Briefings and responses

The Autumn Budget has taken a step forward by lifting the housing borrowing cap for some councils. We welcome this announcement, but it does not go far enough.

A summary of the main recommendations of relevance to local government and the LGA's initial response.

This briefing outlines LGA policy on council tax and council tax reform and also highlights work commissioned by the LGA on council tax and alternative forms of funding for local government.

Councils are providing temporary housing for over 70,000 households, including over 120,000 children. The net cost has tripled in the last three years.

Councils once again have a key role in delivering more affordable housing and helping to build 300,000 new homes a year.

Councils once again have a key role in delivering more affordable housing and helping to build 300,000 new homes a year.

Nationally prescribed permitted development rights disempower communities and local councils. The approach inhibits local government’s ability to make decisions on behalf of their communities based on their local knowledge and evidence.

Social housing should be treated as an important national investment and seen as a desirable long-term option for a home.

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

In order to tackle the national housing shortage, councils need to be empowered to build more affordable, good quality homes at scale, and fast, where these are locally needed.