The LGA's media office provides the national voice of local government in England and Wales on the major issues of the day for national, regional and local press.
If we truly value our local services then we have to be prepared to pay for them. Fully funding councils is the only way they will be able to keep providing the services which make a difference to people’s lives, such as caring for older and disabled people, protecting children, building homes, fixing roads and collecting bins.
Every death of a homeless person is preventable. We must make this everybody's business to work together to stop this tragic loss of life and stop homelessness from happening in the first place.
Over recent years, councils have protected adult social care relative to other services. But the scale of the overall funding picture for local government as a whole means adult social care services still face a £3.6 billion funding gap by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care.
“It’s good to see mental health finally getting the focus that it deserves. The report makes some important recommendations about how to bring the Mental Health Act up to date and give people a stronger say in their treatment. It’s positive that the review listened to local government and recognises the role of community mental health services in preventing people from reaching crisis point in the first place.
“The LGA has consistently called for a re-focus in mental health services away from medicalisation and treating mental ill health to early intervention and support for recovery through
“Councils are determined to help stamp out FGM from our local communities, and work alongside police, the NHS and charities to make sure we do all we can to protect women and girls from this horrific form of abuse.
“We are pleased the Government has launched this campaign to raise awareness of FGM, which we urge to make use of the invaluable work of the National FGM Centre - a specialist resource that can work in communities across the country - to prevent FGM by working with families and communities to safeguard against this ‘hidden crime’ which can leave victims physically and mentally
A genuine renaissance in council housebuilding would not only boost housing supply, but increase affordability and the number of people able to get on the housing ladder.
People need to be able to sleep safely at night in their homes. The tragedy at Grenfell Tower must never be allowed to happen again and we look forward to working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to make sure the new system of building regulation works
“For many councils, reducing their abilities to charge for the disposal of DIY waste will lead to funding reductions that will have to be passed on to reduced waste services popular with our residents."