Briefings and responses

On the high streets, footfall is down over 43 per cent compared to the same period last year. Before the pandemic, footfall had dropped over 10 per cent in the last 7 years. Internet sales had risen 21 per cent of all retail sales from 7 per cent a decade earlier and during the pandemic had jumped to nearly 33 per cent of all retail sales.

Local government needs a system that raises sufficient resources for local priorities in a way that is fair for residents and gives local politicians all the tools they need to be the leaders of their communities. For councils, it is also important that the tax system, including business rates, provides as much certainty as possible.

Our key point in responding to this consultation is that any transitional arrangements for 2023, whether part of the formal scheme or supplementary, should be announced no later than autumn 2022 when the draft list and provisional multiplier are announced. This is in order to make the process as smooth as possible for both ratepayers and billing authorities and allow time for any necessary software changes.

This response has been agreed by the lead members of the LGA Economy and Resources Board.

Business rates account for around a quarter of all council spending power and can help towards the Government’s levelling up ambition.

Our Budget 2021 On-the-Day briefing summarises the key announcements for councils and provides an initial LGA view

Our on-the-day briefing highlights the main announcements and their impact on local government.

The Chancellor, Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, delivered the 2018 Budget on 29 October. There were a number of tax and spending announcements of relevance to local government, and the Chancellor outlined the trajectory of overall public spending for the 2019 Spending Review.  

The Chancellor’s Budget, delivered on Monday 29 October, provided a formal update on the state of the economy, responded to the new economic and fiscal forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility and announced the Government’s fiscal measures.