Briefings and responses

The Grenfell Tower fire has exposed the inadequacy of the system by which assurance is provided that cladding systems are safe.

The LGA is of the opinion that the arrangements introduced in 2002 (Treasury Management code) and 2004 (Prudential Code) have worked well and provide a good governance framework to be followed by local authorities. We are therefore of the strong opinion that the present review should not fundamentally alter these arrangements. General points

The LGA welcomes the principle of greater flexibility for local areas to design multi-agency arrangements that work best for their local circumstances, but we have long argued that this flexibility must be couched within a robust regulatory framework to ensure consistency of quality and effectiveness. Unfortunately, we believe that the provisions outlined in the consultation fall some way short of this ambition

Our response to the consultation in relation to the issue with the audit of council accounts relating to the valuation of infrastructure assets, we noted that this is an issue that adds to the problems being experienced by local audit.

Opted-in local government and police bodies, November 2020

We welcome the opportunity to comment on the proposed new system for audit fee variations. This response has been cleared by lead members of the LGA’s Resources Board.

With so many 2020/21 audits and several 2019/20 audits still incomplete due to the current crisis in local audit, the fees for 2022/23 still have to be set using incomplete information.

The LGA welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation on the level of audit fees. The consultation proposes that the 2019/20 scale audit fees and indicative certification fees are set at the same level as the scale fees applicable for 2018/19.

The LGA is deeply concerned about the ability of schools and councils to implement reductions in funding in the proposed one year of the ‘soft' funding formula in 2018-19.

The High Needs National Funding Formula (NFF) proposals will be in place for at least four years, according to the Stage 2 consultation documents. Therefore, it is essential that the NFF provides a robust and equitable method of funding provision and services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and vulnerabilities.