Bailiffs are last resort for collecting council tax

Finance

24 May 2013
Councillor Sir Merrick Cockell responds to the council tax benefit reforms.

LGA responds to report on PCCs

Community safety

22 May 2013
Read Cllr Mehboob Khan, Chair of the LGA's Safer and Stronger Communities Board's response to the Home Affairs Select Committee's report on PCCs.

Residents satisfied with councils despite cuts

Localism

21 May 2013
Residents continue to trust their local council and remain satisfied with their performance and delivery of services despite local authorities managing tough financial pressures.

Care Bill, Second Reading: LGA briefing

Health

20 May 2013
The LGA is committed to supporting a care bill passing into law in order to achieve the reforms so urgently needed. Ahead of the Care Bill's Second Reading tomorrow, access the LGA's full briefing.

Council investment could stop housing slump

Housing

16 May 2013
The national housebuilding slump could be halted by a council-backed programme to build tens of thousands of new homes.

Pause

Councillor's Guide 2013/14

22 May 2013
The LGA knows how hard councillors work and how time precious you are. That's why we've created a new look Councillor's Guide for 2013/14. This handy guidance provides all newly-elected members with tips and advice on how to thrive in this demanding and varied role. Access it now.

Firstonline blogs

16 May 2013
Provocative, pithy and sometimes controversial – these are the latest opinion pieces from our Firstonline blog area. Catch up with the views of MPs, councillors and leading figures in the local government arena. This week we feature a councillor who advocates that English local government should be the beneficiaries from a devolution of power from the centre.

Culture

Firstonline – cultural capital

16 May 2013
Establishing itself as the cultural capital of Lincolnshire has helped strengthen the tourism economy in the coastal district of East Lindsey, writes Councillor Doreen Stephenson.

Recent news on:

Radical reform for looked-after children

9 May 2013

Read Councillor David Simmonds response to the Care Leavers Coalition's report ‘Still our children'.

Council leaders issue clarion call over measles vaccination programme

25 April 2013

New figures published by Public Health England show that the current outbreak is under control, with 587 cases reported between January and March compared to 2,000 for the whole of last year, but this is still too high say council bosses.

Starting a national conversation: raising awareness of CSE

The LGA has launched an eight-week national conversation to gather views, ideas and existing practice. Your input will help shape a set of resources to be published in the summer. Deadline extension: 24 April 2013

Plans to speed up adoption set out by councils

4 April 2013

Children in care would be found a home with adoptive parents more quickly under new plans outlined today to reform the adoption system. In a joint submission to Government, councillors, chief executives and directors of children's services have set out proposals to significantly increase the number of adopters recruited and speed up the process of finding new homes for children in care.

LGA responds to NASUWT teacher compensation figures

29 March 2013

Cllr John Merry, Vice-Chair of the LGA's Children and Young People Board responds to new teacher compensation figures from NASUWT teaching union.

LGA responds to NAO report on capital funding for new school places

15 March 2013

Councillor David Simmonds, Chair of the LGA's Children and Young People Board, responds to the National Audit Office report on capital funding for new school places.

Councils respond to select committee report on youth justice system

14 March 2013

Councillor David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA's Children and Young People Board, responds to the Justice Committee's report on youth justice system failings.

Delays condemn children to studying in crumbling schools

12 March 2013

Tens of thousands of children are being condemned to studying in dilapidated school buildings because of Government delays in providing the funding earmarked to fix them, local government leaders are warning.

Government adoption reforms could make it harder for families to receive post-adoption support

6 March 2013

Councillor David Simmonds, Chair of the LGA's Children and Young People Board, responds to the House of Lords Committee on Adoption Legislation's call for post-adoption support to be made a legal requirement.

LGA responds to Home Affairs Select Committee report into PCCs

22 May 2013

Read Cllr Mehboob Khan, Chair of the LGA's Safer and Stronger Communities Board's response to the Home Affairs Select Committee's report on PCCs.

LGA responds to Sir Ken Knight's Fire Service Efficiency Review

17 May 2013

The LGA responds to Sir Ken Knight's review of fire and rescue services.

LGA responds to draft Consumer Rights Bill in Queen's Speech

8 May 2013

LGA responds to proposals to update consumer protection laws with a new Bill of Rights, which would allow trading standards officers to seek compensation on behalf of consumers through the courts but remove their power to enter premises unannounced.

Anti-Social Behaviour Bill in Queen's Speech – LGA response

8 May 2013

LGA responds to the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill in the Queen's Speech, which includes flexibility for local authorities to use tools such as the community protection measures in a locally appropriate way.

