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Dear Colleague,
The scrutiny of this week's Budget has continued since the Chancellor delivered his statement on Wednesday lunchtime. It is clear that the task facing the Government to steer the economy through the remaining stages of the pandemic and the difficult challenges ahead remain stark.
While the Budget was focused on responding to the unprecedented economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic, many of the persistent structural challenges facing the country will require sustained effort over the long term. We continue to stress that it is councils who are the crucial partners of Government in achieving these goals and building a thriving, connected and sustainable future for communities across the country.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has cast its eye over the announcements, in particular the Chancellor's plan to remove around £4 billion per year from his cash plans for public service spending after next year. Government departments with unprotected budgets are now facing real-term cuts in 2022/23 as a result, the think-tank suggests. As we set out in our media response to the Budget, public finances are undoubtedly under huge strain but investment in our local services will be vital for our national economic and social recovery. Our focus remains on making the case for sustainable long-term investment in councils in the forthcoming Spending Review.
At this afternoon's MHCLG Ministerial webinar, it was great to hear the Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick endorse the role of councils as being at the heart of the community investment programmes announced at the Budget this week. The Secretary of State said that councils had been chosen to lead bids for both the Levelling Up Fund and UK Community Renewal Fund in recognition of their roles as place shapers and to provide councils with greater powers and responsibilities 'in the spirit of localism' to decide on the needs of their own areas. Ministers also confirmed that further guidance on the application process for both funds will be published in the coming days.
Hopefully you will have also found time to look over our On-the-Day Budget Briefing summarising the key announcements for councils and providing an initial LGA view. A reminder also that we are seeking feedback on our On-the-Day Briefings. Please take under five minutes to complete this form or email lgfinance@local.gov.uk to assist us to improve future briefings.
As we head into the weekend, I would like to wish all school leaders, teachers and staff a safe and successful full opening of all schools from Monday. Homeschooling has been a huge challenge for many families, as shown by a poll from Save the Children which shows 56 per cent of parents are worried about their child’s mental wellbeing and 31 per cent are worried their child has fallen behind during closures. I am sure you would join me in applauding all teachers, schools’ other staff, parents, carers and guardians for the care, commitment and courage they have shown to support children’s education during this extraordinary period.
COVID-19 case rates
One in every 213 people is testing positive for COVID-19, the latest findings from the Imperial College London’s React study has found. It has been analysing data from swab tests taken from people across England since May last year. The rate of infection in the community was 0.49 per cent – down by two-thirds from January when the rate was 1.57 per cent. However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that there is “some cause for concern” that the study suggests that progress in the reduction in infections could be slowing down, and even reversing in some regions.
The COVID-19 reproduction number, or R value, is now estimated to be between 0.7 and 0.9 across the UK.
COVID-19 variants
Sixteen cases of a new COVID-19 variant (B.1.1.318) have been identified in the UK. This variant is understood to have originated in the UK and was first identified on 15 February. All individuals who tested positive and their contacts have been traced and advised to isolate.
Public Health England has also said that a total of 59 cases of the South Africa variant and 26 cases of the Brazil variant have now been found in England where no travel links could be established. Additional surge testing will be deployed in targeted areas of Brent, north-west London and Stockton-on-Tees where the South Africa variant of coronavirus has been found.
Test and trace
A total of 68,738 people tested positive for COVID-19 in England at least once in the week to February 24, according to the latest Test and Trace figures. This is down 19 per cent on the previous week and is the lowest number since the week to September 30. Of the 69,129 people referred to the Test and Trace system in the week to February 24, 88.5 per cent were reached and asked to provide details of recent close contacts. This is down very slightly from 88.7 per cent in the previous week.
Hospitalisations
The number of patients with COVID-19 in hospital in England has dropped below 10,000 for the first time since the beginning of November, according to the latest figures from NHS England. There were 9,594 coronavirus patients in hospital in England on March 3, this is also a week-on-week drop of 26 per cent from the 13,007 coronavirus patients in hospital in England on February 24 and a 72 per cent drop from the peak of 34,336 coronavirus patients in hospital on January 18.
