Briefings and responses

Local government is vital for the UK's AI strategy success, but faces challenges in digital transformation and AI adoption.

The LGA welcomes increased funding in the short-term, but we also urge the Government to set out a long-term sustainable funding plan for public health as part of the Spending Review.

This paper is the first in a series of working papers on different aspects of planning reform, designed to inform further policy development in collaboration with the wider sector.The paper invited views on further action the government could take through the planning system to support the development of brownfield land in urban areas.

Extra money for councils next year, including compensation for employer National Insurance contributions increases, will help meet some of the cost and demand pressures they face but still falls short of what is desperately needed to cover them all.

The introduction of the Employment Rights Bill is a key area of interest for councils. With 1.4 million employees in the sector and more than half a million teachers, firefighters and other local authority related personnel, local government can be said to be the largest, most varied, workforce in the country.

It is widely recognised that local audit is in crisis, and this is acknowledged in the consultation and the strategy. The LGA has been pressing for a long time for a timetable to be set by which timely audits will be restored. There is an urgent need to restore confidence in the local audit arrangements, restore timely audits permanently, and improve financial reporting. Taxpayers and residents should demand and be entitled to full confidence in local authority accounts. But it is also clear that the causes of the crisis are complex – there is no easy explanation nor an easy solution.

The UK government is right to champion digital transformation. It has the power to revolutionise public services, making them more efficient, user-friendly, and ultimately, more effective in improving lives. The move towards working across the public sector is a significant opportunity.

We welcome the Government’s provision of an additional £1 billion in funding for SEND at the recent Budget.

The Local Government Association (LGA), representing councils across England, welcomes a Private Member’s Bill proposing a change to how Licensing Hours Orders under the Licensing Act 2003 are made. The Bill would allow such orders to be made by negative resolution statutory instrument, simplifying the process for temporarily relaxing licensing hours on occasions of national significance.