New ministers for local government
Former local government minister Simon Clarke has returned to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as Secretary of State, under new Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Former local government minister Simon Clarke has returned to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as Secretary of State, under new Prime Minister Liz Truss.
A recent survey for the charity, the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF), has found that more teachers are seeing anxious pupils and the worsening of existing mental health problems, compared with just one year ago.
The Government’s efforts to build more affordable homes could be more ambitious in working to achieve wider aims, including on net zero and improving the quality of local housing, according to a National Audit Office report.
Almost £6 billion has been given out in discounts through the Right to Buy scheme since the size of the discount was increased in 2012, leaving councils in England struggling to rebuild homes as quickly as they are being sold.
The first hustings event in the final round of the Conservative Party leadership contest and race to become the next Prime Minister took place at the LGA’s Smith Square offices last week.
Councils do not have confidence that sufficient funding has been earmarked by government for reforms of adult social care, according to an LGA survey.
Rising energy prices, spiralling inflation, and National Living Wage pressures are set to add £3.6 billion in unforeseen extra cost pressures onto council budgets in 2024/25, the LGA has warned.
Councils in England can bid for a share of a £180 million fund designed to transform disused urban sites into new homes and create jobs.
The importance of funding local fire and rescue services for potential risk rather than just day-to-day demand was demonstrated by July’s heatwave, the LGA has said.
The Government has published the first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England, to tackle the gender health gap.