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Greetings friends and colleagues!
Happy New Year!
Best wishes to you and yours for a healthy, happy and successful 2025! It is set to be a tumultuous year for us, with local government reorganisation and changes in planning and regional energy decision-making. We are working towards the county council elections next year, whilst on tenterhooks waiting to hear if and where they will be cancelled. Both major parties are not feeling very “election-ready” right now. For the sake of democracy, we need to set our path on increasing our numbers at county council elections in May, positioning ourselves better for any future changes.
On the Leadership Board with our new Chief Executive, we are refreshing our governance, including the various boards. We are also looking at what the LGA does now, and what in future following local government re-organisation. We are looking to focus on what’s important, but recognise that local government is wide, reflected in the interests of the members we serve. We also face the issue of significant differences of opinions. This is especially so where national party policy, which some members will want to support, seems at odds with local decision-making.
Our Independent Conference this week!
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at our Annual Independent Group Conference taking place this week at the Moor Hall Conference Centre in Cookham, Maidenhead! At the popular dinner on the Friday evening we shall announce our Clarence Barrett Award Winners for 2025. Earlier this week, I met with members of my Executive to go through the 94 nominations. There were some impressive success stories but what shone through all nominations was the dedication and community spirit shown by our councillors day-in, day-out, for the residents and communities they serve.
Saturday, is our main conference and we have something for everyone! All of you will now have received an email from Noleen confirming the agenda programme and other relevant information. Our main highlight will be our session on: Devolution, local government reorganisation and public sector reform. I am pleased to have LGA Assistant Director of Policy, Sonika Sidhu, attending and briefing members on the white paper and its wider implications on local government. In addition, Professor Colin Copus will be online and will spell out what the white paper means for our members. There will further perspectives shared from the District Councils’ Network, the County Councils’ Network as well as the LGA People and Places Board. I hope you can join us, and we aim to make a recording available afterwards to keep you all up-to-date with our members’ current thinking.
Stand for Council with the Independent Network!
Local Government is too important to be left to party politics. We need good people who support their communities, to join our local councils and help shape those resources. Sitting candidates will have an advantage in any re-organisation.
Interested? Also do you know of a friend, neighbour or individual who is interested in local government and standing to be a councillor? If so, join our ‘Candidate Academy’ and empower your election journey! The academy starts midday 25 January online, over six weeks, and is designed to equip candidates standing again or new to the process with the knowledge, skills and support needed to navigate the electoral process successfully.
Expect expert training, workshops led by experienced political leaders and elected officials, who will share invaluable insights on campaign planning, fundraising, voter engagement and much more! Also, receive materials such as campaign planning guides, fundraising strategies and communication tips to give you that competitive edge! If you know of anyone thinking of standing or intending to stand in the upcoming local elections in May, get in touch with Councillor Karen Lucioni or the Independent Network to refresh your political journey! We are particularly interested in hearing from under-represented communities that are thinking about standing for council. Colleagues are meeting on Friday at 5pm and Saturday at 9.15am during the Independent Group conference. See you there!
Be a Councillor North East Regional Event – 31 January
Our ‘Be a Councillor’ regional and online promotional events start at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle, hosted by our North East and Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Lead Peer, Councillor Georgina Hill. The event takes place on Friday 31 January with a start time at 2pm and finishes by 3.30pm. Refreshments will be served. If you know of anyone interested in politics and local government who is looking to stand in the upcoming county council elections, and resides in the following areas of Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland as well as Tyne and Wear, please get in touch with Councillor Georgina Hill for more details. You can phone her directly on 0775 374 9755. The session will be an opportunity to meet current councillors and hear from them directly about what it means to stand for council and the difference you can make once elected as a councillor. Please do encourage those that you know to attend and show their support for Georgina!
Grants for Smoke alarms
A new £20.6m fund is available. Some residential buildings are able to access the fund to replace “Waking Watch” that they had previously.
Compulsory Purchase
You may want to respond to the consultation out now on giving Councils, Mayors and other public bodies powers to compulsory purchase “vacant and derelict” land at a cheaper price to build dwellings. The plan is not to pay the “hope value” where they are delivering in the public interest. Respond before 13 February.
NPPF Webinars 2025
The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) are hosting a series of online lunchtime webinars January and February 2025 to provide a structured briefing on the key changes in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published on 16 December 2024. These events will include updates from senior officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Please click on the Eventbrite links below to register for one or all of the workshops:
NPPF workshops 16 Jan 2025: Local plans and transitional arrangements
NPPF workshops 23 Jan 2025: Housing numbers
NPPF workshops 18 Feb 2025: Green Belt & Grey Belt
NPPF workshops 19 Feb 2025: The Golden Rules
And finally…
As always, please do get in touch with your regional lead peers should you require further help or assistance!
Best wishes,
 Councillor Marianne Overton MBE
Leader of the Independent Group
Vice Chair of the Local Government Association
www.local.gov.uk/lga-independent
Pathways to Planning: new bursary for graduate planner salaries
Pathways to Planning is the graduate recruitment programme which offers councils an affordable and reliable way to attract and retain new planners and has delivered more than 80 new planners in almost 60 different local authorities. The programme covers all recruitment costs and offers a bursary to facilitate the graduates’ postgraduate study and MRTPI accreditation. As a result of the additional funding announced by the Government, Pathways to Planning may be able to provide a select number of councils with an additional bursary to cover part or all of the costs of a graduate planner’s salary. The overall goal of the Pathways to Planning programme is to enable councils who are struggling with recruitment and delivery challenges within their Planning team to access additional resource in the form of a graduate planner. The options for how to allocate any bursaries are under consideration. If you are interested please complete the Expression of Interest form and indicate your preference for salary support. The bursaries will be allocated through an assessment process in early 2025.
Innovation Zone applications 2025 now open!
Each year, the LGA Conference Innovation Zone is a vibrant and creative space which showcases the outstanding, innovative work of councils across a range of service and policy areas. We are now accepting applications from councils, and organisations working with councils, to be part of the Innovation Zone at the LGA Conference 2025, which will take place from 1 – 3 July in Liverpool. Applications on all topics are welcomed. If you are unsure if your idea is relevant, please contact us via the Innovation Zone Team and we would be happy to provide guidance. Applications close Monday 3 February 2025. Further information, including the link to apply, can be found on our website.
Overhaul of local audit
The Government has published a consultation on its strategy for overhauling local audit; the proposals include the creation of a new Local Audit Office. The consultation runs until 29 January and the LGA will be responding. If you have views to feed into our response, please email them to the LGA Finance Team
Dates for the Diary
Thursday 16 January 2025, 2.00 - 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 30 January 2025, 2.00pm - 3.30pm
As part of the LGA’s support for councillor safety, we are offering this session for councillors to build confidence around handling online abuse and intimidation, a growing problem faced by many councillors.
Wednesday 5 February, London
The LGA’s next Smith Square Debate will bring together a panel of expert leaders in public health, government and community advocacy to address the urgent issue of health inequalities. The debate will explore the challenges, opportunities, and leadership roles councils can take in narrowing the health inequality gap.
Thursday 6 February 2025, 2.00pm - 3.30pm
As part of the LGA’s support for councillor safety, we are offering this session for councillors to build confidence around handling online abuse and intimidation, a growing problem faced by many councillors.
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 12 months.
Tuesday 1 – Thursday 3 July 2025, Liverpool
Join us in Liverpool for the biggest event in the local government calendar, where we’ll be discussing the latest issues affecting local government.
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