The LGA is your voice on the national stage as we engage with the new Prime Minister and her team
The LGA, as your national membership body, enjoys a constructive relationship with government as we seek to achieve our shared vision to improve people’s lives, provide value-for-money public services and stimulate economic growth.
I am pleased to join my colleagues in meeting regularly with secretaries of state and ministers to push for the powers, flexibilities and funding you need.
Alongside our ongoing engagement at the highest levels of government, our attention turned over the summer to the race to be the new leader of the Conservative Party and, therefore, the nation’s new Prime Minister.
It is good that our new Prime Minister is a former councillor. Through her time at the London Borough of Greenwich (2006-10), Liz Truss understands the challenges and opportunities facing councils.
In recent weeks, she has spoken often about local issues – whether it be through steering local economic growth, prioritising adult social care, creating a high-performing school system or ensuring a community-led planning system that can support the delivery of new homes.
Decentralisation is key to this as, in her words, “people [cannot] sit there in Whitehall and direct everything that happens in local communities across our country”.
We, as local councillors, could not agree more.
As the LGA’s political group leaders and I said in our welcome letter to the Prime Minister, councils are best placed to help the Government achieve its ambitions to: boost local economic growth; revive town and city centres; build more homes; improve our transport infrastructure; boost the life chances of children and young people; support older and disabled people to live well; drive improvements in public health; and equip people with the skills they need to succeed so no one is left behind.
Never is that more important than now, as we face an unprecedented challenge with the rising cost of living.
Councils have worked hard to process the council tax energy rebate, as well as other support measures, and will continue to make sure that residents and businesses are protected.
At the LGA, we have created a cost of living hub, which shares best practice and resources to help councils support their residents (see also ‘Building financial resilience’ and ‘Financing future growth’).
We are keen to take a more collaborative approach and have offered to work in partnership with the Government to develop a long-term solution.
This should address financial resilience, tackle concentrations in deprivation, and reduce inequalities and level up the country. It will require investment in both the national benefits system and a longer-term system of local welfare support.
Energy prices, spiralling inflation, and National Living Wage pressures are, of course, set to add significantly increased costs to councils’ budgets.
As the Government seeks to address the economic challenges we face, the LGA is making the case that it is only by addressing this significant funding gap that councils can protect services, invest in local services, employ the necessary skilled and motivated workforce, deliver for our communities and level up all parts of the country.
In the coming weeks and months, the LGA will continue to represent the priorities of councils in our discussions with new secretaries and ministers of state, and officials.