On behalf of its membership, the cross-party LGA regularly submits to Government
consultations, briefs parliamentarians and responds to a wide range of parliamentary inquiries. Our recent
responses to government consultations and parliamentary briefings can be found here.
The Local Government Association (LGA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Government’s consultation on aspects of the COVID-19 funding for local government in 2021/22. The LGA is here to support, promote and improve local government. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the LGA has consistently highlighted the financial pressures of the pandemic on local government and continues to make the case that the Government should cover the full impact of the crisis. This response has been approved by members of the LGA Resources Board.
The Local Government Association (LGA) welcomes the opportunity to submit a representation ahead of the Government’s March 2021 Budget. The LGA works to support, promote and improve local government. We will continue to contribute to Government’s national priorities and ambitions 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 that provide sustained outcomes for residents and communities. This submission has been approved by the LGA’s Chairman and leaders of all LGA political groups.
We support the Non-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) Bill which seeks to provide 100 per cent business rates relief for standalone public lavatories in England and Wales. This includes publicly and privately owned, free to use and charging for entry lavatories.
We welcome closer working between the VOA and local authorities. This must be accompanied by measures to significantly reduce the backlog of appeals. The VOA and councils must receive additional funding to implement these changes.
The Local Government Finance Settlement has provided extra money to meet COVID-19 costs, new funding for adult and children’s social care and for councils with responsibility for services such as homelessness, planning, recycling and refuse collection, which will help meet cost and demand pressures next year.
We welcome the opportunity to comment on the proposed new system for audit fee variations. This response has been cleared by lead members of the LGA’s Resources Board.
We agree that the current system for the payment of schools’ business rates could be rationalised, although something like the proposed system is currently used in some unitary authorities for maintained schools. We also note that the proposed system would not alter the liability for business rates and also that it will still be part of school funding formulae and will have to be accounted for as part of schools’ accounts.
The changes in the 2003 Local Government Act and 2003 Capital Finance Regulations that introduced the Prudential Code were a major step in freeing local government from centrally imposed borrowing controls
The Treasury Management Code of Practice (“Treasury Management Code”) was introduced in 2001/02. Local authorities are required to “have regard” to the code in setting up and approving their Treasury Management arrangements.