Briefings and responses

Councils want their residents to live in homes that are decent, safe and secure, and councils’ housing teams work hard to ensure homes are fit for purpose.

We support the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill. Councils want their residents to live in homes that are decent, safe and secure, and councils’ housing teams work hard to ensure homes are fit for purpose.

"We welcome the powers granted by the Government for councils to impose civil penalties of up to £30,000 for the worst housing offences."

Business rates account for around a quarter of all council spending power. Money raised is used to pay for vital local services, such as caring for older and disabled people, protecting children, fixing potholes and collecting bins.

We recommend that the Government is more ambitious on funding for the rest of the country not covered by Mayoral Combined authorities. Long-term pipelines of funding, and a focus on high level outcomes, for example ‘half of journeys by active and public transport by 2030’ would allow local areas to develop in house capacity to plan and deliver projects. Government is moving in the right direction but must ensure all parts of the country benefit.

Councils support active travel. Getting people to use more active travel will improve congestion, air quality and obesity rates, which in turn have substantial benefits such as for local economies, education and taxpayers.

The LGA has been leading efforts to highlight the significant pressures facing adult social care and we are pleased that the Government has started to act on our concerns.

Language in public life in the local context.

Any effective scrutiny model must hold decision-makers to account and add value to processes and practice, as well as delivering financial savings and service improvements that positively impact on the communities they represent. Local authorities need freedom and flexibility to develop overview and scrutiny arrangements that best reflect local circumstances and priorities.

As we leave the European Union, the Government’s industrial strategy provides an opportunity to drive the creation of a successful, world-leading economy. We welcome the strong focus on place as one of the five foundations of productivity and the building block of local industrial strategies.