Briefings and responses

Our latest analysis demonstrates that homelessness support (including temporary accommodation) faces a funding gap of £110 million in 2019/20, and £421 million in 2024/25. There are currently 83,700 homeless households in need of temporary accommodation and other forms of support from local authorities.

Vital local services provided by councils face a funding gap of more than £5 billion next year. Councils urgently need some certainty about how local services will be funded

Proposals for reform of the building safety regulatory system - July 2019. The fire at Grenfell Tower exposed systemic failures in the building regulation system. It is right that we seek to correct these failures, to prevent a fire like the one at Grenfell tower from ever occurring again.

The LGA’s view is that the best way to increase housing security is to address the unaffordability of housing, which is a key reason why many people lose their tenancy and become homeless.

The Local Government Association is supportive of proposals to widen access to the national rogue landlord database to tenants and prospective tenants. We are also supportive of expanding the scope of offences leading to entries on the database.

Councils approve nine in ten planning applications and last year worked with developers to permission over 350,000 homes, an 11-year high.

Instead of pushing for more permitted development, Government must continue to work with local government and the mobile industry to share best practice and guidance to help the streamlined deployment of mobile infrastructure within the current planning regime to allow communities to engage in the development of their local areas.

In the previous two years of the Housing Advisers Programme, we have funded over 100 councils to help councils build homes, reduce homelessness, plan for population ageing, understand the student housing market and increase supply of modular housing.

The LGA supports local authorities in their ambition to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions across housing and all their business in the shift towards achieving net zero carbon.

We are calling on the Government to use the Budget to give councils the tools and powers they need to resume their historic role as major housebuilders of good, quality affordable homes for social rent, and to invest in homelessness prevention.