Briefings and responses

This page summarises the Local Government Association (LGA) positions, priorities and concerns on the wide-ranging proposals in the white paper.

The changes in the 2003 Local Government Act and 2003 Capital Finance Regulations that introduced the Prudential Code were a major step in freeing local government from centrally imposed borrowing controls

The Treasury Management Code of Practice (“Treasury Management Code”) was introduced in 2001/02. Local authorities are required to “have regard” to the code in setting up and approving their Treasury Management arrangements.

From 1 June 2021 the LeDer process is changing.

It is essential that the new Act clearly recognises the local leadership role of councils and identifies the roles and responsibilities of councils in respect of both statutory and non-statutory mental health duties, working in partnership with the NHS and local voluntary and community services.

We agree that the current system for the payment of schools’ business rates could be rationalised, although something like the proposed system is currently used in some unitary authorities for maintained schools.  We also note that the proposed system would not alter the liability for business rates and also that it will still be part of school funding formulae and will have to be accounted for as part of schools’ accounts.

The response to, and recovery from, an emergency is carried out first and foremost at the local level. Better coordination between the local, regional and national levels of response and greater support for organisations involved in response planning is needed to share and apply learning from exercises and real-life events.

Net-zero can only be achieved with decarbonisation happening in every place across the country – that’s every household, community, business, and local economy.

Our sector-led improvement offer includes a series of programmes, campaigns and toolkits to help our membership encourage and support women, and those from other underrepresented groups, to run for political office.

The LGA believes that the New Homes Bonus (Bonus) should be separately funded and not drawn from a top slice of Revenue Support Grant or other grants. Drawing the Bonus from a top slice of RSG means that those councils who are unable to deliver homes above the baseline threshold lose out on core funding distributed on the basis of need.