Thanks to Plaid Cymru colleagues for their warm welcome at their annual spring conference in Caernarfon. Plaid Cymru Councillors and Council Leaders are valued members of the LGA Independent Group and it was a pleasure to meet with the new leader of Plaid, Rhun ap Iowerth MS and his wife, Llynos Hywell Williams MP and Lord Dafydd Wigley, Liz Saville-Roberts MP and former leaders Leanne Wood and Adam Price MS. I was pleased to speak at the Conference reception where I thanked all 215 Plaid Councillors for the work they do for their residents and their communities. It was a chance also to pay tribute to all four of our Plaid Cymru Council Leaders: Dyfrig Siencyn of Gwynedd County Council, Darren Price of Carmarthenshire County Council, Llynos Medi of Anglesey County Council and Bryan Davies of Ceredigion County Council.
Throughout the conference, we learnt about some of the fantastic things going on with Plaid in local government. It was great to hear from Councillor Llinos Medi, Leader of Anglesey where they have brought back 500 vacant homes into use and supported first time buyers. Interesting to note that Anglesey was the first local authority to opt out of the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme, a power we are seeking in England. Another interesting debate was on the current plans for electoral reform in Wales, where Adam Price MS, outlined the proposals to expand and reform the Senedd in the 2026 elections. Proposals will include the creation of 16 larger constituencies, each electing six members of the Senedd by proportional representation.
The LGA recently published its national polling into resident perceptions of local government, conducted in February 2024. This set of results includes some positives; however, this round also saw some of the lowest scores since polling began in areas such as satisfaction with the way local councils run things, acting on the concerns of residents and value for money. Clearly, it is important to re-iterate the message to our residents that government cuts have forced us to reduce services and, in some cases, eliminate them altogether to survive. However, our members in the Independent Group are focussed on the genuine interests of our residents and not the big parties.
You might have already seen the BBC Panorama programme which powerfully showed the challenges the London Borough of Havering is facing in delivering essential services and the families and communities affected. The Council is in Independent control, led by Councillor Ray Morgon.
Deputy Leader. Councillor Gillian Ford, and Deputy Chair of our Community Wellbeing LGA Board has shared some perspectives on the programme investigation below.
Please register to attend our upcoming LGA Annual Conference in Harrogate from 2nd – 4th July. It is the biggest event of the LGA year and an opportunity for Independents, Green and Plaid councillors to come together for our Annual General Meeting and hear from keynote speakers at our plenary and political group sessions focussing on Devolution, Housing and planning.
Wishing you all a Happy Easter break and I hope you do take some time to relax and be with your friends and families.
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Deputy Chair of the LGA Community Wellbeing Board
“Havering Council was recently the focus of a Panorama programme. The borough is recognised as a well-run low cost authority. However with the second oldest population in London and the fourth highest growth in children numbers in the UK there is an exponential growth in social care needs. Compounded with the cost of care, this leaves limited funding for all of the other council services including non-statutory services such as crossing patrols, fees and charges increases and Streetcare. There are a number of fundamental issues that impact Havering, starting with the funding formulae that is based on data from 2011. The growth in demand and complexity of need, has left Havering behind, with annual shortfalls in general funding. The borough is being outpriced by others when looking for care, and that includes within our own borough. This has resulted in the borough having to take out a £54m Capitalisation Loan as the government is not prepared to provide any grant funding to support the pressures.
It is recognised that social care, needs to be funded centrally rather than through Council Tax. How can we have a 101 year old in a care provision that they have been in for a while at a cost of £800, only to be told as a borough that the cost is now £2000 per week? Do we move them from their home at this vulnerable age, or do we pay up and shut up? And the child with complex needs that costs £28,000 a week, how can we afford to fund multiple placements at these high costs?
The wider implications are that the Councils Children's Services has now been inspected by OFSTED with an Inadequate outcome. Unusually OFSTED recognised and quoted the boroughs need of funding to deliver core services.
We have fallen off of the perch before many, due to the unique circumstances within Havering, but we will see many others following close behind. Reserves are non-existent, selling the family silver demoralises communities and devalues the very meaning of community. The new government needs to address how social care is funded, move to live demographic demand led funding and address the extortionate care sector care cost rates, particularly in the children’s care sector. Capital investment is taking place including the development of a 300 placement school for SEND which will reduce school transport costs but this takes time to deliver.
