Greetings friends and colleagues!
Plaid Cymru Conference in Cardiff
This year Plaid’s annual conference takes place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, between 11 – 12 October, where we will celebrate Plaid getting four members of parliament elected. Plaid currently has 205 councillors as of 2022, when local elections last took place in Wales. Wales is dealing with many of the same issues faced by our residents and communities. The most up to date analysis suggests that spending pressures across Wales will increase by 3.8% in 2024-2025, while funding is only expected to rise by 0.3%. The estimated funding gap for Wales is projected to increase to £744 million by 2027. Savings and alternatives, of course, will have to be considered with a view to ‘thinking outside the box’ and exploring digital solutions in an increasingly digitised society.
In 2015, Wales introduced the ‘Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act’, which provides a legally binding mandate for public bodies to prioritise long-term thinking and adopt a shared approach to problem-solving. As in our LGA White Paper, we are calling for increased collaboration between the central and local government to ensure future sustainability and wellbeing for the communities. If you are attending this year’s Plaid Conference, please get in touch and if you would like to participate and contribute to our planned fringe session, we want to hear from you.
Reform UK Autumn Conference
The autumn conference of Reform UK was held at the NEC in Birmingham last weekend open to members only. Reform UK currently has five MPs and one London Assembly member and there are a small number of councillors, reflecting the diversity of thought of our residents. I understand the main aim of the conference was to “democratise the party” and establish membership branches in preparation for next year’s county council elections. I have reached out to Reform members of parliament already for an initial introductory meeting, promoting the LGA and our agreed calls for action.
Last Chance to Contribute to the Government changes to Planning
This consultation seeks views on the Government's proposed approach to revising the National Planning Policy Framework (NPFF) in order to achieve sustainable growth in the planning system. You can contribute to the consultation up until 11:45pm on Tuesday 24 September.
Mandatory housing targets
Our aim is for everyone to have a home they can afford. Under the previous Government, housing targets were not met, and this target is much higher still. We have enabled many thousands of new dwellings, but it has not brought house prices down, nor helped the homeless. The generous “viability test” and the “right to buy” need to be under Council control.
Building 1.5m dwellings means increasing the carbon footprint, especially when more expensive rural housing is built and when built without matching local facilities and services. The homeless need decent council housing and councils need funds to support that.
Two changes shift the requirement for housing more towards rural areas, removal of the “urban uplift” and increasing the “affordability multiplier”. The latter is based on the idea that building more houses, makes them cheaper, which is not the case in practice, as developers control their own pace, and thus the market.
In rural areas, developers build bigger, expensive or retirement homes, but wages and job opportunities remain relatively low. These two policies mean that rural areas have a still more unmanageable requirement from the Government. Instead targets should instead be matched to local need.
Thank you to many members who contributed, enabling the Independent Group to take a lead in the LGA response. Simpler, you can just send an e-mail to the consultation here. There is a useful LGC article here.
Fighting our corner in communications!
I had the pleasure of meeting our interim Director of Communications, Alastair Campbell, last week where we discussed how we can better improve communications across the LGA. I explained that we make up 18.5% of the membership and members expect fair press coverage. This includes quotes and contributions from leading independent, green and Plaid Cymru members who sit on the policy boards.
Also important, was being properly consulted in all major decision-making and allowing enough time to respond with detailed comments in consultations and cross party policy positions. The Independent Executive also continue to make our case for fairer press coverage on all our major news channels when it comes to elections. We will be inviting back the BBC’s Chief Adviser on Politics, Ric Bailey, to ensure independents and greens get greater air-time ahead of the county council elections next year.
Next Generation 24/25 Cohort
Thank you to all who have applied for this year’s Next Generation programme. All have been assessed and we shall be informing the lucky participants over the next few days of the outcome to their application. Next Generation has always been a popular course for those aspiring councillors who want to get on and become a future leader in their own council. I look forward to seeing and working with our latest cohort due to begin module one in early October.
LGA Annual Conference
The Independent Group will be debating the motions that were postponed from the Annual General Meeting in July at a Special General Meeting at the LGA Annual Conference. The motions will be published in full in next week’s bulletin, and include looking at the name of the Group, the constitution and the use of the Group’s resources. We encourage all Independent Group delegates at conference to attend. You are able to attend the Independent Group Special General Meeting at conference for free, taking place 10:15 until 11:45 in Queen’s Suite two at the Harrogate Conference Centre. If you would like to attend the meeting in person and are not attending the full conference, please email the Group Office to register and to have a badge at the entrance. Although the meeting is set up to be in person, we will be allowing remote access. Please not that this will not be a full hybrid meeting. To attend online please also email the Group Office to register and be sent a link.
Reminder: Independent Group Conference
A reminder that we’ll be holding our own Independent Group Conference from the evening of Friday 10 through to Saturday 11 January near Maidenhead and you can book now for early bird rates including overnight accommodation.
And finally…
If you have not already signed up to our new Think-Tank online discussion portal, get in touch to be registered and start contributing to our policy sharing site! It is a great way to network with other members, get involved in a policy discussion area and provide helpful ideas to our lead members on the policy boards.
Good luck and thank you for all you are doing for our residents and our councils.
