Briefings and responses

The previous reforms to the SEND system set out in the Children and Families Act 2014 have failed to achieve the goal of improving provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Placing children and young people at the centre of the SEND system was right, but the reforms set out in the Act were not supported by sufficient powers or funding to allow councils to meet the needs of children with SEND or hold health and education partners to account for their contributions to local SEND systems.

The LGA welcomes the Gambling Related Harm APPG’s inquiry on the Gambling Act Review White Paper. However, we wanted to share some broader reflections on the white paper which we hope will be of assistance to the inquiry.

Read our Spring Budget on-the-day briefing

Key briefing and summary points for local government on the Local Government Finance Bill.

The LGA has been working closely with Government on behalf of all councils to highlight the financial challenges they are facing over the Spending Review period.

The briefing covers the consultation on the local government finance settlement for 2017/18 and indicative settlements for 2018/19 and 2019/20.

The Local Government Association (LGA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the technical consultation on the 2017/18 local government finance settlement.

In October 2023, before the Government announced an additional £600 million in funding for the sector, the LGA estimated that councils in England faced a funding gap of £4 billion. Councils’ financial pressures and needs must be seen in the context of the huge contribution that councils already make and of their potential to do more to support the delivery of public services.

All parts of local government – counties, districts, London Boroughs, metropolitan areas and unitary authorities – have a key role helping to generate economic growth, build homes with relevant services and infrastructure, strengthen communities, and protect vulnerable people in all parts of the country.

Our latest analysis demonstrates that homelessness support (including temporary accommodation) faces a funding gap of £110 million in 2019/20, and £421 million in 2024/25. There are currently 83,700 homeless households in need of temporary accommodation and other forms of support from local authorities.