Briefings and responses

The introduction of the Employment Rights Bill is a key area of interest for councils. With 1.4 million employees in the sector and more than half a million teachers, firefighters and other local authority related personnel, local government can be said to be the largest workforce in the country.

A Westminster Hall Debate on Apprenticeships and T levels

It is encouraging that the Chancellor has announced £1.3 billion of extra funding, through the local government finance settlement, for the next financial year. Together with council tax flexibilities and locally-retained business rates, this will provide a real-terms increase in total core spending power in 2025/26 of around 3.2 per cent. This will help meet some – but not all – of the significant pressures in adult and children’s social care and homelessness support.

Councils and combined authorities have an important and wide-reaching role in the skills system and their local economy.

Councils and combined authorities have an important and wide-reaching role in the skills system and their local economy. They are committed to working in partnership with their local employer base and further education sector to create a Post-16 education offer that works for businesses and gives every young person the chance to gain world class skills.

Local government as democratically elected leaders of place, also play a key role in stimulating local economies and want to ensure that employers have a supply of skilled workforce to meet the current and future business demands in local areas.

A Commission on the Future of Employment Support is looking at ways in which employment support and services could more effectively help people who want to, to move into, and progress in work and help employers find, recruit and retain the right people across the UK. The Institute for Employment Studies is providing the secretariat for the Commission.

Our response to the DfE second stage consultation on implementing a new further education funding and accountability system for adult skills.

The Government’s approach to give local Employer Representative Bodies a lead role in articulating their skills need in Local Skills Improvement Plans is a step in the right direction. However, the wide-ranging role of local government – councils and MCAs/GLA – in supporting this process is missing from the Act and statutory guidance.