LGA Labour Group Elections 2020 – nominations open
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic the Labour Group officers have agreed that our annual process for group elections should take place as normally as possible. Full details of the process are on the LGA Labour Group website here and are briefly set out below:
LGA Labour Group elections
There are 7 Labour Group officer positions and 10 Regional Representative positions directly elected by Labour groups:
Labour Group Officers:
- LGA Labour Group Leader
- Deputy Leaders (two positions, at least one of which must be a woman)
- Chair
- Vice Chair
- Chief Whip
- Deputy Whip
The Labour Group officers form the LGA Labour Group Executive, along with LGA Leadership Board members, lead members on LGA boards, the Welsh LGA leader, a Metro Mayor representative, and the national lead peer. For more details, see the LGA Labour Group Website
Regional Representatives:
- Ten members are elected, one from each English region and Wales: East; East Midlands; London; North East; North West; South East; South West; Yorkshire & Humber; West Midlands and Wales.
Regional representatives are members of the Labour Group, and act as a link with Labour groups and leaders in their region.
Applications for each position are made by self-nomination, and the positions are then elected by Labour Groups.
You can download the self-nomination form here. Your Group leader must consent to your nomination.
Members who are nominating themselves for Officer roles require supporting nominations from 3 Labour Groups, which must come from at least two different regions. You can download the supporting nomination form here.
The timetable for the election process is as follows:
Nominations open: Friday 15 May
Deadline for nominations: 5pm, Friday 29 May
Ballot papers sent to Labour Group Leaders: Monday 1 June
Deadline for ballot votes: 12 noon, Wednesday 24 June
Appointments for places on LGA Boards
The nomination process for places on LGA boards and structures will open on Monday 1st June – details will be circulated separately.
If you have any queries, please contact Martin Angus, Political Adviser, Labour Group office martin.angus@local.gov.uk
Coronavirus news from Labour councils
Labour councils and councillors have all been doing extraordinary things in recent weeks to support their communities. Just a few examples we spotted from the last week:
Southwark Council have expanded their domestic support team in response to the Coronavirus lockdown and launched a virtual hub to support the mental health of young people.
Cambridge City Council showcase their anti-poverty work in the context of Covid-19.
Telford and Wrekin Council have raised over £10,000 for care homes to tackle loneliness and isolation through their #KindleKindness scheme.
Bury Council has launched a helpline to provide psychological support to parents and carers of SEND children during the crisis.
West Oxfordshire’s Labour Group have set up the Witney Baby Bank to deliver formula, nappies, wipes and sanitary products to young families who need them.
Cllr Iain Malcolm, Leader of South Tyneside Council, outlines their approach to adult social care since the start of the pandemic.
We will continue to use this bulletin to highlight the great work that Labour councils, groups, and councillors are doing all over the country in relation to Covid-19 – so if you want your local work included, please send it through to martha.lauchlan@local.gov.uk
Coronavirus news from the LGA
Coronavirus: councils need powers to close schools with new clusters of COVID-19
LGA responds to Government plans to restart housing market
Coronavirus: LGA responds to extra £600m infection control care home funding
Coronavirus: LGA responds to latest ONS figures on care home deaths
LGA responds to ONS figures on social care worker coronavirus deaths
Coronavirus contact tracing at risk unless vital info shared with councils
LGA responds to PM address to nation on coronavirus
Coronavirus: half a million shoddy face masks among surge in virus-related scams and illegal goods reported to councils
Coronavirus: LGA on measures to promote cycling and walking
News from Labour
225,000 could lose care this year if Government breaks funding promise – Steve Reed
Keir Starmer response to the Prime Minister’s statement
Growing and alarming backlog of clinical need with patients – Jonathan Ashworth
Liz Kendall responds to Prime Minister’s comment about testing in care homes
Government guidance fails to answer the fundamental question on public transport – Jim McMahon
LGA ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ - great resource for councillors
The LGA has set up a page to answer Frequently Asked Questions related to Covid-19, covering children and young people, housing, PPE, and supporting local communities, which you can view here.
These responses are being regularly reviewed and updated following clarification from the government.
Making referrals through the GoodSam app
Councillors are able to make referrals through the GoodSam app to request help for a vulnerable resident from an NHS volunteer. If you want to know how to do this, you can read the “how to” guide here.
Support to councillors on governance and scrutiny
The Centre for Public Scrutiny have been asked by the LGA to be available to assist with questions and issues arising on scrutiny and governance for the duration of the crisis. This “helpdesk” function may include assistance in drafting new standing orders and systems to account for remote working, the provision of training and support to specific groups of councillors and helping councils to design and deploy approaches to scrutiny which make an active and positive contribution to the way that authorities are handling the crisis. A summary of this support can be found at https://www.cfps.org.uk/covid-19-notice/
They have published a range of guides (accessible via the above page) for councillors and councils on
- cultural and behavioural issues relating to remote meetings;
- carrying out overview and scrutiny in a targeted and proportionate manner;
- ensuring that councillors have access to information;
- how councillors can understand how their councils are supporting vulnerable people (with a particular focus on Care Act easements and the new children’s services Regulations).
