Briefings and responses

People can be vulnerable in a wide range of different ways. Councils are often at the forefront of understanding, mitigating and managing this complexity in their local communities.

The rising costs of fuel, food and other essentials are combining with existing disadvantage and vulnerability and putting many households at greater risk of both immediate hardship and reduced opportunity and wellbeing

More than 69,000 early years providers have temporarily closed during the coronavirus pandemic, with many settings citing financial difficulties as a key reason. Among those that have remained open, many are operating at a loss.

Low income households can, potentially, mitigate the impact of reductions in benefits income by increasing their earning and reducing their outgoings.

A wider conversation on the constitutional settlement is needed to secure the position of local government across the United Kingdom.

Councils have been supporting all schools throughout the pandemic, including working to support vulnerable pupils and interpreting guidance to help ensure learning has continued as safely and effectively as possible .

Councils are just about managing to keep leisure facilities running but in many cases, these facilities are coming to the end of their lifespan. In 2017, we highlighted figures that showed that 60 per cent of swimming pools are now more than 20 years old.

Local government can play a central role in meeting targets and the wider demand for housing.

The Local Government Association welcomes the independent review of children’s social care, a once in a generation opportunity to ensure that the system is set up, resourced and operating in the best possible way to keep children and young people safe and ensure they can enjoy their lives and fulfil their potential.

This briefing outlines key headlines from the review and the initial LGA view.