Domestic abuse
The Home Affairs Committee has published its report into domestic abuse. We gave evidence to the inquiry to highlight councils’ role in tackling abuse and providing support to victims. Responding to the report, we reaffirmed how seriously councils are taking this issue, and the work many are doing to invest in more early intervention and prevention schemes.
Serious Violent crime
The Home Secretary Sajid Javid MP recently announced the Government would be launching a consultation on a new legal duty to underpin a public health approach to tackling serious violence. He also announced the Government would invest in a new £200 million youth endowment fund aimed at 10 to 14 year olds who are most at risk of youth violence. There will also be an independent review of drug misuse.
MHCLG Fund: Supporting Families Against Youth Crime
Deadline On 20 October 2018, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced a new fund: Supporting Families Against Youth Crime. The fund is designed to be used flexibly to enhance the existing package of support provided by local Troubled Families Programmes to enable a greater focus on preventing youth and gang crime. The fund is open for councils to submit their bids. The deadline is 8 December 2018.
Serious Organised Crime Strategy
The Government released its new Serious Organised Crime Strategy, which sets out how it will target and undermine crime networks and protect victims from its impacts. As we said in our response, long-term investment in local services is crucial to enabling us to identify signs of exploitation and intervene at an early stage. Only with the right funding and powers can councils continue to make a difference to people’s lives, by supporting families and young people, and helping to tackle serious violent crime in our local communities.
Guidance on criminal exploitation
To coincide with a week of awareness raising in relation to criminal exploitation, the National Crime Agency has developed guidance for councils on criminal exploitation, a form of modern slavery.
On 10 October the Home Office announced a fresh package of support to assist child victims of modern slavery including rolling out the Independent Child Trafficking Advocates scheme to new areas and the creation of a new £5 million innovation fund.
We are very pleased to promote the launch of this new Toolkit aimed at helping local organisations and agencies work better together to tackle modern slavery. The Toolkit has been development by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Office in collaboration with the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham and includes: a partnership checklist; governance library; downloadable resources; reports and legislations; a training library.
The MSIF seeks to support innovative approaches to tackling modern slavery and the first £6 million of the fund has been supporting projects since 2017. Phase 2 consists of a further £5 million for projects from 2019/20-2020/21 and is open for bids until the 28 November.
The national referral mechanism (NRM) reform
The Home Office works to reform the NRM for victims of modern slavery is ongoing. Its aim is to make the NRM quicker and more certain around decision making and improve identification and support of adult and child victims. The Home Office has published an outline of the reforms to which you can sign up for updates.
UK City Transparency Report – removing modern slavery from supply chain
The Transparency in Supply Chain Report has launched an interactive map which enables buyers to quickly check their supply chain for corporate transparency data, in relation to efforts to remove modern slavery from supply chains. Members of the public are also now able to see how their cities, counties, districts and boroughs are using their buying leverage to drive modern slavery out of their supply chains.
Government's new campaign
The Home Office has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the harmful consequences associated with FGM.
National FGM Centre Assessment tool
The National FGM Centre this year launched a new FGM Assessment tool and guidance for social workers. The tool provides social workers with a range of questions to help them assess cases where FGM might be an issue. The Centre is now consulting in Wales with the aim of launching it there as well. More information can be found on the Centre’s website.
Latest Health Survey data published
The Gambling Commission has recently published the latest combined Health Survey, which outlines participation, at-risk gambling and problem gambling rates across Great Britain. The data is drawn from field research carried out by NatCen in 2016 across England, Wales and Scotland.
Latest licensing authority statistics published
The Gambling Commission has published the licensing authority statistics for the year ending 31 March 2018, showing councils’ activity in gambling licensing. This latest edition provides a comparison on data covering the period 2013 to 2018.
Taxi / PHV working group report published
The report of a Department for Transport working group looking at taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, which the LGA participated in, has now been published. We welcome the report of the group and urge Government to respond quickly.
National register a taxi/PHV licence refusals and revocations (NR3)
Also on taxis, the working group report notes the LGA’s new register a taxi/PHV licence refusals and revocations (NR3). A reminder that this is now up and running via the National Anti-Fraud Network – please contact Rebecca.Johnson@local.gov.uk to find out more and check that your authority is signed up.
Animal Welfare Regulations – updates on K Hub
We are aware that a number of councils are concerned about the introduction of new regulations on animal welfare, and a lack of timely information from Defra about this. Officers can sign up to the Local Government Animal Health & Welfare Knowledge Hub Group for latest updates on the new regulations, as Defra are using this group as a forum to answer questions. The LGA is monitoring this and liaising with Defra to seek to progress outstanding queries.
