Highlights

MPs debate National Audit Office report

On Tuesday MPs debated the National Audit Office report into the financial sustainability of local authorities. We briefed for this debate, which was led by Mike Amesbury MP (Labour, Weaver Vale), a member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee. Many MPs spoke about the financial pressures facing their own councils. In introducing the debate, Mr Amesbury spoke about our cross-party warnings of funding reductions coupled with rising demand for services including adult and children’s social care and homelessness support. LGA Vice-President Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat, Bath) asked the Minister to ensure no council gets less money as a consequence of the new funding formula. In response, the Minister, Heather Wheeler MP, said the Ministry “recognise that pressures are growing, particularly in the light of higher than expected inflation…and pressures on services such as adult and children’s social care”. She also relayed councils’ performance in reducing delayed transfers of care, and updated on plans on further business rates retention and the Fair Funding Review.

For more information please contact Mel

EU Withdrawal Bill

On Monday the House of Lords debated an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill to replicate local government’s consultative rights and responsibilities currently exercised through the Committee of the Regions in the UK after Brexit. We briefed Peers ahead of this debate. LGA Vice-President Lord Shipley (Liberal Democrat) said, “consultation with local authorities has been inadequate in the planning of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU” and that “the absence to date of any mechanism in domestic law to replicate the advisory role conferred on local authorities by the European Committee of the Regions after exit day is becoming a matter of increasing concern”. LGA Vice-Presidents also spoke about the need to replace EU funding, workforce issues and skills. MHCLG Minister Lord Bourne responded positively about the role local government plays and spoke about the Government’s engagement with the LGA to date. He committed that “through a ministerial statement to Parliament, the Government will give local government a clear assurance about how it can expect to be consulted on certain matters which, following their repatriation from Europe, will now be handled at the United Kingdom level”. The LGA will be meeting with the Government to discuss the detail.

For more information please contact Charlotte

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Cllr Kevin Bentley, Chair of the LGA’s Brexit Task and Finish Group gave evidence to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on Tuesday as part of their inquiry on Brexit and devolution. Cllr Bentley told the Committee that Brexit must not simply be a transfer of powers from Brussels to Westminster, Cardiff Bay, Holyrood and Stormont. He said that it was an opportunity to reverse decades of centralisation. Discussing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Cllr Bentley said the local areas need clarity as soon as possible so that they can prepare bids and that the UK fund needs to at least match the £8.4 billion funding available through the EU schemes now. The transcript is available here.

For more information please contact Charlotte

Minister questioned on Health and Social Care

Health and Social Care questions took place in the House of Commons on Tuesday. During the session, Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP faced questions on a number of topics including CAMHS, adult social care and integrated care structures. Shadow Mental Health and Social Care Minister Barbara Keeley MP (Worsley and Eccles South) asked what the department was doing to address funding and performance issues as well as the sharp decline with public satisfaction. Responding, the Care Minister said she was aware of increased pressures but said that the Government had given councils access to £9.4 billion more dedicated funding over three years. Mark Harper MP (Conservative, Forest of Dean) asked for the proposals in the Dilnot report to be included in the Social Care Green Paper. Responding, Care Minister, Caroline Dinenage said that the Department were looking at these proposals carefully, going on to speak of the importance of social care.

For more information please contact Tim

MPs debate Secure Tenancies Bill

MPs had their first full debate of the Secure Tenancies (Victims of Domestic Abuse) Bill this week. The Bill will ensure councils re-house victims of domestic abuse in lifetime tenancies should they need to leave their existing secure tenancy. Our Chairman, Lord Porter, spoke during the Bill’s passage through the Lords to urge the Government to extend the duty to re-house to housing associations as well as councils. During the debate a number of MPs highlighted this issue and echoed Lord Porter’s comments about ensuring that domestic abuse victims in all forms of housing are offered the same terms in a new tenancy. The Minister, Heather Wheeler MP, said the Bill is part of the Government’s wider aim of ensuring victims and their families are provided with security and stability. MPs will debate the Bill at Committee stage on 27 March.

For more information please contact Tom

Domestic abuse support debate

Yesterday Peers debated support for survivors of domestic abuse, following the launch of a consultation which sets out the Government’s strategy. Our briefing highlights the importance of early intervention initiatives targeted at children who witness domestic violence. Leading the debate, Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour) welcomed the Government’s determination to improve support for those who have suffered domestic violence. She said the impact of recent welfare changes on the funding of women’s refuges, and the overall funding model, must be properly addressed. The Minister, Baroness Williams of Trafford, said the Government has allocated £100 million over this spending review period, including £8 million in locally-commissioned funding to support children who witness abuse.

For more information please contact Nina

Debate on houses in multiple occupation

On Wednesday Stephen Pound MP (Labour, Ealing North) brought forward a debate on the planning regulations for the development of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Mr Pound said that although the legislation governing HMOs is clear, there is a gap in the legislation and guidance to councils where a large concentration of HMOs arises. Several MPs called for the Government to amend the ‘Article 4 Direction’ powers which councils can use to mitigate the impact of HMO conversions locally. This echoes our concerns about the cost and effectiveness of Article 4 powers. Responding for the Government, Heather Wheeler MP said that councils have an ‘effective array’ of tools to address the issue.

