The LGA’s annual parliamentary report highlights the breadth of services offered by councils
As the voice of local government, the LGA has continued to campaign on behalf of our membership and, with the support of MPs and Peers, we have taken every opportunity to help inform the scrutiny of policy and legislation.
Our ‘LGA in Parliament 2021/22’ report provides an update on our engagement with MPs and Peers. This is an overview of our lobbying on various issues impacting councils and our work in Parliament to promote the value of local leadership to create sustainable growth, improved public services and a stronger society.
We have informed a wide range of legislation as we sought to shape proposals on issues that matter to councils, such as building safety and integrating health and care.
The LGA continues to be one of the organisations that engages with parliamentary committees the most and we continue to provide ‘thought’ leadership on a range of issues, including on the future governance of the UK, adult social care and support, and the future funding of local government, setting out the challenges councils face and the opportunities to do things differently.
Our report highlights the breadth of services offered by councils and the depth of analysis provided by the LGA as we advocate on behalf of councils for positive change.
In the 2021/22 parliamentary session:
- The LGA briefed for 56 parliamentary debates and 39 debates on legislation, securing support from MPs and Peers for our campaigns and policy positions.
- LGA representatives appeared before 30 parliamentary inquiries, and we have produced 47 written submissions to inquiries to help inform a wide range of recommendations in parliamentary reports.
- We informed the debates on scrutiny of a wide range of primary legislation, successfully lobbying for significant reforms to the Building Safety Act and securing a consultative role for local government in any future NHS reconfiguration through our briefings on the Health and Care Bill (now enacted).
The LGA would like to thank our vice-presidents and all the MPs and Peers who have worked to support us and local government over the past year, and we look forward to continuing to work with them and with government to shape the coming legislative agenda.
We also thank colleagues across local government who have given time from their schedules to share their experiences and insights in evidence to various parliamentary committees on behalf of the LGA, one of our special interest groups, or on behalf of their own councils.
The current parliamentary session is set to be the busiest legislative programme in more than 15 years, with a package of draft reforms compromising 38 bills, the highest number announced for a parliamentary session since 2005.
The LGA is once more seeking to influence the wide-ranging legislative agenda, working with MPs and Peers on the priorities for our membership, including the Government’s proposals to level up local communities and empower local leaders to address key challenges facing their places.
We look forward to working with government and Parliament on the full range of legislation and white papers over the next year.