Briefings and responses

We call for opportunities for local government to help shape the work of Oflog. We are concerned that Oflog’s Data Explorer provides poor value for money. There is a need to ensure that Oflog’s ‘early warning conversations’ and peer reviews do not duplicate the LGA’s work. Oflog is not an independent body: this has implications for public trust in its work.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan is an important opportunity to recognise local government’s leadership role in improving the mental health and wellbeing of our communities.

Councils are committed to working in partnership to create better places by using public sector assets more efficiently, creating service and financial benefits for partners, as well as releasing land for housing and other development to deliver wider social, environmental and economic outcomes for local communities.

The LGA welcomes the Government’s second stage of proposals for non-domestic and domestic standards that will support achieving the UK’s commitment to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Whilst we support an increased focus on design, we are concerned that because ‘beauty’ is subjective, striving for, or allowing ‘beautiful’ development to be fast-tracked may not lead to the quality homes and places communities want and need. Councils need tools that will empower them to create great quality homes and places and stop poor development, rather than supporting those deemed to be ‘beautiful’.

A local, plan-led system is vital to ensure that councils and the communities they represent have a say over the way places develop.

Local government is ready to work with the Government to achieve these objectives. However, the current proposals lack the detail that is needed for full debate and comment. This lack of detail means that there are wide-ranging concerns about how the proposals will work in practice.

Councils want to work as partners with the OEP to defend environmental law and are well-placed to do this as place-shapers, convenors of communities and partners, delivery agents, commissioners, and owners of assets.

It is essential that the new Act clearly recognises the local leadership role of councils and identifies the roles and responsibilities of councils in respect of both statutory and non-statutory mental health duties, working in partnership with the NHS and local voluntary and community services.