Vaccinations
Latest figures show that 21.3 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Two-fifths of the entire adult UK population have now been vaccinated.
Vaccination data in LG Inform
Following our recent lobbying success, which resulted in data about vaccinations being made public at local authority level last week, we’re now delighted to launch our LG Inform report on vaccination data. This report allows you to view the count and rate of vaccinations in your area, both overall and by age-bands. Simply select your authority at the top of the report.
The data in this will be kept up to date for you, and the report sits alongside all the other ready-made reports in LG Inform which are kept up to date too. Do let us have any feedback, by writing to lginform@local.gov.uk.
COVID-19 testing in schools, colleges and specialist settings
With schools returning on Monday, I am sure the logistics and management of the schools testing regime, alongside the possible impact on demand for test and trace and test and trace support, will be on your minds. Secondary school children will be receiving three tests at school before undertaking their fourth test at home and then moving to twice-weekly home tests distributed by the school. Teachers from secondary and primary schools, and all non-teaching and support staff will also receive home testing kits from their school. Households, childcare and support bubbles of school-aged children will be eligible to access twice-weekly home Lateral Flow Test at a local test site, by collecting a home test kit from a test site and by ordering a home test kit online.
The Department of Education (DfE) has published a workforce planning tool to support secondary schools, colleges and specialist settings to deliver on-site COVID-19 testing. It sets out the number of staff that are required to deliver on-site testing and indicates the level of funding schools are entitled to. To help schools recruit temporary staff to support their on-site testing programmes, the DfE has also produced a How Do I Buy Guide, with information on how to hire staff through the Crown Commercial Service and other recommended suppliers. The guide is available on the secondary schools and colleges document sharing platform.
Waste and LFD testing
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has updated its Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that are sent to those undertaking lateral flow device (LFD) testing. The latest SOPs clarify that waste arising from LFD testing being undertaken as an ancillary function to normal business, such as at a school or workplace that is not a registered healthcare facility and not a dedicated site for the purpose of the Test & Trace programme, is not considered to be healthcare waste. As a result, LFD waste can, in agreement with waste contractors, be managed alongside other waste arising at that location, i.e. residual ('black bag’) waste.
Where LFD testing is being undertaken at registered healthcare facilities and dedicated testing sites that have been established, for example, mass population testing sites including those on university campuses, then in accordance with the legislative framework around duty of care and the consideration of the source of waste, this should be segregated and managed in accordance with Department of Health & Social Care guidance.
DEFRA will update its guidance on GOV.UK shortly and we will let you know when this has been done, but you are able to follow the revised guidance above immediately.
Local Outbreak Management Plans
A refreshed Local Outbreak Management Plan will be crucial as we progress along the roadmap out of lockdown. It is also likely that the Government will seek reassurance about the local plans and measures in place to deal with new outbreaks or high infection rates.
Next Wednesday (10 March) between 3pm and 4pm we are hosting a webinar for council leaders, chief executives, directors of public health and other interested members and officers. We will hear how the Contain framework is being strengthened to focus on areas of enduring transmission and Variants of Concern, and to discuss how local plans are taking these risks into account. We will welcome Dr Carolyn Wilkins OBE, Contain Director, NHS Test &Trace and Chief Executive of Oldham Council, to provide an update and will also be joined by Jeanelle De Gruchy, ADPH President and Director of Public Health for Tameside Council. An invitation will be sent out directly next week with the Zoom joining details.
