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Dear colleague,
Welcome to the LGA Conservative Group’s newsletter, in which we highlight the latest information associated with COVID-19 and other topical issues.
Over the last week, there seems to be confusion over Government’s guidance urging people not to travel in and out of areas hardest hit by the Covid-19 variant first identified in India. The Government has now clarified that the new measures are voluntary and not compulsory.
As usual the public need to remain vigilant as lockdown eases. Local authorities, working closely with the Government, are encouraging people to get tested and self-isolate if their test is positive.
On a different note, I am delighted to inform you that this year’s LGA Annual Conference will be held online, taking place between 6 – 8 July, and I look forward to virtually seeing many of you there. The Conference programme is packed with expert and inspirational speakers and topics that matter to local government including economic recovery, climate change, council housebuilding, public health, building safety, planning reform and devolution.
I am particularly looking forward to welcoming our Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick, to the plenary session on Tuesday 6 July at 11:40am.
We will also host our three group meetings which will provide us a great opportunity to come together as Conservatives to discuss topical issues in closed sessions. We are in the process of securing some speakers for these sessions and details will be announced in due course.
The programme for the whole conference can be viewed on the LGA's events website, and below I have highlighted some of the events for our Conservative members:
Tuesday 6 July
- 9.30 am: LGA Conservative Group Meeting
- 11.35am: Keynote speech from the Chairman of the LGA
- 11.40 am: Conference Plenary Session with Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP
- 12.55 pm: Panel session: Why place matters to economic recovery
- 2:05 pm*: Panel session: Living with COVID-19
- 2:05 pm*: Panel session: Council housebuilding for a sustainable COVID-19 recovery
*These sessions are running in parallel
Wednesday 7 July
- 9.30 am: LGA Conservative Group Meeting
- 10:40 am: Plenary session: Green light services to address our planetary emergency
- 11:50 am: Panel session: Can Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) deliver better health, care and wellbeing?
Thursday 8 July
- 9.30 am: LGA Conservative Group Meeting
- 11:50 am: Panel session: Civility in public life
To avoid disappointment please register your attendance as soon as possible. For further information please visit the LGA website.
If there is anything I or our regional lead peers can do to assist, please do not hesitate to contact us.
You can find more details about our lead peers at the bottom of this newsletter.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe
Group Leader, LGA Conservative Group |
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For all the latest news from the LGA Conservative Group please follow us on Twitter at @LGACons
If you’d also like to subscribe to the LGA's monthly e-bulletin of First Magazine, please visit the dedicated website.
Post-Election Group Leaders' Day, 18 June, 10:30am - 3:00pm (approximately)
The CCA and LGA Conservative Group have organised a virtual meeting for Conservative Group Leaders to engage with colleagues after the elections and to look ahead to the next year in local government. We will hear from ministers, and hold sessions for those in control, opposition and ‘no overall control’. The event is open to Group Leaders regardless of whether you have had elections or not. If you would like to attend, please email cca@conservatives.com to register your place. Further details and an event link will be sent nearer the time.
COVID-19 health inequalities
The Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch has published a third quarterly report summarising work undertaken by government departments, councils and others to reduce COVID-19 disparities.
LGA National Events: Welcome to Newly Elected Councillors
Following the recent elections, the LGA are pleased to invite all newly elected councillors to attend one of our virtual national welcome events, hosted via zoom. This will be a great opportunity for new councillors to explore what their role means; learn about challenges facing councils; and meet colleagues from other councils. The session will cover a range of national and regional issues of interest, along with an opportunity to meet experienced councillors and hear more about the LGA’s support for members.
The virtual events are free of charge and will run for 90 mins on 11 June (2pm), 22 June (10am) and 28 June (5:30pm) and delegates can choose to attend one of these sessions to suit their availability.
The sessions will be hosted by the LGA and will complement council’s own induction programmes. Delegates can register via the LGA’s Events page.
COVID-19 and local death management
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has updated the statutory guidance for councils in England on Schedule 28 to the Coronavirus Act, which provides powers to support local and national death management.
Cultural Investment Fund
The Cultural Investment Fund has launched. Council culture, library and museums services are able to bid for:
- £18.5 million for the Cultural Development Fund
- £18.8 million for the Museum Estate and Development Fund which is available to non-national Accredited museums.
- £5 million for the Library Investment Fund
Funding for green technologies
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced a £166.5 million funding package yesterday aimed at accelerating the delivery of green technologies.
Webinars
Below are a couple of webinars coming up which may be of interest:
Following the concert and two-day nightclub events held in Liverpool and the FA Cup final at Wembley, as well as the experiences of councils in hosting mass events, the LGA is hosting a webinar to showcase learning. It will focus on how the local authority role in mass events is affected by the easing of restrictions. It will look forward to how events will be run safely after the latest easing of restrictions on 17 May, and the potential end of lockdown measures on 21 June.
This webinar will be showcasing some of the excellent and innovative work that councils are doing to deliver digital connectivity provision through superfast and gigabit broadband in addition to the mobile rollout and the emerging possibilities of 5G.
Best Practice
We are looking for examples of best practice from Conservative-run councils on a range of activities, including local test and trace schemes, supporting local businesses and high streets, as well helping local communities at a neighbourhood level.
The examples highlighted are obviously not exclusive and please do email us any best practice examples that you feel demonstrates how Conservative councils and councillors are supporting their communities during the latest phase of the pandemic.
Conservative Regional Lead Peers
The regional lead peers and the areas they cover are as follows:
- Lord Porter of Spalding CBE - National Lead Peer & Regional Lead Peer for the South East
- Councillor Paul Middlebrough - Regional Lead Peer for the South West, Hampshire and Isle of Wight
- Councillor William Nunn - Regional Lead Peer for the East of England
- Councillor Teresa O’Neill OBE - Regional Lead Peer for London
- Councillor Glen Sanderson JP - Regional Lead Peer for the East Midlands, North East and Yorkshire & Humber
- Councillor Mike Wilcox - Regional Lead Peer for the West Midlands and North West.
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