News

“Any decision on offering a booster jab later this year, to protect our most vulnerable from variants and flu ahead of winter, will be supported by councils and their directors of public health in our collective national effort to end the pandemic."

Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, responds to the Government’s announcement of the introduction of medical examiners and reforms to death certification in England.

Cllr David Renard, LGA housing spokesperson, responds to the announcement from Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick that new homes delivered under permitted development rights will have to meet space standards.

“This report adds to the stark evidence, highlighted by the pandemic, about what keeps people healthy and what else needs to be done to spend more years in good health."

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research calling for a new approach to public health and prevention.

“All parts of local government must be reflective of the communities they represent and be at the forefront of driving the level of change required."

“Properly funding social care and prevention measures not only helps councils with overly-stretched budgets offer the vital support that older and disabled people need, it also helps to prevent crises and cost pressures in the NHS by reducing the numbers of people who are admitted to hospital. 

“It’s vital we move towards tackling our collective ambition to end homelessness outright."

“We have long called for a sufficiently resourced national safety net for low-income households and those who cannot work, as this report recommends, allowing councils to target vital local welfare support to the most vulnerable."

“We want to work closely with government on a cross-departmental homelessness prevention strategy, which sees councils supported with long-term funding to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place, with the changes to welfare benefits introduced following the coronavirus outbreak maintained for as long as they are needed.”