A fifth guide, on councillors’ need to use scrutiny to understand and act on council financial challenges, is being published next week.
They are holding webinars for Chairs, and Committee Members, on skills relating to working in remote meetings and overcoming the associated behavioural and cultural challenges. These will be held on the mornings of 15th and 19th May respectively and, again, full details can be found here.
Call for evidence and information from The Children’s Society
Call for evidence: local welfare provision and responding to CV-19
The Children’s Society has been researching local welfare provision since responsibility for providing crisis support was devolved to local government in 2013 and ring-fenced funding was removed in 2015. During this time of national emergency we believe that government should ensure that local authorities have the resources they need and the systems in place to provide crisis grants to vulnerable individuals and households, at a time when unexpected bills or emergency purchases may be much harder to cover.
We are therefore calling for evidence from local authorities on the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on existing local welfare provision, and would welcome responses to the survey questions below.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic:
- Has your authority seen any change in the number of applications being received for local welfare assistance?
- Has your authority allocated additional funds, staff or resource to your local welfare assistance scheme? If possible, please provide details.
- Has your authority modified any elements of its local welfare assistance scheme (for example the size or nature of awards made, the eligibility criteria, or applications process)?
- Do you have any additional comments to make about the impact of CV-19 on local welfare provision in your area?
Responses can be shared directly with Toby North, Senior Public Affairs Officer at The Children’s Society: toby.north@childrenssociety.org.uk
Our lifeline for all campaign
We are currently calling on government to suspend the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ (NRPF) condition during the coronavirus pandemic to enable migrant families to access vital support from the social security system. As the responsibility for supporting families subject to NRPF often falls on local authorities through children’s social care responsibilities, we are asking local councillors and authorities if they would be willing to support the campaign by writing to the Home Office and requesting that they suspend NRPF during these unprecedented times.
You may have seen in the media in the past couple of weeks that this is a demand that Labour’s frontbench team is also making of government during these unprecedented times. However, we would be very grateful if you could share details of the campaign. I can also share a policy briefing for local government on the topic, as well as a sample letter to the Home Office, if this would be useful.
Looked After Children and the EU Settlement Scheme: a guide for local authorities
As you may be aware, local authorities have a responsibility to identify European children who are in their care or have recently left care, and to ensure they have made applications to the EUSS to secure their future status. However recent research by The Children’s Society has found that only eleven percent (11%) of the identified European children, either in the British care system or who have recently left it, have so far been awarded the right to stay in the UK via the EUSS. We are therefore extremely concerned that many of these children and young people could become undocumented once the EUSS closes in June 2021.
We’ve therefore produced a guide (available to download here) for elected members in local authorities which outlines:
- What Brexit means for the immigration status of many looked after children and care leavers.
- What the EU Settlement Scheme is and what it involves.
- What the local authority is responsible for in relation to the EUSS and what steps should be taken.
- Examples of best practice already taking place within local government.
- Scrutiny questions which elected members can ask on the topic.
The latest advice on Covid-19
All essential workers with symptoms of coronavirus can now be tested thanks to increased capacity - enabling them return to work if results are negative.
This includes council workers such as those working in social care, benefits payments or with vulnerable people.
The Government has published their guidance on the new discretionary business grant funding scheme, which is aimed at some types of properties out of scope of the existing grants, giving councils the flexibility to focus support where there is most economic need.
The Government have urged the public to avoid public transport where possible and issued advice for local authorities on how to manage road networks; for the transport sector on how to keep their staff safe; and for passengers on safer travel.
Yesterday Helen Whatley, the Minister of State for Care, wrote to all council leaders regarding support for care homes. The letter includes further information on the Adult Social Care Infection Control and Workforce Resilience Fund, which will support adult social care providers to reduce the rate of transmission in, and between, are homes and support wider workforce resilience.
A new online portal for care homes to arrange Covid-19 testing was launched this week.
Guidance for remote education practice for schools has been provided, which can be used as an opportunity for schools to learn for each other as they develop their approaches to education in the time of coronavirus.
Sport England are working with the Government to respond to some key questions about physical activity within lockdown restrictions.
Updated regulations regarding restrictions were laid before Parliament on Wednesday which clarify changes to rules and fines during the lockdown.
The LGA has published information and guidance alongside Public Health England and NHS England relating to health inequalities to Covid-19.
As the housing market is being restarted, the Government have issued advice on home moving during the outbreak.
Future Covid-19 updates
If there are issues you think we should try to include in future Covid-19 specific emails then please let us know – just reply to this email.
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