Vaccine study
A new study is to investigate the immune response to COVID-19 vaccinations in 5,000 patients with certain immunosuppressed conditions, including cancer, inflammatory arthritis, diseases of the kidney or liver or people who are having a stem cell transplant. These underlying medical conditions and the treatment that such patients receive as part of their care may weaken the immune system, making vaccines particularly welcome for these groups. The trial, funded by the Medical Research Council, is a collaborative research project involving groups in the Universities of Glasgow, Birmingham, Oxford, Liverpool, Imperial College London and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Over 80s behaviour poll
Some 43 per cent of people over 80 who were surveyed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said they had met someone other than a personal care support worker, member of their household or support bubble indoors since being vaccinated. Almost half (49 per cent) of over 80s perceived the coronavirus to be a major or significant risk to them personally without vaccination; this decreased to 5 per cent if they were to receive both doses of the vaccine and 96 per cent would encourage others to get a COVID-19 vaccination. The Over 80s Vaccines Insights study by the ONS ran from February 15-20, by which point the Government said it had offered the jab to everyone in the top four priority groups – which includes the over-80s.
Vaccinating against variants
Authorised COVID-19 vaccines that are modified in response to new variants will not need a brand new approval or lengthy clinical studies, according to new guidance from the ACCESS Consortium – a coalition of regulatory authorities from the UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland. Vaccine manufacturers will need to provide robust evidence that the modified vaccine produce an immune response, but clinical studies that do not add to the regulatory understanding of a vaccine’s safety, quality or effectiveness would not be needed.
Vaccination centre road signs
I wrote to you last month about the AA’s offer of free directional road signs for community COVID-19 vaccination centres. It has received around 180 requests for directional signage to vaccination centres and already provided more than 1,800 free signs. These may be useful for councils, with the service including production, distribution, fitting and maintenance of the signs, as well as removal and recycling at the end of the vaccination programme. Signs can be requested by emailing aasigns@theaa.com, including full address and intended opening date, as well as the name and contact information of the site contact.
COVID-19 lessons
The Government’s response to the Public Services Committee report into lessons learned from COVID-19 has been published. The response covers a number of areas of interest to councils including around social care, council financial sustainability, the Devolution White Paper, economic recovery, early years and public health. The LGA gave evidence to the inquiry last year and it is helpful to see the Government’s response highlight the engagement between central and local government during the pandemic.
Impact of coronavirus on BAME people
The Women and Equalities Committee has published the Government's response to its report (December 2020) on the impact of coronavirus on BAME people. The report found that comorbidities pose a risk for BAME people in experiencing coronavirus more severely and, at times, with adverse health outcomes. The Government has welcomed the committee's recommendations.
Obesity
A World Obesity Federation report claims that around nine in 10 COVID-19 deaths have occurred in countries with high obesity rates. This includes the UK which has the third-highest COVID-19 death rate in the world and the fourth-highest obesity rate. The World Health Organisation said the report should act as a “wake-up call” for governments to tackle obesity.
Healthy weight
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced £100 million to support people living with obesity to lose weight and maintain healthier lifestyles. Of this, around £35 million will be dedicated to supporting the expansion of local authority weight management services for adults, children, and families. It says it will be publishing two ringfenced grants in the coming weeks to distribute funding to councils which will be available for 12 months from the beginning of the new financial year. As we said in our media response, this new funding is a positive step and a reflection of councils’ shared commitment with government to helping people of all ages achieve a healthier weight, by investing in prevention.
Long-term funding of adult social care
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has launched a new inquiry to investigate how COVID-19 has impacted the adult social care sector and its long-term funding needs following the pandemic. This cross-party inquiry, which has invited submissions on various questions, will be another important contributor to how we can sustainably pay for social care services, which have been seriously impacted by the pandemic but also affected by decades of delayed reforms by successive governments of different political colours. In addition to contributing to this inquiry, we continue to call on the Government to urgently bring forward its proposals and a clear timetable for reform, so that we can finally put social care on a sustainable footing and enable people to live the lives they want to lead.
Foreign health and care workers
Senior care workers and nursing assistants are among roles that have been added to the Government’s Shortage Occupation List, which gives people in these roles abroad an advantage in obtaining a skilled worker visa in the UK. Health services and public health managers and directors, residential, day and domiciliary care managers have also been added. A job on the Shortage Occupation List is worth 20 points under the Government’s new immigration points system. Combined with the mandatory criteria – having an acceptable standard of English, an offer from a licensed sponsor and the required skill level, which are worth 50 points – this will help ensure people in these roles reach the 70 points necessary to be eligible for a work visa.
