Keir Starmer to speak at LGA ‘virtual’ Annual Conference – book your place!
We are delighted to confirm that Keir Starmer has agreed to speak at the LGA’s ‘virtual’ Annual Conference in July – the first time in five years that the Leader of the Opposition has accepted the invitation from LGA Labour.
Sir Keir will speak and take questions from participants at the online event, which will be chaired by LGA Labour leader Cllr Nick Forbes, at 2pm on Wednesday 1st July. This session is free to attend for councillors and senior officers from councils in England and Wales, but you must register in advance to attend. Register for your place on the LGA website.
Join us at the LGA Labour Annual General Meeting
LGA Labour will also be holding this year’s Labour Group Annual General Meeting online at 10.30am on Wednesday 1st July. Holding this on Zoom allows us to extend an invite to all Labour councillors who wish to attend. The AGM will include the Leader’s Annual Report from Cllr Nick Forbes, and we have invited David Evans, new General Secretary of the Labour Party to be our guest speaker.
Any Labour councillor is welcome to attend the LGA Labour Group AGM but you MUST register in advance to receive the details. Register for the Labour Group AGM using this link. (This is a different registration process to the Keir Starmer speech – if you wish to attend both you must register for both events.)
Appointments for places on LGA Boards
The nomination process for places on LGA boards and structures opened on Monday 1st June and closes on Wednesday 1st July at 17.00. You can find all the information you need and the self-nomination form here: https://www.local.gov.uk/lga-labour/about-us/elections-and-appointments
If you have any queries, please contact Martin Angus, Political Adviser, Labour Group office martin.angus@local.gov.uk.
National Policy Forum Consultation process – LGA Labour webinars
The Labour Party’s National Policy Forum process is now live, and the LGA Labour Group will be making submissions to a number of the commissions to ensure that there is a strong local government voice heard in the Labour Party’s policy making process. You can view the commissions here.
To help inform our responses, we’ll be holding a series of webinars for Labour councillors, covering Local Government Finance, Devolution, Health and Social Care, and Transport, Climate Change & the Economy. All policy areas will have a focus on the post Covid-19 world and how the recovery can help us to build back better. Webinars will be 90 minutes long and we’ll hear from councillors and shadow ministers talk about the key issues in these areas, and give particpiants the chance to ask questions and make comments.
The first webinar to take place will be on ‘How could Labour make Local Government funding sustainable?’, and will take place on Friday 12th June between 3-4.30pm. This discussion will focus on the future of local government finance and how it could be shaped in a post Covid-19 world. If you would like to attend this webinar, please register here, and details will follow.
Following on from this, we’ll hold the next webinar on ‘What is Labour’s vision for devolution?’, which will take place on Wednesday 17th June between 1-2.30pm. This discussion will focus on the future of devolution, how Labour should seek to share power with citizens, and the importance of devolution in a post Covid-19 context. If you would like to attend this webinar, please register here, and details will follow.
We will put details of the other webinars in next week’s bulletin – please keep an eye out for details.
If you have any questions, please email hannah.lazell@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:
Several Labour council leaders express their concerns about the flaws in the government’s approach to Test and Trace in this Guardian article
Oldham Council has established a dedicated COVID-19 Recovery portfolio in its new Cabinet
How Hammersmith & Fulham Council helped local care homes control COVID-19 outbreaks and save lives
Cllr Sharon Thompson was on BBC News talking about Birmingham City Council's work to house the homeless during lockdown and the need for greater support from govt. Birmingham has spent £272m to support communities during this crisis, yet has only received £70m back from govt.
Brighton and Hove Council leader Nancy Platts and leader of the opposition Phélim Mac Cafferty have written to the government’s homelessness czar Dame Louise Casey calling for support from the Rough Sleeping Taskforce to end homelessness.
Telford & Wrekin Council is preparing for the wider re-opening of businesses in its town and district centres from Monday 15 June and to ensure this happens as safely as possible for everyone concerned
A floral display is being constructed in the city centre as a gesture of thanks from Birmingham City Council to key workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cllr Anthony Okereke writes on the death of George Floyd and the need to also tackle racism in Britain.
Labour authorities all over Britain lit up buildings with purple lights in memory of George Floyd and in solidarity with those standing up against racism and injustice.
Gedling leader John Clarke and deputy leader Michael Payne write to their local Tory MP demanding he supports reinstatement of free school meal vouchers for children during the summer holidays
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
News from Labour
Keir Starmer writes to the Government on George Floyd and US Govt response
Labour launches consultation on how to create ambitious green economic recovery
Marsha de Cordova comments on the news that the EHRC will lead an inquiry into the impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities
Liz Kendall comments on extra costs to be faced by adult social care services due to Coronavirus
Jim McMahon comments on the news that face covering will be compulsory on public transport
Coronavirus news from the LGA
Council loan repayments delay needed amid coronavirus financial crisis
LGA responds to Crisis report on rise in homelessness
LGA: social care providers face more than £6bn in extra COVID-19 costs
LGA responds to latest ONS figures on coronavirus deaths
New LGA webinars for Opposition councillors
The LGA have produced two new webinars for councillors: ‘The importance of opposition’, and ‘What good opposition looks like during the COVID-19 crisis’. These are pre-recorded but have downloadable exercises for councillors to undertake while doing the online module. You can access them on the LGA website.
Changes to the planning system as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, June 2020
A local, plan-led system continues to be vital in ensuring that councils and the communities they represent have a say over the way places develop. This includes the delivery of homes, where locally required, and the supporting infrastructure needed to create sustainable, resilient places. This will be even more critical as we move towards recovery after COVID-19.
The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) have put together a number of resources and Frequently Asked Questions to share good practice and answer common questions. The full briefing can be found on the LGA website.
Pledge to be a Community Co-operator post Covid-19
The Co-operative Party have put together a community pledge, to make the case for keeping some of the positive community spirit we have seen during Covid-19. The pledge is here : https://party.coop/community-co-operator
They are asking Labour Councillors to sign up, ahead of doing publicity on it during Co-ops Fortnight, which is week beginning 22nd June.
Mile End Institute Podcast: COVID-19 and Local Government
The latest Mile End Institute podcast features Dr Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and Dr Andrew Walker, Head of Research, also of LGiU, in conversation with Dr Patrick Diamond, Senior Lecturer of Public Policy at Queen Mary University of London and member of the Mile End Institute.
Listen here
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.
E-Learning Modules
The LGA e-learning modules are now available on our website and accessible without using a user and password via this link – this includes our new e-learning module on ‘Holding council meetings online’. This e-module covers chairing and managing remote meetings such as committees following the change in legislation earlier this month. Councillors will be able to evidence that they have completed the module by completing the certificate of completion.
The latest advice on Covid-19
The Government has announced £50 million of funding will be allocated to councils across England through the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund to help introduce a range of safety measures to allow shops to reopen.
The Department for Health & Social Care has provided guidance on the provision of homecare for registered providers, social care staff and local authorities who support and deliver care to people in their homes.
DHSC has also launched Join Social Care, a new platform to speed up recruitment in adult social care, which can be used by care providers to find candidates in their local area.
The Government announced two weeks ago that councils will be required to put together local outbreak control plans to support the national rollout of the test and trace service, and has given local authorities £300 million additional funding to develop plans.
The Government has announced that 6,000 new supported homes will be provided as part of its commitment to end rough sleeping. The LGA has responded to this with a call for further clarity on what additional support will provided to councils to help them move people out of temporary accommodation and into housing.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a toolkit of communications resources for local authorities to support their work in providing food to vulnerable residents.
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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