Briefings and responses

We need to help pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) at any earlier point, to ensure they are fully supported in school and not left vulnerable to criminal exploitation. This includes significant and sustainable funding to manage the rising demand in support from pupils with SEND.

We welcome the updated PPE guidance from Public Health England around social care settings, the first one focusing on care homes was issued last week. We now urgently need to see the updated guidance on domiciliary care. 

We are concerned by recent reports around some unregulated provision, in particular increasing issues about the vulnerability of young people in unregulated accommodation to organised crime, including county lines.

The LGA supports a local, employer-led approach to develop Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs). To enhance this, Mayoral Combined Authorities and local authorities should be core and strategic partners in the LSIP process. Their wide-ranging expertise on this agenda and local knowledge is missing from the Bill, and we hope this is redressed during its passage through Parliament.

As furlough ends, no community will be untouched by unemployment. It is vitally important that a joined up, place-based employment, skills and careers system offers adults and young people the recovery they deserve by providing access to quality education and training opportunities.

Throughout the pandemic, councils were trusted to lead the employment and skills recovery in their areas.

While we support the Bill’s aim to make the skills system more responsive to employers’ needs, the reforms need to be implemented as part of an integrated, place-based approach.

Local government – local authorities (LAs) and mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) – have a crucial role in making the skills and employment system work for their areas, and have wide-ranging functions and expertise in the skills system.

We estimate that local government faces an overall funding gap of £5.8 billion by 2019/20, taking into account future funding and the full range of pressures facing councils.

Together with NHS England, local authorities and the LGA have undertaken a range of measures to improve preparedness for winter.