Care staff movement
The Government has published guidance for care home providers on limiting staff movement between settings in all but exceptional circumstances to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection. The LGA responded to the consultation about whether Government should introduce new regulations for staff movement last year, and are pleased it took account of our recommendation to provide guidance to care home providers, rather than regulate in this area. A short summary of the guidance can be found on the LGA website.
Bereavement services
Freedom of Information data submitted to charity Independent Age by councils and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) found 17 per cent of councils and 22 per cent of CCGs have provided extra funding for bereavement services to help people during the coronavirus pandemic, the charity’s research suggests. It has also suggested an “inconsistent approach” is creating a postcode lottery and risks people being left without vital help. It is calling on the Government to recognise the vital role bereavement support plays and make it a funding priority.
Changing Places toilets
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is providing £30 million for councils to install life-enhancing Changing Places toilets in existing buildings in England. Changing Places toilets are larger accessible toilets for people who cannot use standard disabled toilets, with equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers. MHCLG will be inviting district and unitary councils to “opt in” to receive a proportion of this funding to install facilities in their communities and is encouraging them to involve county councils in two-tier areas.
This welcome funding will enable more disabled people, their families and carers to plan days out and fully participate in everyday experiences such as leisure and sports, cinemas, and visiting arts and tourism venues. You may wish to start considering where Changing Places toilets are most needed in your communities, and opportunities to work in partnership with other organisations to deliver these facilities, including securing match funding and in-kind contributions.
Children’s mental health
The Government today announced it will speed up the expansion of Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs) to 400 by 2023, supporting up to 3 million children as part of a £79 million funding package. There will also be an expansion into community health support and eating disorders. We have regularly called for an increase in support for children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and the expansion of MHSTs. This is a positive step amid the pandemic which has exacerbated existing child mental health problems and will help support an expected surge in related cases as schools reopen next week. As we say in our media response, the situation must be kept under review going forward as it’s vital that children’s mental health services can meet existing, new and unmet demand that has built up during the pandemic.
Travelling to and from school
Ahead of schools and colleges full opening next week, the Department for Transport has asked for help from councils to share messages encouraging pupils of all ages and their parents and teachers to walk or cycle to school if they can. The DfT has made communications material available to be downloaded.
Young people not in education, employment or training
There were an estimated 797,000 young people classed as not in education, employment or training (Neet) in the final quarter of last year, an increase of 39,000 compared with July to September 2020 and up by 34,000 on the figure for October to December 2019. The Office for National Statistics said the latest quarterly increase was the largest since July to September 2011.
Early Career Framework for teachers
From September, the Government is funding an entitlement for all early career teachers in England to receive development support and training over two years instead of one, underpinned by the Early Career Framework. Working with the Department for Education, we have provided a summary update to support the implementation and are organising a joint webinar on 29 April. Please save the dates in diaries and more information will be shared soon.
Youth Justice Board strategic plan
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has set out their strategic plan for 2021-24, reaffirming their commitment to the Child First principle. This will ensure children are at the heart of all decisions and the YJB has committed to working with all partners to support children before they get involved in the justice system.
Pilot to reduce reoffending by young adults
The Government has announced a £3 million pilot to reduce re-offending by young people aged 18-25 in Newham, London. This brings together mental health, substance misuse services with the National Probation Service under one roof. It will run until 2023 and if successful, will be rolled out further.
Social housing
The Government has launched a new campaign to help social housing residents improve their living conditions. 'Make Things Right' will help residents raise complaints if they are unhappy with their landlord and struggling to get problems resolved. The campaign is a commitment from the Government as part of the social housing white paper - 'The Charter for Social Housing Residents'. Published in January, the white paper sets out the actions it will take to ensure that residents in social housing are safe, are listened to, live in good quality homes and have access to redress when things go wrong. This will include a new arm of the Regulator of Social Housing to proactively regulate on consumer standards, including quality of homes, repairs, meaningful engagement with tenants and complaints handling.
