Briefings and responses

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.

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.

Democracy and standards in public life are vital at a national and local level. However, increasing levels of toxicity in public and political discourse are deterring people from standing for election and representing their local communities.

Local authorities are the primary point of engagement for identifying where refugees are to be resettled, and lead on work with local partners and communities to help families settle into their new homes.

Local authorities have been at the forefront of the Ukraine response and have stepped up fast-paced support. The LGA would like to work with the Government to review and confirm the funding needed to meet the short- and long-term needs of all Ukrainian arrivals and those opening their homes to them, regardless of their route to the UK.

Government should consider accelerating work to devolve greater legal and fiscal powers to local government, moving to long-term and sustainable funding arrangements, and enshrining the Charter of Local Self-Governance in UK law.

According to a study by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, an estimated 1.5 million households across the UK will struggle to pay food and energy bills over the next year due to rising prices and higher taxes.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, councils have been working closely with the Government to ensure support for new arrivals from Ukraine is put in place quickly and at scale, and families are kept safe.

Councils have a proud history of welcoming new arrivals so that they can build new lives in the UK and they are already helping to support new arrivals from Ukraine and their sponsors.

The latest key messages from a general debate on Ukraine in the House of Commons, 25 May 2022.