Publications

In the 2020 Spending Review, the Chancellor announced a new Brownfield Land Release Fund to support local authorities bring forward sites for housing development and self and custom-build serviced plots. In response the One Public Estate programme launched the Self and Custom Build Fund.

The One Public Estate (OPE) programme is a partnership between the Office of Government Property in Cabinet Office, the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

COVID-19 has shown there is an urgent need for government to ensure that councils and local partners have the necessary funding to enable timely and effective home adaptations for older and disabled people, to help ensure their safety, wellbeing and independence during and beyond the pandemic.

The LGA and Local Partnerships worked with Leeds and Cornwall Councils during 2022 to build a case for investment in homelessness prevention. The work included starting to develop a clearer understanding of what approaches have worked in homelessness prevention, how much they cost, what costs may have been avoided, and some of the benefits accrued by their implementation.

Local government is at the heart of the nation’s response to homelessness – we are house builders, housing enablers, and landlords, responsible guardians for people experiencing homelessness and care needs, support providers, and place-shapers; and we are democratically accountable to communities.

In September and October 2020 the Local Government Association (LGA) conducted a survey of Heads of Planning of English local authorities with responsibility for planning. The purpose of this survey was to estimate the number of dwellings allocated in local plans which had not yet either received permission or were yet under consideration.

To further its work in this area, the LGA carried out a survey of housing managers working within local councils in England to gather insight into the effect – or likely effect – of the LHA freeze on local housing, ranging from homelessness to house building. 

Expert help to support local housing, planning and homelessness priorities.

The success of Everyone In demonstrates that, given the mandate and funding, councils, working with their partners, have the means to end the vast majority of rough sleeping.

The Kent Homechoice partnership has developed and implemented three online tools to transform the way in which people across Kent and Medway gain access to homelessness support and the housing registers.