Councils could be handed greater powers to tackle 'rogue' taxi and private hire vehicle operators

4 May 2013

‘Rogue' taxi and private hire operators who endanger passenger safety could face a crackdown after council leaders urged the Government to hand them tougher powers.

Crime levels continue to fall in core cities

25 April 2013

Crime levels in the eight largest cities outside of London have fallen by nearly a third since 2007, according to leading crime research from the Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science at University College London. Cllr Mehboob Khan, Chairman of the LGA's Safer and Stronger Communities Board, comments.

LGA backs latest fire safety campaign

27 March 2013

Responding to the latest 'Fire Kills' campaign, which urges the public to test their fire alarm when they change their clocks this Sunday, Cllr Sian Timoney, Vice-Chair of LGA Fire Service Management Committee, said: "Prevention initiatives, such as these, by the Fire and Rescue Service have had a real impact on the total number of fires and fatalities in the last few years."

Free event: heritage and the local historic environment

Cllr Flick Rea invites you to a free event for portfolio holders responsible for heritage, and heritage champions. It aims to help advocate for the contribution heritage can make to council priorities and will involve sharing good practice and the skills needed to promote heritage in difficult financial times.

Olympic Torch relay cost – LGA response

20 May 2013

Cllr Flick Rea, Chair of the Local Government Association's Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, responds to reports that councils spent £6 million on hosting the Olympic Torch relay.

Big Lunch, big impact

16 May 2013

The Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) has recently released a report which analyses the social impact of the Big Lunch since its launch in 2009, writes Sir Tim Smit, Co-founder of the Big Lunch and the Eden Project.

Roll-out of super-fast fibre broadband

The rural Northumberland town of Rothbury is set to become one of the first areas in the UK to access super-fast fibre broadband, meanwhile the LGA continues to support councils and urge Government to ensure state aid issues for the urban programme are resolved as soon as possible.

Libraries e-lending review

The DCMS has published the e-Lending review, which includes information on how council libraries can play their part in the digital revolution.

Everyone for tennis – Olympics legacy case studies

Local councils have been working closely with the Lawn Tennis Association to produce a programme of parks tennis for all ages and abilities. Read how it was done... (picture courtesy of the LTA)

Leadership Academy: Transforming the delivery of sport in local communities

Following a successful leadership academy held in February 2013, the LGA and Sport England are pleased to be able to offer another two-day programme to assist councillors lead transformational change in their sport and leisure services.

Libraries to improve digital access

Six major libraries across the UK will be given the right to collect, preserve and provide long-term access to the increasing proportion of the nation's cultural and intellectual output that appears in digital form.

Boosting economic growth through the visitor economy

VisitEngland is working closely with partners in local enterprise partnership (LEP) areas where tourism has been identified as a priority and has produced briefings providing support and guidance.

Independent review of architecture and the built environment

The Government has appointed Sir Terry Farrell to lead an independent review of architecture and the built environment. The LGA has written to Sir Terry, inviting him to a future Culture, Tourism and Sport Board meeting.

Olympics legacy boost – £150m for primary school sport in England

The Government has announced funding for school sport and PE worth £150 million a year for the next two years. The ringfenced money will be given directly to primary schools in England. (Pic courtesy London 2012)

Councils secure safe boost to community activity

Concerts, plays, community and fundraising events are a huge and important part of cultural life in this country, and councils want to make it as easy as possible for people to hold them. Small events, festivals and cultural activities are also worth up to £2 billion each year to the UK economy.

Funding available for local projects to remember the Great War

2014 sees the centenary of the start of the First World War. More than £50 million has been allocated for a "historic" commemoration of the centenary of the start of World War I, Prime Minister David Cameron has announced.

On-the-day briefing Budget 2013: 20 March 2013

Access the LGA's full briefing on the Budget, which provides comprehensive analysis and evaluation of what the Chancellor's financial statement will mean for local government.

LGA submission to HM Treasury March 2013

Ahead of the upcoming Budget and Spending Review, read the LGA's submission to the Treasury. The proposals are founded on two major offers: to help government promote growth more effectively; and to drive efficiency and public satisfaction with public services.

Budget should help councils deliver jobs, homes and growth – LGA

12 March 2013

An ambitious devolution of powers to local areas in next week's Budget could cut youth unemployment by 20 per cent, deliver 60,000 new homes and significantly increase councils' capacity to promote national economic recovery, town hall leaders have said.

New approach to cut youth unemployment by 20 per cent

2 February 2013

A new local approach to tackling long-term youth unemployment could see the number of young people out of work cut by 20 per cent in three years, according to new research by local government leaders.

LGA responds to road works permit announcement

23 January 2013

Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the Local Government Association's Economy and Transport Board, said: "Making it easier for councils to control when and how utility road works are carried out will help them keep disruption to motorists and local businesses to a minimum".

