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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.

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LGA responds to Budget 2018

Councils continue to face huge uncertainty about how they will pay for local services into the next decade and beyond.

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"Fragmented" short-term government grants poor value for money, councils warn

Councils in England have seen their core funding from central government reduce by £15 billion in the last decade. In recent years, they have seen a rise in the number of short-term, ringfenced, small grants they receive annually from government departments and agencies.

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Budget 2017: Councils respond to business rates announcement

Cllr Claire Kober, Chair of the Local Government Association's Resources Board, responded to the announcement in the Spring Budget that councils will receive £300 million to provide discretionary business rates relief

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Budget 2020: LGA responds to business rates review launch

"Urgent clarity is needed on how the Government’s fundamental review of business rates will impact on reforms to allow local government to keep more of business rates income collected locally from next year."

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Coronavirus pushing councils to 'financial failure' without 'cast-iron' Government funding pledge

Councils across the country are leading local efforts to support communities through the coronavirus crisis and keep day-to-day services running. This has led to significant unforeseen demands and costs caused by the pandemic – to protect the vulnerable such as older, disabled and homeless people - and in order to continue to keep normal services running, such as bin collections. This is at the same time as councils have seen a large and immediate hit to their income. Many councils use income from fees and charges to fund a range of services, such as leisure and planning services, many of

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Coronavirus: LGA responds to Government measures to ease council cash flow pressures

"These measures will help councils with their cash-flow as they grapple with extra costs, lost income, and demand pressures as a result of the pandemic."

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Coronavirus: LGA responds to hardship funding guidance

“We are pleased that councils will now be able to provide much-needed support to many households on the lowest incomes by quickly reducing or removing the need for them to pay council tax."

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Council cost pressures – a comment piece by Cllr James Jamieson

"Inflation is not going to come down overnight; reserves can only be spent once; a local service cannot be cut twice."

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Council employees' improved pay offer announced

Council employees have been offered an improved pay increase of 2.75 per cent from 1 April 2020, plus an additional one day’s leave which would increase the minimum entitlement from 21 to 22 days per year (plus public holidays).

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Council employees' pay offer announced

Council employees have been offered a pay increase of 2 per cent from 1 April 2020.