So what next for Havering? We continue to deliver as best we can but every day is a challenge, particularly as an increasing number of schools have budget deficits and our health partners are also running a deficit. We can only hope the next government take social care seriously and fund the service appropriately.”
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Pathways to Planning Programme
To help councils recruit good planners, our LGA Planning Advisory Service (PAS) is recruiting for its next cohort of graduates for its ‘Pathways to Planning’ programme. The scheme is an exciting opportunity for councils and graduates alike, offering a talent pipeline and excellent value for money. The deadline to sign up is 31 March. For more information, please email the Pathways to Planning Team!
Recruiting new Member Peers!
Have you ever considered becoming a member peer? We currently have 43 peers comprising Greens also, boasting a wealth of extensive knowledge and experience, ready to share with our member councils. Peers provide a ‘practitioner perspective’ and ‘critical friend’ challenge. They can help mentor those in leadership, whether in control or opposition, specific portfolio areas for cabinet members as well as bespoke requests specific to the local authority. We are particularly interested in applications from underrepresented backgrounds such as BAME and LGBTQ+. If you require more information, please contact the Group Office
Multi-level climate action and governance
The LGA commissioned Arup to undertake a research project to understand how a selection of different countries around the world organise their national and local government effort in responding to climate change. The final report is now on our website.
Free portrait of HM The King
The Cabinet Office is running a UK-wide scheme to give eligible public authorities a free portrait of HM The King, which includes councils. Applications for a free framed copy of the portrait will close next Thursday 28 March. Copies of the portrait will still be available for purchase from the printer Cubiquity after this date. To apply register your details on the dedicated website.
Workplace cardiovascular disease checks pilot
Grant funding is now available for county and unitary councils in England as part of a pilot aiming to deliver up to 150,000 cardiovascular disease checks in workplaces by the end of March 2025. The deadline for submission of applications is 12 April 2024.
Early years childminder recruitment and retention
This Government consultation seeks views on three proposals which aim to address the issues that childminders have said are important to them, including ensuring councils’ pay entitlements monthly where this is the provider’s preference. The consultation closes on 11.59pm on 10 May. If you wish to discuss or share your response please contact Flora Wilkie.
Councillor home addresses
Local Government Minister, Simon Hoare MP wrote to chief executives on 18 March, reminding them that councillors can request for their home addresses to be treated as a sensitive interest and redacted from the public register of interests. The letter did not clarify the ongoing issue as to whether councillors' addresses could be proactively withheld from the public register or if an incident or event is required to precipitate the removal. We continue to lobby for legislative change to clarify this point.
New unitaries and organisational change workshop – 10 April
Reminder: Over the last couple of years we have done several planning peer challenges in new unitary councils. We’ve been thinking about what we’ve learned about how the planning service needs to prepare for this huge change, and what opportunities there are for the resulting bigger department. Come along if you need to, or already are, leading a planning department through big changes. This is an interactive workshop, so prepare to share and discuss your situation and thoughts. Online initially, with the possibility of in-person follow-up if there is demand. Sign up for the event.
The Planning Awards 2024: Recognition for UK Planning & Placemaking sectors
The Planning Awards recognise excellence in planning and placemaking. The awards highlighting best practices, fostering collaboration, and inspiring future planning endeavours. Take the opportunity to honour excellence in urban planning, innovation and community development by entering your team, projects and organisation into this year's awards. https://www.planningawards.com/ if you have any questions please contact Nanette Adjei.
Call for evidence: Supporting women and girls to be physically active
The LGA has launched a call for evidence considering how councils are supporting women and girls to be more physically active. We are collating case studies and evidence which will be used to develop a learning hub, share effective practice with the sector and shape our discussions with national stakeholders. Find out more about how you can submit your case studies and evidence to Samantha Ramanah by Friday 12th April.
Dates for the Diary
Join us in Harrogate for the biggest event in the local government calendar, where we’ll be discussing the latest issues affecting local government.
Public affairs is an increasingly growing important skill set for local government communicators. Does your team and organisation need to improve, increase or formalise its public affairs approach during 2024?
Gain advice on promoting a culture of neuroinclusion, to assist with the retention of valuable neurodiverse talent. Delegates are encouraged to understand their organisation’s position on the Disability Confident Employer Scheme prior to attending.
A national recruitment campaign for local government has been co-produced with local authorities and Solace: ‘Make a Difference, Work for Your Local Council’. This event will present the campaign, the findings from a pilot delivered in the North East, and the ambitions for a national roll-out.
Happy Easter!
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