On March 19, we will be hosting a webinar on proposals in the social housing white paper and what they could mean for the regulation of council housing. This will be an opportunity to hear directly from Fiona MacGregor, Chief Executive of the Regulator of Social Housing, about the plans for implementing the new regime and what it means for councils.
Housing location data
The Geospatial Commission has published an independent Planning and Housing Review to assess how relevant housing data is currently being accessed and used. Location data is critically important to our planning and housing needs and the report identifies challenges and opportunities to better utilise geospatial data. The Geospatial Commission will be working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Homes England, the Land Registry and others to consider priorities for location data improvement.
Green jobs
Cllr Kevin Bentley, Chairman of our People and Places Board, gave evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee this week as part of the Committee’s inquiry into green jobs. Cllr Bentley made the case for greater devolution for skills and employment programmes, explaining that local government is ideally placed to understand how employer demand is changing and how the local skills profile of an area needs to adapt. Cllr Bentley also highlighted the green jobs analysis that the LGA commissioned, which sets out the number of jobs that could be created in each area and was discussed in detail in our written evidence.
Achieving Net Zero
The Public Accounts Committee has published a report on achieving net zero. In line with our evidence to the Committee, it is positive to see the Committee emphasise the role of councils in the move to net zero, and calling on the Government to engage more with local authorities on their role in reaching net zero, including ensuring they have the necessary resources. In our media response, we emphasised that net zero can only be achieved if decarbonisation happens in every place, community and household and that councils must have the necessary resources and be suitably supported by government.
Business Rates
Following the announcements concerning business rates relief in the Budget, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has issued a Business Rates Information Letter (2/2021) to Billing Authorities. This contains confirmation of the 2021/22 business rates multipliers, links to guidance for the Expanded Retail Discount and Nursery (childcare) Discount for 2021/22 and confirmation that the Government will provide New Burdens funding to cover matters such as IT costs, additional staff costs and rebilling. Please let us have any views at lgfinance@local.gov.uk which we can feed back to MHCLG officials
Business support
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has updated its guidance for the various business grants. This includes updating subsidy allowance guidelines, including closing dates for schemes which did not previously have them and clarifying the requirement for a business to have been trading before relevant restrictions were announced in order to be eligible for grant funding. BEIS will be holding a virtual event for billing authorities on the guidance and schemes on Tuesday 9 March and are also working on guidance for the new Restart Grants announced in the Budget which will apply from 1 April. Please contact businessgrantfunds@beis.gov.uk for the link to the virtual event and further information.
UK Infrastructure Bank (BI)
The Government has published further details of the UK Infrastructure Bank that was announced in this week’s budget. Loans by the bank to local authorities will be for strategic projects of more than £5 million and will be at a rate similar to the previous local infrastructure rate, that is 0.4% below standard Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) rates. Initially loans will be taken out via PWLB but will transfer to the bank once it has been formally established in legislation. We are looking forward to discussing with the Treasury and the bank itself how the bank can work best with local authorities.
Elections May 2021: Supporting candidates and agents’ guidance
The Electoral Commission has published guidance to support candidates and agents through election activities during the pandemic ahead of the May 2021 elections. The guidance covers all aspects of the electoral process from briefing candidates to the declaration of results, except for campaigning. Specific guidance on campaigning was published by the Cabinet Office at the end of last week.
This week we have relaunched the LGA Election May 2021 Hub which has information about this year’s local elections, links to relevant Electoral Commission and government guidance, and links to our pre-election period guide.
Remote meetings
We have written to the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick to urge the Government to extend the ability for councils to hold meetings flexibly beyond 7 May 2021 while we continue to manage the pandemic, and to make this a permanent power open to councils to use.
The letter also expressed the LGA’s support for legal action being taken by Lawyers in Local Government and the Association of Democratic Services Officers to obtain a court declaration that local authorities already have the power to hold member meetings remotely, either wholly or partly. If successful, the declaration would be a way of addressing this issue without the need to change legislation.
