Briefings and responses

Councils once again have a key role in delivering more affordable housing and helping to build 300,000 new homes a year.

Councils once again have a key role in delivering more affordable housing and helping to build 300,000 new homes a year.

It is fantastic that the Government has accepted our long-standing call to scrap the housing borrowing cap. This demonstrates the Government’s willingness to make councils central to solving the national housing crisis. We would welcome clarity on when this will be implemented, and urge that this should be as soon as possible.

We welcome the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s recommendation that the business rates system needs to be modernised to ensure online business make a fair contribution.

To improve the lives of the armed forces community across the whole country, councils want to work closely with the Government before, during and after the transition of service personnel into civilian life.

Reducing in-work poverty requires significant work to address the wider determinants of low income and barriers to work, such as health. Government should foster an enabling environment by tackling barriers such as lack of quality housing, appropriate infrastructure, and green spaces to improve quality of life.

Councils are providing temporary housing for over 70,000 households, including over 120,000 children. The net cost has tripled in the last three years.

Gambling related harm continues to have a devastating impact on the lives of those directly affected, their families and wider communities. Councils are committed to continuing to prevent gambling-related harm in their communities and helping those affected to get the support they need recover and rebuild their lives.

Councils are working hard supporting people with a range of vulnerabilities to continue to access food throughout the coronavirus pandemic. This includes assisting with the delivery of doorstep food deliveries, and to people outside the shielded group who are unable to access food or have issues affording it.

Financial pressures on local government are limiting the ability of coastal local authorities to regenerate and support their towns. We are calling on the Government to provide long-term, sustainable funding for our seaside towns in the Spending Review.