New crisis and resilience fund ‘falls short’
Only 2 per cent of councils believe funding for the new Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) will be sufficient to meet local welfare needs ‘to a great extent’, according to an LGA survey.
housing
Guidance published on social and affordable housing
The Government has published guidance for the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, which aims to accelerate the delivery of secure, affordable homes to ease national housing pressures.
Rising temporary accommodation costs in England and Wales
Council spending on temporary accommodation in England has risen by a quarter in the past year, reaching £2.8 billion in 2024/25, according to recent government figures.
‘Some progress’ on housing complaints
Complaints to the Housing Ombudsman for England continued to rise last year, though there are signs of improvement in how some landlords are handling cases, according to its Annual Complaints Review 2024-25.
Tackling poor housing in the private rented sector
Every council in England knows that local government is at the coalface of the housing crisis in our country.
Supported housing ‘could save NHS millions’
The LGA is urging government to address subsidy rules and invest in supported housing to reduce pressures on health services and ensure effective implementation of the Supported Housing Act 2023.
Support service for council housebuilding launched
A new initiative to help councils scale up housebuilding in their areas was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister at the LGA’s annual conference in early July.
New ‘outcomes framework’ for councils
A ‘Local Government Outcomes Framework’ and new initiatives to tackle bureaucracy were among the announcements in Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s speech to the LGA’s annual conference.
Children leaving care for homelessness – MPs
An “alarming” number of children are leaving the care system and becoming homeless, and not in employment or in education, because children’s social care services are overstretched in the face of rising need.
More powers to reclaim sites from developers
Housebuilders will have to commit to delivery timeframes before they get planning permission, and submit annual reports to councils showing their progress, under new rules to ensure homes with planning permission are built out.