LGA at the Green Party Conference: 6 - 7 October 2023

I was delighted to be re-elected as the LGA’s Independent Group Leader. I work hard to support Green Party council groups and councillors, and have seen first-hand how Green Party councillors and strong local Green Party leadership continues to make a transformative difference to our communities across the country.  

Whether it’s tackling inequalities, rebuilding strong public services or driving forward net zero, councils are the backbone of our country and are on the frontline of tackling the critical challenges facing our communities. Local leaders know that any future Government will only be able to tackle these challenges by working in true partnership with fully empowered councils. On the back of historic gains in the May local elections, including gaining majority control of a local authority for the first time, and with a general election coming into view, now is a critical moment for the Party to determine its path forward.  

At this years’ conference, I will be making the case to Make it Local. Our offer requires a reset of the national local relationship in England, requiring a fully empowered local government, resetting the culture of Whitehall, and a new approach to funding and resources.

I look forward to welcoming you to the LGA’s fringe debate. Our expert panel will discuss how councils can achieve our shared vision to tackling the challenges we face.

What councils offer is enormous, and we are ready to deliver. 

Since being elected as Chair of the Local Government Association this summer – a national cross-party role – it is my mission to champion local authorities of all shapes, sizes and colours and to represent our hardworking and absolutely vital sector. The autumn party conference season presents us with a fantastic opportunity to do this.

Did you know that local government is responsible for more than 800 services which make a difference to people’s lives day in, day out? The A to Z of local government runs from adult social care to zebra crossings.

Every organisation across the land is currently drafting a list of things they want from the next government. At the LGA, we’d rather make your party an offer to work with us. Throughout party conference season and right up to the next General Election, whether that’s in 15 months or 15 weeks, we will be making the case to Make It Local.

Work with us to build a brand new central-local partnership in which local government can work to its full potential for our people, our places and our planet.

I wish you a successful party conference this week and hope that you will join us at our events to hear more about the ideas and the tried and tested solutions for local government. 

By the start of 2025, we will have had a general election. This is a moment of opportunity. Recent polling tells us that the public – our residents, our voters – already have clear priorities for the General Election:

• Growing the economy
• Improving our health and care services
• Acting on climate change
• Tackling the rising cost of living
• Building more houses
• Improving life chances for all children
• Making our communities safer
• Building strong local politics.

Make It Local sets out the LGA’s vision for local leadership, how we can fully empower local government and reset the culture of Whitehall, a new approach to funding and resources, and most importantly how a reset of the national local relationship will bring all communities closer to tackling their priorities.

We show that:

• Local climate action could hit net zero by 2050, save taxpayers around £140 billion compared to national approaches, and return an additional £400 billion in wider co-benefits.
• A place-based, Work Local approach has the potential to increase by 15 per cent the number of people improving their skills or finding work at lower cost, just by using a limited amount of existing investment more effectively.
• Every £1 invested in a new social home generates £2.84 in the wide economy with every new social home generating a saving of £780 a year in housing benefit.
• £1 spent on alcohol treatment services locally provides a return of £3, with local addiction support services saving our overstretched health and social care system a staggering £2 billion every year.

Friday 6 October

LGA Independent Group Reception

Speakers: Marianne Overton MBE, Leader of the LGA Independent Group; Councillor Carla Denyer, co-Leader, Green Party, prospective parliamentary candidate for Bristol Central, Bristol City Council and Natalie Bennett, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, former Green Party leader and LGA Vice-President and more.

18.00 – 19.15, Room 15, Brighton Centre.

Saturday 7 October

LGA Debate: Make It Local – unlocking socially just transitions through local government

Speakers: Marianne Overton MBE, Leader of the LGA Independent Group; Councillor Carla Denyer, co-Leader, Green Party, prospective parliamentary candidate for Bristol Central; Natalie Bennett, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, former Green Party Leader and LGA Vice-President; Councillor Johnny Denis, Chair of the Association of Green Councillors, Lewes and Eastbourne Council; Councillor Caroline Jackson, Deputy Leader of the LGA Independent Group, Lancaster City Council.

9.00 – 10.15, Room 9, Brighton Centre.

The LGA is the national voice of councils. A vital part of our role is working with parliamentarians as we seek to inform debates, the scrutiny of legislation that affects local government and shape the reports of select committees and All-Party Parliamentary Groups.

The LGA benefits from a significant profile in Westminster. In the 2022-23 parliamentary session we were quoted 556 times in Parliament.

To help deliver this we have:

• for 54 parliamentary debates and 45 debates on legislation, securing support from MPs and Peers for our campaigns and policy positions.
• representatives appeared before 20 parliamentary inquiries and we have produced 58 written submissions to inquiries to help inform a wide range of recommendations in parliamentary reports.
• the debates on scrutiny of a wide range of primary legislation, successfully lobbying for reforms to the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, Online Safety Bill, the Procurement Bill and the Support Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill.

Read our detailed report, LGA in Parliament 2022/23, which looks at how the LGA works with parliamentarians as we seek to inform debates, the scrutiny of legislation that affects local government, and shape the reports of select committees and All-Party Parliamentary Groups.

Local Government Association

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London SW1P 3HZ

Telephone 020 7664 3000

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