International Women’s Day
On Monday, communities will be coming together to mark International Women's Day. This global event on 8 March celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, and is a call to action for accelerating women's equality. We understand the UK government plans to use the period from March 7-10 to celebrate the #ExtraordinaryWomen who have helped fight COVID-19. It would be great to see the enormous contribution of women in #LocalGov highlighted and celebrated throughout #IWD2021 too.
Flexible working
Ahead of International Women's Day, the Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, is calling for employers to make flexible working a standard option for employees, to help level-up the UK, boost opportunities for women and reduce geographic inequality as we recover from COVID-19. It follows new research published today by the Government-backed Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) and jobs website Indeed, which shows offering flexible working explicitly in job adverts would increase applications by up to 30 per cent.
2021 Windrush Day Grant Scheme
The Government has updated its guidance on how councils can submit bids for funding from the Windrush Day Grant Scheme, open for applications until 10 March. The scheme provides funding to communities looking to celebrate, commemorate and educate about the Windrush generation and their contribution.
Exit Reform
Yesterday MHCLG issued a letter following on from the revocation of the Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payment Regulations 2020. It includes the withdrawal of the Ministerial letter of 28 October 2020 and confirmation that the consultation on further reforms is now closed. It also confirms that there will be no related changes to pension or compensation regulations without a fresh consultation exercise. The letter also refers to the possibility of further guidance being issued and we are urging MHCLG to confirm how interest should be calculated.
Firefighter pension cases
The Fire Brigades Union is launching a number of High Court legal proceedings seeking to speed up the payment of pensions to firefighters following an earlier court ruling. We are aware that Fire and Rescue Authorities are looking to implement remedy where they can but face a number of challenges due to the lack of guidance setting out how they should do so. We continue to encourage government departments to provide that guidance.
APPG on Devolution
A reminder that the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Devolution will be launching the final report on its recent inquiry into central government's role in making devolution a success in England on Tuesday 9 March at 2pm. Speakers at the virtual event will include the APPG’s Chair, Andrew Lewer MP, Steve Reed MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Deborah Cadman OBE, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority, among others. For more information about the APPG please contact amy.fleming@local.gov.uk.
Parish and town council awards
The National Association of Local Councils is once again running its awards programme this year as part of its work to recognise the parish and town council sector’s achievements. The Star Council Awards 2021 will this year focus on projects that have positively impacted communities in the context of COVID-19.
Chris Naylor
My sincere thanks to Barking and Dagenham’s Chief Executive Chris Naylor whose LGA facilitated secondment to Birmingham City Council draws to a close on Sunday. Chris has made a significant and lasting contribution in Birmingham. I wish him continued success on his return to East London on Monday.
Aileen Murphie, NAO
We will be saying goodbye to a strong ally of local government later this month when the National Audit Office’s Director for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and local government value for money, Aileen Murphie retires after a remarkable 37 years with the NAO. Aileen has been a terrific public servant and one of local government’s greatest champions throughout a long and distinguished career. I am sure you will join me in wishing her a very happy retirement. We will share details of her successor when announced.
Webinars
Please see the LGA website for our full programme of events which includes:
As the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine programme continues at pace, effective communications and engagement will be integral to its success. This webinar, will look at how councils and public sector partners can increase uptake of the vaccine by working to understand and tackle vaccine hesitancy and counter misinformation. We'll hear from Waltham Forest Council on its use of research and insight and Birmingham City Council on its Community Champions programme. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will also present its new vaccine disinformation toolkit.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the local elections in England and Wales on May 6 will be unlike any other that we have experienced before. This webinar will provide the opportunity to learn from comparable elections that have taken place in Scotland during the pandemic and will provide an opportunity to hear from the Electoral Commission on its latest available guidance and resources alongside Paul Docker, Cabinet Office Head of Electoral Administration.
I hope this end of week update has been useful. As always, do please continue to liaise with your Principal Adviser if there is anything further we can do to support your councils.
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Best wishes,
Mark Lloyd
Chief Executive
Local Government Association
@MarkLloydLGA
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