Time to end ‘sticking plaster’ funding for councils, says LGA
Nearly 75 per cent of responding councils anticipate significant challenges in setting a balanced budget for the 2025/26 financial year, according to an LGA survey.
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Record number of children in temporary accommodation
More than 164,000 children in England are currently living in temporary accommodation – the highest figure on record.
Adult social care ‘must be SR priority’
Ahead of the Spending Review on 11 June, the LGA has spearheaded a joint statement with 100 other leaders in adult social care, calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to work with the sector to mitigate pressures on councils, providers and charities.
New political group for LGA
Reform UK is to set up the first new political group office at the LGA in the organisation’s history, after the party’s success in the 1 May local elections.
‘Complex needs driving high care costs’
A failure to support children and young people with complex needs is driving very high care costs and not improving children’s lives, according to a new report commissioned by the LGA.
Reforms and more funding for audit
The Government will provide funding to councils to cover the costs of additional audit fees, with a first tranche of £49 million for qualifying local authorities in 2025/26.
Waste tax ‘will cost councils billions’
A planned tax on burning waste could place billions of pounds of unavoidable costs on councils and needs reform, the LGA has said.
Cladding remediation ‘too slow’ – MPs
Eight years on from the Grenfell fire that claimed 72 lives, it is still not known how many buildings have unsafe cladding and when it will be removed, according to MPs.
New empty homes toolkit for officers
The LGA has released a new Empty Homes Officer Toolkit to help councils take practical, effective steps to tackle long-term empty homes in their area.
‘No future for NHS dentistry without reform’ – MPs
NHS dentistry in England is “broken”, with fewer patients seen since the introduction of a dental recovery plan last year, according to a report from the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee.