Welcome Support Community leadership Information Contents Guidance for new councillors Guidance for new councillors Welcome 3 Contents From the Chairman 4 Welcome to the LGA 5 The councillor’s role 7 An introduction to local government 10 Support 17 Support for councillors 17 Communication 23 Access to information 26 Community leadership 31 Local government finance 31 Holding the council to account 33 Children’s services and education 36 Adult social care and health 38 Councils and the economy 44 Councils and the environment 49 Safer, stronger communities 53 Improvement, efficiency and innovation 56 Information 59 Where to find out more 59 Guidance for new councillors Welcome Welcome This guide, produced by the Local Government Association (LGA), is Lord Porter of Spalding CBE designed to provide you with the key LGA Chairman information you need to know as a new councillor and is a useful addition Support to the support and guidance you will receive from your own council. It explores some of the main issues and challenges facing local government Councillor Nick Forbes today and includes hints and tips from Labour Group Leader and LGA Senior Vice-Chairman Community leadership experienced councillors. Whether you have a few hours to spare or just 10 minutes, you will find helpful information here about the areas in which you may become Councillor David Simmonds CBE Information involved. You can find lots of further Conservative Group Leader and LGA Vice-Chairman information on our website: www.local.gov.uk Contents Councillor Howard Sykes MBE Liberal Democrat Group Leader and LGA Vice-Chairman Councillor Marianne Overton MBE Independent Group Leader and LGA Vice-Chairman 3 Guidance for new councillors the 1,300 different statutory duties With over 400 councils in membership From the Chairman and responsibilities councils provide. across England and Wales, the LGA Welcome Community care for the elderly and provides a vast network to share best As Chairman of the LGA, it is my disabled, housebuilding, education, practice and help support you in your pleasure to congratulate you on maintenance of green spaces, road work. being elected as a councillor and to repair, recycling, street lights, the I wish you the best of luck in your term welcome you to the local government list goes on. The day-to-day life of a in office, and hope to see you soon. Support family. For many of you, this will be citizen is directly impacted by what your first time in elected office and we achieve as councillors. this honour will give you a completely Rest assured that the LGA continues new perspective on how vital councils to work hard with councils across are in improving the lives of those in the country, as well as making the our communities. case to central government, to make Community leadership Lord Porter of Spalding CBE As you will all be aware, and I’m sure sure local authorities can continue Chairman of the LGA as you settle into your new role you to deliver the best possible public will increasingly come to understand, services. Being a politically led local government is facing organisation gives the LGA credibility unprecedented challenges. There is to represent you on the national, and Information less money in the pot but demands increasingly international, stage. On for services our residents rely on are your behalf, we engage with MPs and increasing. Despite this, it’s also an Peers in Westminster, Secretaries and exciting time to play your part in the Ministers of State and their officials, most trusted part of the public sector. and representatives at the EU. As a Contents At its best, local government provides councillor, you are able to get involved the strong and ambitious leadership in this work, to help shape the that ensures the nation remains fit landscape of local government for the and well, economically resilient and future. continues to thrive. The LGA is also a resource to help As elected representatives on the you carry out the role to the best of frontline, we are accountable at the your ability. This guide outlines just ballot-box to residents who rely on some of the services that we provide. 4 Guidance for new councillors • ensure that the right issues are You can find out more about our Welcome to the LGA raised with the right people at the support offer for councils on our Welcome right time, increasing their chance website: www.local.gov.uk/our-support The national voice of resolution of local government • speak with one voice to the public Campaigning on The LGA works with councils in through the national media your behalf Support England and Wales to support, • take responsibility for driving One of the LGA’s key roles is to lobby promote and improve local innovation and improvement across and campaign on behalf of our government. As a councillor you will local government. members on issues that councils have automatically have access to the full identified as priorities. range of services that we provide. Support for councils In the past year, we have focussed We are politically led and cross- The current financial challenges mean on the areas councils tell us are most Community leadership party, working with and on behalf of that finding new and innovative ways important – funding, social care, councils to give local government a to improve effectiveness, increase housing, devolution and keeping strong, credible voice at national level. efficiency and reduce costs is local government central to the Brexit Having one politically-led membership more important than ever. The LGA negotiations. body gives local government the facilitates the sharing of ideas and capacity to: Funding is top of the agenda and we Information best practice, helping councils build continue to call for the funding and capacity to support one another. • pick up emerging government powers councils and councillors need During 2017, 115 councils received a thinking and ensure that local to best serve their communities and for free ‘peer challenge’ to support them government’s views are heard at the flexibility to raise more funds locally. to improve, while 1,412 councillors the heart of government Against the backdrop of reductions and 3,145 officers attended one of Contents • think ahead to shape and develop in public sector funding, our work our 100-plus free and subsidised the policies that councils need behind the scenes, and our collective events. This approach, helping to legal actions on your behalf, have • work with public, private, coordinate improvement work on delivered some important wins for our community and voluntary behalf of councils, has helped them sector, prevented additional burdens organisations to secure their to deliver millions of pounds of being placed on councils and secured support for local authorities’ savings. priorities and their understanding funding that would not otherwise have of our perspectives been passed to local level. 5 Guidance for new councillors Our continued calls for fundamental referendum put local government in On a practical level, our campaign to reform of the way that adult social a strong position to work alongside attract 100 former social workers back Welcome care is funded have secured Government to reshape the way this into the profession is already halfway Government commitment to publish a country is run. We continue to use our towards it target, and we are looking to Green Paper by the summer of 2018. seat at the negotiating table to make extend this approach to other difficult- It is a step in the right direction but sure that money and powers from to-recruit professions. we will continue to campaign hard on Brussels do not stop in Whitehall but Other important wins for local the issue and to represent councils’ are devolved, wherever possible, to Support government during the year have interests at every opportunity. local areas. included securing: Our 2017 Annual Conference in That means wider devolution and • an extra £150 million grant for adult Birmingham saw the launch of an increased role for councils and social care in 2018/19 ‘Growing Places’, showing how councillors. Devolution brings both Community leadership local government stands ready to benefits and challenges, but local • an agreement from government meet the challenges of a changing government has already made great to waive financial penalties faced world and the resources and shifts progress. In May 2017 we were by social care employers who in thinking needed to make that delighted to welcome the first six are found to have underpaid their happen. Housing and homelessness combined authority elected mayors into workers for sleep-in shifts preceding are major strands of Growing Places LGA membership, and we continue to 26 July 2017 Information and the Government has responded work with councils and government to • a commitment to bring forward a to our calls, announcing additional deliver a real shift in power to councils Green Paper on social housing funding and flexibilities for councils and local communities. • a further £2 billion for the Affordable implementing the Homelessness In the aftermath of the tragic Grenfell Homes Programme, taking the total Reduction Act and no changes to Tower fire, we called for an urgent pot to more than £9 billion the New Homes Bonus. However, we Contents review of building regulations. still have a long way to go if we are • securing £886 million to deliver Dame Judith Hackitt’s interim report, to meet the housing needs of our 200,000 homes across 133 council- published at the end of 2017, current and future generations. led projects as part of the Housing reflected the LGA’s position – that the Infrastructure Fund. Britain’s exit from the EU will make regulatory system as a whole is not You can find out more about our sound, democratically-elected local fit for purpose.