News

The LGA’s new analysis, compiled following a survey of council heads of planning, estimates that more than a third (1,003,600) of the 2,676,200 homes allocated in current local plans in England have not even been submitted into the planning system.

“Councils want to work with schools and local health teams to do all they can to ensure staff, pupils, parents and visitors can be in school settings, safely and securely, without risk of passing on coronavirus.”

"Local knowledge and expertise will be crucial in encouraging everyone from all parts of the community to get vaccinated. Councils’ unique relationship with the people they represent mean they are well placed to reach out to those in the priority groups and beyond."

“It is vital that the expertise of local public health teams is used to help with the logistics and rollout of the plan, while government needs to urgently publish guidance that supports this announcement to provide clarity for schools, address questions which currently remain unanswered, and takes account of local needs and capacity challenges.”

“The Government needs to go further to help schools pay for the cost of the pandemic. Unless the COVID-19 workforce fund is extended after Christmas, backdated and eligibility for it widened, more schools will have no option but to close after having spent their budgets on supply teachers, which will only serve to exacerbate growing attainment gaps.”

"Councils will continue to step up to support residents, especially those who are more vulnerable, businesses and education settings."

"Councils know their communities best, with nearly 9 in 10 setting up contact tracing teams across the country to work with the national system and successfully find many hard-to-reach cases, while also helping to ensure as many people as possible can get vaccinated."

“Local knowledge and expertise has proved vital in combating COVID-19 and councils want to work with the Government to develop testing strategies which contain and reduce the virus in every area of the country, and for every section of our diverse communities."

“Vaccinating as many people as possible is the only certain way we can get through this pandemic and it is inspiring to see so many volunteers offer their help alongside frontline staff up and down the country."

“It is clear that demand for places is significantly higher during this national lockdown, meaning schools have been placed in the invidious position of balancing safe pupil numbers in school with the higher expectations of the delivery of up to five hours a day of lessons online.”