Extra council staff drafted in to help with snow effort, while residents urged to look out for grit thieves

22 January 2013

Bin men, street sweepers, park rangers and housing officers have been drafted in to help clear snow and ice, while other council staff are calling in on elderly residents to deliver hot food, medicine and extra blankets.

Housebuilding slump could be tackled by council investment

16 May 2013

The national housebuilding slump could be halted by a council-backed programme to build tens of thousands of new homes.

LGA responds to Government's revised home extensions planning policy

22 April 2013

Read the comments of Councillor Mike Jones, Chairman of the LGA's Environment and Housing Board, as he responds to the Government's revised home extensions planning policy recently debated in the House of Lords.

Government's home extensions free-for-all must give neighbours a say

19 April 2013

Government's home extensions free-for-all must be curbed to protect people's right to have a say on building work that will have an impact on where they live, councils are warning.

LGA responds to MPs vote on home extensions opt-out amendment

16 April 2013

Read the comments of Councillor Mike Jones, Chair of the LGA's Environment and Housing Board as he responds to MPs voting against the amendment to allow local authorities to opt-out of relaxed home extension planning rules.

Planning laws: phone mast threat

25 February 2013

New planning laws aimed at accelerating the roll-out of broadband across Britain could also give free rein for 50 foot high mobile phone masts to be built anywhere developers choose to put them.

Councils warn of impact of letting agent rip-offs and rogue landlords

4 February 2013

Extortionate fees charged by some letting agents are exacerbating the housing crisis, local government leaders are warning.

Radical public sector reform can save billions and improve services

25 March 2013

A report published today shows how a radical transformation of the public sector can save billions of pounds while helping the elderly stay in their own homes for longer, improving employment prospects for school leavers, reducing re-offending and better supporting victims of domestic violence.

Councils respond to Government launch of Community Budget support network

22 March 2013

Responding to today's announcement by Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis of the launch of a multi-agency network to support Community Budgets, LGA Chairman Sir Merrick Cockell said: "The prospect of further cuts to already squeezed council budgets means that local services will suffer significantly unless we radically transform the way they are provided and paid for. There is no other option."

On-the-day briefing Budget 2013: 20 March 2013

Access the LGA's full briefing on the Budget, which provides comprehensive analysis and evaluation of what the Chancellor's financial statement will mean for local government.

LGA submission to HM Treasury March 2013

Budget should help councils deliver jobs, homes and growth – LGA

12 March 2013

Interactive map shows scale of savings made through shared services

25 January 2013

LGA research has highlighted that local authorities have saved council taxpayers more than £250 million by teaming up to deliver frontline services and by sharing back office functions.

LGA response to launch of integrated health and social care framework

14 May 2013

Read the comments of LGA Chairman Sir Merrick Cockell as he responds to the announcement from the Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb on health and social care. Also access the LGA's co-produced 'Integrated Care and Support: our shared commitment' – a framework document on integration.

Social care funding outlook getting bleaker

7 May 2013

Responding to the ADASS annual survey, ‘Social care funding: a bleak outlook is getting bleaker', Cllr Zoe Patrick, Chair of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said: "Local authorities are already facing an estimated £1.89 billion reduction in funding to provide support for vulnerable residents. Taking a further £800 million out of the system threatens to severely impact on the vital support many older and disabled people rely on in their day-to-day lives.

Health and wellbeing boards: a practical guide to governance and constitutional issues

FREE

28 February 2013

The LGA and the Association of Democratic Services Officers have published 'Health and wellbeing boards: a practical guide to governance and constitutional issues' to support local government members and officers interpret and implement their statutory duties in relation to the creation of health and wellbeing boards.

Download

LGA responds to £75,000 cap on care costs

11 February 2013

Commenting ahead of the expected Government announcement on the introduction of a £75,000 cap on care costs, Cllr David Rogers, Chair of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said: "The introduction of a cap to limit the maximum amount anyone will have to pay for their care in old age is a positive step which will help older people and their families plan ahead for the very real cost of care."

Councils respond to extra funding for public health

10 January 2013

Cllr David Rogers, Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board responds to the Government's announcement this morning on the public health funding settlement.

Evaluation of sector-led improvement

The LGA has published a 'baseline' report evaluating the progress with sector-led improvement since launching 'Taking the Lead' in February 2011. The first of three reports, it demonstrates awareness of and confidence in the approach among council leaders and chief executives and shows the sector is making good use of support tools offered by the LGA. The research reveals that nearly two-thirds of residents trust their local councils and 72 per cent are satisfied with the way services are run.