Engaging ministers on what matters to councils
Just before Christmas, I was pleased to co-chair the latest meeting of the Leaders Council with Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Also present were Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government Baroness Sharon Taylor, the LGA’s five political group leaders, and wider sector representatives, including the chairs of the County Councils Network, District Councils’ Network, Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities, Key Cities, Core Cities, and London Councils.
It was helpful to hear the Secretary of State outline his vision for public service reform and place-based service delivery built around, and accountable to, local people.
He was keen to build on the great examples we shared of our member councils already delivering on the ground – from children’s services and cohesion to preventative health and wellbeing services and tackling economic inactivity.
We stressed that our councils can and will deliver even greater impact and improved public and financial outcomes, if empowered to do so with better partnership working arrangements and improved data-sharing across government and its agencies.
We agreed that we would work together to unlock the issues holding back public service reform, including on data sharing, spreading existing and emerging best practice, and devolution.
The Secretary of State also outlined the measures his department is taking to boost housing supply and affordability, reform planning, and tackle homelessness.
We reiterated that councils are committed to delivering their local plans for their places, but challenges remain with infrastructure development so vital to building homes and communities. This includes essential infrastructure and utilities provision, as well as streamlining decision-making across government departments and agencies.
We also raised the pressure on housing revenue accounts and the importance of upcoming decisions on rent convergence, not only for the financial sustainability of councils, but also our ability to invest in new builds.
We will continue to engage closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and support our members to navigate the vast programme of housing and planning change.
The Leaders Council took place on the day the provisional finance settlement was published, and we welcomed the introduction of multi-year settlements – a longstanding LGA call.
We also agreed to explore further areas in which reform and options for releasing monies within the current system could bring benefits, particularly with the number of councils having to use unsustainable emergency bailouts under the government’s exceptional financial support scheme.
Finally, it was helpful for representatives to seek clarity and assurance on the government’s plans for devolution and local government reorganisation – an example of the opportunities provided by the Leaders Council to hear from, and speak directly to, ministers on the things that matter most to our people and places.
It was through our cross-party LGA White Paper that we called for a new equal partnership with central government. The Leaders Council demonstrates that reset in practice and provides a forum to co-design the solutions that councils of every region, tier and stripe need.
More than that, it is a powerful illustration of the LGA’s core strength and unique tradition in action – our collective weight and impact by speaking together with one cross-sector voice.