Warmest regards,
 Councillor Marianne Overton MBE
Leader of the Independent Group
Vice Chair of the Local Government Association
www.local.gov.uk/lga-independent
Reporting back from ‘Hitting the Ground Running’ – An LGA event for newly elected councillors in the North West – 5 September
Georgina Hill, the Independent Group’s Lead Regional Peer for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber area, attended the North West’s “Hitting the ground running” (HTGR) event on 5th September in Manchester.
Stepping in as a substitute, Georgina Hill spoke and led a session with the other LGA lead regional at the event for recently elected councillors. She did the same in her own region in July with HTGR events being held in Newcastle and Leeds. The HTGR events provide an opportunity for new councillors to hear about the LGA, ask questions and get advice from experienced councillors.
The sessions are Manchester included an introduction to the LGA, ‘How it feels to be a councillor’, ‘Exploring one member’s journey’, ‘’Key challenges and opportunities for local government‘, ‘Strong local decision making’, which Georgina led, with a focus on the importance of good governance.
Georgina said; “The new councillors, who attended these events, were really enthusiastic and keen to learn how they can deliver in their new roles.
The sessions were interactive with lots of questions. The key take aways for new councillors were the importance of having a mentor as you navigate dealing with all your casework, of replying to correspondence from residents, of managing your time effectively, of understanding the wider local government landscape and the importance of good governance, tips on looking after yourself and how to manage expectations.”
Thank you to Georgina Hill, also on the Independent Group Executive, for her brilliant work here. You can access ongoing peer support here.
NJC pay spine review
An important reminder that the National Employers would like to hear your council's views on what you think the employers should seek to achieve from a review of the NJC pay spine. They are also asking about the proposed reinstatement of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body. Please complete the online survey by 27 September 2024. This is your opportunity to ensure your council’s view is registered.
New Homes Accelerator programme
The New Homes Accelerator aims to unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing developments that have for various reasons become delayed, or which are not progressing as quickly as they could be. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has launched a call for evidence, which closes at 11.59pm on Thursday 31 October 2024. For any enquiries about the New Homes Accelerator or the call for sites, contact the New Homes Team.
Digital Government
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) is leading a piece of work called the State of the Digital Government Review (SDG). This is an opportunity to shape the future of digital government, building on the feedback and experiences of leaders from across the entire public sector. The LGA are working with MHCLG and CDDO to ensure councils experiences are shaping the review.
Councils have been asked to complete this survey by Tuesday 24 September 2024. We fully appreciate that this is a tight timeline, however, CDDO are working at speed within a 12-week project timeline and appreciate any best-effort responses.
The Domestic Abuse Councillor Network
The Domestic Abuse Councillor Network is space for councillors and Police and Crime Commissioners with an interest in ending violence against women and girls facilitated by Women’s Aid. We’re currently planning our next network event which will take place this autumn, this event will connect members of the network, exploring the power councils have to tackle domestic abuse and meet the need to survivors, hearing from fellow network members on best practice in their area. Click here to sign up to the network. To find out more about how Women’s Aid can help you to tackle domestic abuse in your area visit our newly launched ‘Councillor and Commissioner Hub’. The hub is a ‘got to’ area for public authorities to access bespoke Women’s Aid resources, information on key duties and upcoming events.
Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme
Councils can now sign up to this programme in order to participate in Cohort 27 recruitment. Formerly known as the NGDP, the graduate scheme helps build crucial capacity within organisations whilst providing a platform for motivated trainees to kickstart their careers as future leaders of local government.
Dates for the Diary
Thursday 3 October 2024, 10.00am - 11.30am
Co-badged with the NRPF Network and ADASS, this virtual session is aimed at those supporting households with NRPF across councils. Attendees will learn about the NRPF Network’s recommendations for local and central government, find out about helpful resources and hear from councils to help inform local practice.
Wednesday 9 October 2024, 2.00pm - 3.40pm
As part of the LGA’s support for councillor safety, we are offering this session to councillors to help build confidence around personal safety. Built around the role of the elected member, the session is full of practical advice and guidance.
Thursday 31 October 2024, 9.30am - 12.00pm Wednesday 13 November 2024, 9.30am - 12.00pm Tuesday 26 November 2024, 9.30am - 12.00pm
Our transformation action learning sets provide a unique development opportunity for councillors and officers to work with peers to explore solutions to transformation challenges in an action learning set environment. The registration for the second series is open for October to November. Please express your interest in the series you will be available to participate in via this registration form.
Wednesday 6 November 2024, 10.30am - 12.00pm
This session will share findings and policy recommendations emanating from a major four-nations open policy development programme led by Culture Commons in partnership with the LGA and 30 partners. We will explore the risks and opportunities that further devolution might present to the creative, cultural and heritage ecosystem and local authorities. Delegates will have a chance to share their thoughts on how devolution could further enhance cultural delivery and commissioning.
Tuesday 11 - Wednesday 12 March 2025 | Gateshead
The Annual Fire Conference and Exhibition is a key event in the conference calendar for senior fire officers and members of fire and rescue authorities. The conference provides an opportunity to meet in-person and discuss key strategic and practical developments impacting the fire and rescue sector over the next twelve months.
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