On behalf of its membership, the cross-party LGA regularly submits to Government
consultations, briefs parliamentarians and responds to a wide range of parliamentary inquiries. Our recent
responses to government consultations and parliamentary briefings can be found here.
Research commissioned by the LGA found that whilst there have been a raft of successive policies and strategies to improve mental health outcomes for children, there has been a missed opportunity to significantly ease pressure on the system by increasing the availability of preventative and early intervention support. Early intervention has been highlighted as a central aspect in many of these policies, however, this focus has not translated through to action with the system leaning towards prioritising specialist and complex treatments rather than early intervention and prevention.
Suicide prevention is a priority for local government. On average 13 people in England take their lives every day, with three quarters of these suicide victims being male. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 as well as the leading cause of death in young people.
We welcomed the findings of the Mendoza Review, but we are concerned that it identified local authority-run and supported museums as most vulnerable to funding pressures.
Investing in councils will have a positive effect on wider economic growth and the public finances. Research suggests that putting money into infrastructure and services such as social housing, local roads, and green spaces is good for the overall economy.
It is vital that local government reflects the communities it represents. However, despite women winning the right to stand in elections over 100 years ago, only 35 per cent of councillors are women.
From housing to public health, social care, culture and leisure services, councils lead local services that help prevent mental ill health, support early intervention and provide ongoing support.
The joint Select Committee report into improving air quality is positive. The Government should consider the Committees’ warning that the support currently available to local authorities is inadequate.
"The extra money for social care announced in the Spring Budget 2017 was a step in the right direction. However, it is only one-off funding which reduces each year and stops at the end of 2019/20. It is not a long-term solution."
The national housing shortage is one of the most pressing issues we face. The last time this country built more than 250,000 homes a year, councils built more than 40 per cent of them. Only an increase in all types of housing will ensure we can deliver 300,000 homes a year. A genuine renaissance in council housebuilding should play a major role in this.