For more information please contact Tom

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

The HCLG Committee held an evidence session with combined authority mayors Andy Burnham, Ben Houchen, James Palmer and London Assembly Member Len Duvall as part of their inquiry on Brexit and local government. Cllr Kevin Bentley gave evidence to the inquiry in December on behalf of the LGA. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (Labour) was critical of the Government’s engagement with English regions on Brexit, compared with access for London and the devolved administrations, and he called for deeper and faster devolution. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor James Palmer (Conservative) spoke about the opportunity to make significant improvements for residents and businesses if skills support was devolved to a local level. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen (Conservative) said that their contact with the Government had been good. He told the Committee that the impact and opportunities from Brexit vary by place and called for the money the UK currently sends to the EU to be put into combined authorities’ funding pots without conditions attached. The witnesses spoke about the role of the LGA in speaking for the whole sector on Brexit.

For more information please contact Charlotte

MPs debate joint inquiry on air quality

The report of the joint committee inquiry into air quality was debated by MPs on Thursday. Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Neil Parish MP (Conservative, Tiverton and Honiton) said that poor air quality costs the UK £20 billion a year and is a major public health risk. He called on the Government to provide councils with more leadership and appropriate resources to tackle the problem locally. These comments were echoed by the Chair of the Transport Committee, Lilian Greenwood MP (Labour, Nottingham South), who also said public authorities should do more to discourage the use of cars. Several MPs commended the report and urged the Government to introduce a new Clean Air Act.

For more information please contact Nina

Peers debate data charge rise for councils

There was a debate in the House of Lords on the new charging model for data controllers, which includes most councils. The increase in fees for large holders of data, introduced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is subject to the approval of parliamentary regulations. We issued a briefing outlining our concerns with the lack of adequate consultation, and the large and seemingly arbitrary increase (of 480 per cent) in the charges. Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat) asked the Minister, Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen, why councils had not been consulted. In response, the Minister said councils hold a huge amount of data and “have quite a lot of risk.”

For more information please contact Lee

Ministerial Statements

This week there were a number of Written Ministerial Statements of interest to local government including on the error affecting business rates retention pilots, housing investment and local government reorganisation in Somerset. The full statements can be found online.  

On Thursday, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid MP, gave an update on Grenfell. This coincided with the publication of the Second Report from the Independent Grenfell Recovery Taskforce

PMQs

During Wednesday’s Leaders’ exchange, the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn asked raised local government funding reductions by quoting our warning that “councils will have to continue to cut back services or stop them all together due to government cuts”. In response, Mrs May said the Government was spending more on schools and councils than ever before as a result of fiscal discipline. There were contributions from backbenchers on children’s mental health services and temporary accommodation in Kent.

For more information please contact Tim.

New consultations and responses

Children in need of help and protection: call for evidence

The Department for Education call for evidence asks what professionals across education, children’s social care, health and other specialist services are doing to improve the educational outcomes of children in need.

Closes: 01/06/2018

Improving standards for child and family social workers

This document sets out the government response to the consultation regarding the knowledge and skills statements, to improve standards for child and family social workers

Looking ahead

Monday 26 March

• European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, Committee stage (day 10), House of Lords
• Work and Pensions Questions, House of Commons
• Public Accounts Committee, avoiding unnecessary emergency admission, evidence from Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement, House of Commons
• Health & Social Care and Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, long term funding for adult social care, evidence from Age UK, King’s Fund and Institute for Government, House of Commons
• Debate on cable standards and fire safety (George Howarth MP, Labour, Knowsley), House of Commons
• Question on monitoring the impact of the two-child limit policy in the child element of Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit on the wellbeing of children (Lord Bishop of Durham), House of Lords
• Question on decision to offer HPV vaccinations to gay men and providing HPV vaccinations to all boys (Baroness Altman, Conservative), House of Lords
• Draft Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018, House of Commons
• Draft Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) (Custodial Premises) Subordinate Provisions Order 2018, House of Commons

Tuesday 27 March

• Liaison Committee, evidence from the Prime Minister, House of Commons
• Debate on construction of council housing (Matt Western MP, Labour, Warwick and Leamington), House of Commons
• Secure Tenancies (Victims of Domestic Abuse) Bill, 1st and 2nd sittings, House of Commons
• Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Carillion, evidence from Institute for Government, House of Commons
• Debate on response of emergency services to calls from newly built estates (Jenny Chapman MP, Labour, Darlington), House of Commons
• Question on Brexit negotiations and recent submissions from the European Council and Commission (Lord Dykes, Crossbench), House of Lords
• Question on increasing the supply of housing stock (Lord Bassam, Labour), House of Lords
• Draft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention and Levy and Safety Net) (Amendment), Regulations 201, House of Lords
• Draft Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) (Custodial Premises) Subordinate Provisions Order 2018, House of Lords

Wednesday 28 March

• European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, Committee stage (day 11), House of Lords
• Opposition Day Debate (i) cuts to local government funding (ii) cuts to police and counter-terrorism funding, House of Commons
• Cabinet Office questions, House of Commons
• Public Accounts Committee, Private Finance Initiatives, evidence form Permanent Secretary, Her Majesty’s Treasury, House of Commons
  
• Home Affairs Committee, the work of the Home Secretary, evidence from Amber Rudd MP, House of Commons
• Human Rights Joint Committee, reform of deprivation of liberty safeguards, evidence from Law Commission and ADASS, House of Commons
• Question on implementation of proposals set out in the December 2017 Green Paper ‘Transforming CAMHS’ (Lord Cotter, Liberal  Democrat), House of Lords
• Question on national border controls, facilities and staffing along with registration of EU citizens (Lord Wallace, Liberal Democrat), House of Lords

Thursday 29 March

• Women and Equalities Questions, House of Commons
• Debate on the effect of EU withdrawal on health and welfare of UK citizens and residents (Baroness Brinton, Liberal Democrat), House of Lords

Friday 30 March

• Parliament in recess, returning Monday 16 April

Get in touch

If you have queries in relation to the items above or any other parliamentary issues, please feel free to get in touch with the Public Affairs team.