Briefings and responses

All councils have signed the voluntary Armed Forces Covenant and are fully committed to honouring their obligations to those who have served their country.

The primary purpose of this Bill is to renew the Armed Forces Act (AFA) 2006 and, in so doing, continue in force the primary legislation governing the armed forces.

The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill includes a range of provisions to improve the welfare of kept animals, including farm animals, companion animals, and kept wild animals. We support the objective of increasing animal welfare standards and eradicating cruel practices both domestically and internationally.

This briefing summarises the key messages in the Adult Social Care Winter Plan (published by DHSC on 18 September 2020) and sets out the key actions for local authorities in a format that allows colleagues to clearly identify gaps.

Taking into account the grant support received so far, and assuming that the income guarantee scheme parameters will compensate councils for around £1 billion of lost non-tax income, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimate there is still an unfunded overall pressure of £1.1 billion in 2020/21 that councils will be forced to absorb unless further funding is announced. 

The reform of Public Health England (PHE), the new UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and forthcoming legislation on the statutory basis of integrated care systems (ICSs) means we are facing significant organisational change. The long-standing problem of health inequalities and regional inequality has become ever clearer during 2020/21, and the pandemic’s repercussions will exacerbate for some time.

The Local Government Association (LGA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Government’s consultation on aspects of the COVID-19 funding for local government in 2021/22. The LGA is here to support, promote and improve local government. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the LGA has consistently highlighted the financial pressures of the pandemic on local government and continues to make the case that the Government should cover the full impact of the crisis. This response has been approved by members of the LGA Resources Board.