LGiU Report: Local partnership working for a vibrant night time economy
The Local Government information Unit (LGiU) and Portman Group have published a new report on ‘Local Partnership Working for a Vibrant Night Time Economy’. The report is based on the findings of a 2018 survey of key decision makers in local authorities on their approach to managing the evening and night time economy. The survey explored how councils view their night time economy, the local challenges they face and who takes the lead on this policy area within the council. The report is available here.
Stepping up to the challenge – local leadership for countering extremism, SIGCE seminar 4
The Special Interest Group for Countering Extremism (SIGCE) is hosting its fourth seminar on 29 November. Open to officers and elected members, the focus of this free seminar will be the role of local leaders in counter extremism work.
Leadershiip essentials courses - Prevent, counter-extremism, and cohesion and integration
The LGA has scheduled further leadership essentials programmes on Prevent and counter-extremism for this year, alongside a new course on cohesion and integration. These two-day courses are aimed at elected members with responsibility for or an interest in these policy areas and are free to attend.
Leadership essentials course – Fire and Rescue
The LGA has scheduled two further leadership essentials programmes on Fire and Rescue in November and February. The two-day courses are aimed at elected members with responsibility for or an interest in Fire and Rescue and are free to attend.
LGA Diversity and Inclusion in the Fire and Rescue Services - Masterclass
Elected members of fire authorities have a key role to play in promoting cultural change. To promote this agenda the LGA is running a series of five events in the new year aimed at helping councillors with fire responsibility to promote their role in the context of this agenda.
LGA annual licensing conference – Tuesday 5 February
The LGA's annual licensing conference, covering the latest updates on alcohol, gambling and taxi / PHV licensing, is now open for booking.
County Lines
If you have examples of working with local partners to tackle county lines activity or child criminal exploitation, please get in touch with Rachel Phelps (Rachel.Phelps@local.gov.uk). We are collecting examples of best practice which we can disseminate to local government colleagues.
Community Triggers
We are also calling for any best practice examples of community triggers that have helped improve anti-social behaviour in your local area. Please get in touch with Rachel Phelps (Rachel.Phelps@local.gov.uk) if you have any examples or issues you would like to raise about the community trigger process.
Gambling and Fixed Odds Betting Terminals in Parliament
Following representations by the LGA and others, the Government brought forward the date by which the maximum stakes for Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) will be cut to £2, from October, to April 2019. Our lobbying in recent months has included Cllr Simon Blackburn providing evidence regarding the impact of FOBTs on local communities to the APPG on FOBTs in September, and Cllr Morris Bright speaking at a panel debate on FOBTs during Conservative Party Conference. There was also a debate on problem gambling in the House of Lords in October where our best practice guide for councils was welcomed.
MPs debate modern slavery
In October, there was a House of Commons debate on modern slavery in the UK, which we briefed for. Concerns raised by MPs included compliance with supply chain reporting, as well as the role of local authorities in tackling modern slavery in their areas. There were also calls from across the House for extending victim support beyond the current provision. Responding for Government, Victoria Atkins MP, confirmed that work is underway to reform NRM and the support available for victims once they exit the NRM. She also said that recruitment of a new Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner is ongoing.
Youth services and youth violence debated in the Commons
Also in October, MPs held a debate on the challenge of youth violence and the role of youth services to tackle these growing issues. We briefed MPs on this issue and a number of key concerns for local government were raised during the debate. This included our concerns regarding the focus on providing youth services via the National Citizen Service, which is only available for short periods of time. Responding to the debate the Minister, Tracy Crouch MP, highlighted the Government’s recently announced Civil Society Strategy and the review of the statutory guidance for local authorities providing youth services.
Taxi licensing in Parliament
Taxi licensing continues to be an important issue for councils and earlier this month, Cllr Anita Lower gave evidence to the APPG for Taxis. Cllr Lower highlighted the need to reform licensing laws and the role of councils in safeguarding communities. MPs also debated the report on Tuesday, and our briefing to update legislation on licensing. It was positive to see MPs from across the House commend local government for taking the initiative through the LGA-commissioned national register of refusals and revocations. The Minister, Jesse Norman MP reassured MPs that work was being done within the Department and that a Government response, setting out reform of the regulation of the sector would “be issued very shortly”.
Tackling gambling related harm – a whole council approach
This publication provides an overview of problem gambling, and how councils can begin to try to help local residents who are affected by it.
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