Environment, planning and housing

Councils: pioneers of recyclable waste

Environment

15 June 2013
To mark the tenth annual National Recycling Week (17 to 23 June), the LGA has pulled together a list of 10 common but previously unrecyclable household items.

Criteria for planning performance

Planning

13 June 2013
The Growth and Infrastructure Act sets out provisions which enable the Secretary of State to designate a local planning authority (LPA) as 'poorly performing' on the basis of its performance on major applications. Read the LGA's response to the Government's response to the consultation on this measure.

Britain's bins: untapped potential

Environment

04 June 2013
The nation's rubbish is a gold mine which could earn local authorities and their residents an extra £1 billion by 2020 to help reduce the burden on local taxpayers.

Changes to CIL regulation: LGA response

Planning

13 June 2013
The LGA shares the Government's ambition for the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to contribute effectively to the provision of vital infrastructure in a way that provides certainty and clarity for developers, councils and local communities.

High streets under threat from new rules

Economy

29 May 2013
Councils are warning that the Government's attempt to breathe new life into empty buildings by removing safeguards on how commercial properties are used risks doing the opposite. The LGA is calling for the Government to let local areas decide for themselves where it would be beneficial to relax planning rules.

Pause

Our environment work covers a wide range of areas including climate change, energy, housing, planning and waste.

We are achieving greater devolution for local government:

greater local decision making in planning and housing through the Localism Bill, the National Planning Policy Framework and elsewhere
a sustainable model for the provision and allocation of social housing and support for vulnerable people
a light touch and proportionate approach to social housing regulation
power and flexibility for councils to make local decisions on waste
a fair and transparent system of self-financing for council housing.

We are helping councils tackle their challenges through:

the Department for Energy and Climate Change programme on improvement and self-regulation for energy and climate
ensuring councils seize opportunities and manage the risks arising from the changes to planning, achieved through the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) programme
ensuring councils are effective in flood risk management
supporting councils in responding to housing reforms to meet the housing needs of their communities.