Agenda item

The Chair invited Ellie Law and Esther Barrott, Policy Advisers, to introduce the report and set out a series of presentation slides.

Ellie and Esther presented a series of slides which provided an update on the findings of LGA officer research into demographic changes resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and set out the implications of the findings for the levelling up agenda.

Board Members made a number of comments and asked questions which related to the following points:

• The benefits of the census being carried out online and its timeliness.
• The ownership of second homes in rural areas and the associated rise in house prices.
• Homelessness and its presence within the levelling up enquiry.
• The financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic being higher for women.
• Building houses for local residents and the need for more social housing.
• The impact of changing economic factors.

Ellie and Esther confirmed that the points raised by Board Members would be built into the Levelling Up Locally Inquiry, and report back to the Board again once census data is released.

Decision:

• Board Members noted the report.

Action:

• Officers to ensure that regular update reports be submitted to future meetings of the Board.