Central government was “not always willing to share information with local partners” and occasionally showed a “lack of trust” in councils, the Covid-19 Inquiry has heard.
In his opening statement to the inquiry, Robin Allen QC, the LGA’s and Welsh LGA’s barrister, highlighted the huge role played by local government in supporting communities through the pandemic.
He also flagged concerns about central government’s lack of understanding of the way local government in England worked and what it could contribute, and pointed to a lack of trust in local authorities, as well as a misplaced confidence by central government about what it could achieve itself.
Mr Allen drew the inquiry’s attention to the lack of funding for councils over the past decade, stressing that councils had lost 60p out of every pound of funding against a backdrop of rising demand for key services, such as adult and children’s social care.
This, he said, had impacted the ability to plan, prepare and resource for a pandemic, and the overall resilience of services.
The LGA and Welsh LGA are core participants for modules 1 and 2 of the inquiry, to ensure the local government perspective is properly represented in the inquiry’s work.
Modules 1 and 2 cover ‘resilience and preparedness’, and ‘core UK decision-making and political governance’.
The LGA is also working with the inquiry team to facilitate the provision of information it requires from local government, while minimising the burdens on councils.