gender-based violence. 

Local government holds a range of views about the future of Britain’s relationship with the EU and the LGA remained neutral during the referendum campaign.

The green paper is a step towards delivering more social homes but it is only a small step, compared with the huge and immediate need for more genuinely affordable homes.