LGA Governance


Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: 5th Floor Conference Suite, 5th Floor (South side), Layden House, 76-86 Turnmill Street,. London, EC1M 5LG. View directions

Contact: Eleanor Reader-Moore  Email: eleanor.reader-moore@local.gov.uk / 020 7664 3383

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed members to the meeting and noted apologies for absence.

 

                                   

2.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

Cllr Izzi Seccombe made a declaration of interest.

 

3.

Membership, Terms of Reference and Appointments pdf icon PDF 140 KB

Minutes:

Members of the Executive noted and agreed the membership and terms of reference.

 

 

4.

Appendix A - LGA Executive Membership pdf icon PDF 98 KB

5.

Appendix B - LGA Executive Terms of Reference pdf icon PDF 106 KB

6.

Appendix C - Membership Appointments 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 335 KB

7.

LGA Business Plan pdf icon PDF 101 KB

Minutes:

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive, introduced the item, outlining the LGA’s business plan and key areas of focus to members, including Britain’s exit from the EU, inclusive growth, jobs and housing, devolution and funding for local government, children, education and schools, Adult Social Care, and building a single voice for local government.

 

He asked members to comment.

 

In the discussion which followed, members made the following points:

 

·         Concerns were raised over the school expansion programme, and on the reduction of money for free schools following the announcement by the Department for Education. It was suggested that the LGA should carry out a piece of work on this.

 

Decision:

 

1.    Members of the Executive agreed the 2017/2018 Business Plan for publication.

 

Action:

 

1.    Officers to circulate and publish the Business Plan on the LGA website.

 

 

8.

Appendix A - Draft LGA Business Plan pdf icon PDF 486 KB

9.

Business rates and Fair Funding Review

Minutes:

Sarah Pickup, Deputy Chief Executive, introduced the item, updating members on the LGA’s work on business rates and the fair funding review. She referenced the commitment in the Conservative Party Manifesto to give local government greater control over this area and emphasised that local government should be able to retain business rates in order to maintain the services it delivers. She advised members that the local government steering group on this issue had been reconvened.

 

Models proposed on fair funding were discussed, and those drawn up by Leicestershire County Council, the Society of Treasurers and the Government were outlined, as well as the techniques used in each. Members were referred to the comments Leadership Board had made on this topic the previous day.

 

In the discussion which followed, members made the following points:

 

·         Concerns were raised that many voters did not understand this debate. Discussions needed to be accessible to voters and council tax payers, and should not be kept on a technical level.

 

·         Concerns were raised that the Leicestershire model should not be given precedence against the other two models. Although it worked well in a two-tier area, it might not be so effective in other areas. There was a wider discussion about the fairness of models.

 

·         It was suggested that a group of councillors from the LGA should look at building a model. It was also proposed that independent input would have the detachment to make an impartial judgment on each model.

 

·         It emphasised that all models should be strongly evidenced based.

 

·         Concerns were raised over the 150 councils which would cease to receive the revenue support grant, which would cause difficulties.

 

·         There was a discussion around core local government services and which it was acceptable to charge for. For example, funeral services were highlighted as contentious in this respect.

 

To these points, Sarah Pickup made the following response:

 

It was acknowledged that the Leicestershire model might illustrate a shift of resources from some local authorities, however it should be taken into account and tested alongside the other two. Any model chosen needed to represent the interests of all councils. It was further highlighted that the core of the proposed models tended to be similar.

 

Members were assured that the LGA would consider the best ways to test the proposed models.

 

 

Decision

 

1.    Members of the Executive noted the report.

 

 

 

Action

 

1.    Officers to take forward work as directed by members.

 

 

10.

Autumn Budget

Minutes:

Sarah Pickup, Deputy Chief Executive, introduced the item, advising that officers had prepared a submission to HM Treasury in advance of the Autumn Budget on the 22 November. The submission built on the growing places report, and set out what councils could achieve if they were given the right funding and powers. The submission detailed core ‘asks’ as well as setting out ambitions around housing, Brexit, devolution, the proper funding of the Grenfell follow through, funding repairs for roads, investment for sports halls, swimming pools and libraries, education services, the public health budget and the adult education budget. It also re-emphasised calls for the Homelessness Reduction Act to be fully funded.

 

In the discussion that followed, members made the following points:

 

·         The submission needed to make it clear that there were consequences to under-funding local government and should highlight these.

 

·         There was a brief discussion on the funding of children services, and members asked if the LGA could do any work around staffing and recruitment in this area.

 

·         There was a discussion on the funding of adult social care and public sympathy for this issue. The responsibility to fund adults with learning difficulties from the adult social care fund was also raised, as this point was often lost in the debate.

 

·         Members raised concerns that other organisations would also be sending in similar lists of requests to HM Treasury. Members asked what the strategy was to distinguish the LGA’s submission.

 

Decision

 

1.    Members approved the LGA’s 2017 Autumn Budget submission, with the proviso that the above comments were taken into account.

 

 

Action

 

1.    Officers to take forward work in line with members’ steer. 

11.

Appendix A

12.

Note of the last Leadership Board meeting - Tabled

13.

Note of last LGA Executive meeting

Minutes:

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as an accurate summary of the discussion.