LGA first magazine March 2017 by LGA publications

No.609 March 2017 www.local.gov.uk

the magazine for local government

Interview:

“We know there’s less money, it’s about how you choose to spend it” Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive, Public Health England

18 8

Something to build on The Government’s Housing White paper

Engaging with residents How to build mutual trust and dialogue

Driving reputation Benefits of a councilrun bus service

WILL YOU JOIN THE 600 COUNCILLORS WHO’VE ADDED THEIR SUPPORT? 4 in 10 cancers can be prevented, and smoking remains the single biggest preventable cause. Public Health funding is vital for reducing health inequalities in our communities and safeguarding local health services, such as Stop Smoking Services. Funding cuts put these services at risk.

BACK OUR CALL FOR SUSTAINABLE FUNDING: http://po.st/LGAaction Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666) and the Isle of Man (1103). © Cancer Research UK 2017.

ADVERT

Housing and funding

he Housing White Paper was published last month, with the promise of more funding for planning departments among other proposals the LGA has been lobbying for (p8). However, we continue to call for councils to be given the borrowing powers needed to reprise their historic role as major house-builders. This month’s first takes a look at the LGA’s behind-the-scenes work (p10), and how it has secured additional funding for local government and prevented additional burdens and responsibilities being laid on councils – not least the devolution of Attendance Allowance, now dropped from business rates reform (p5). Elsewhere in the magazine, we look at the reform agenda for fire services (p13), and our annual public health report (p15). The report highlights the potential for council-run public health, if properly resourced, to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of our residents. Our interview is with Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of Public Health England. We are hoping to interview Communities Secretary Sajid Javid soon, so if you have any questions you would like us to put to him, please email karen. thornton@local.gov.uk Lord Porter is Chairman of the LGA

contents news

4 Sex education

5 Council finances

Health plans

Business rates reforms Child abuse funding

6 Excess deaths and

care funding Lorries and potholes Green buses and parks

4 5 28 8

Editor Karen Thornton Design & print TU ink www.tuink.co.uk Advertising James Pembroke Publishing Write to first: Local Government Association Layden House, 76-86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG Email first@local.gov.uk Tel editorial 020 7664 3294 Tel advertising 020 3859 7100

The inclusion of an advert or insert in first does not imply endorsement by the LGA of any product or service. Contributors’ views are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the LGA.

features 8 Housing White Paper 10 Member benefits 13 Fire service reform 15 Public health

annual report 16 Locally accountable careers services 17 Engaging with residents March 2017

18 Duncan Selbie,

Chief Executive, Public Health England

“Although the NHS is an important contributor, much more important to good health is economic development”

18 30

comment

Photography Photofusion, Dreamstime and Ingimage unless otherwise stated Interview and cover Chris Sharp Circulation 18,300 (February 2017) first is published online at www.local.gov.uk/first at least two days before the magazine. To unsubscribe email first@oscar-research.co.uk

interview

23 Districts deliver growth

24 LGA chairman

and group leaders 26 District deals 27 Council-owned bus services 28 Landowners’ guide Grassroots football

regulars 7 Letters and

sound bites 29 Parliament – council finance 30 Twin-hatted councillors 31 Local by-elections

first contents | 3

Health plans ‘need more public engagement’

news

‘All secondaries should teach sex ed’ Councils are calling for sex and relationship education (SRE) to be made compulsory in secondary academies and free schools. The LGA believes this could help to reduce the thousands of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed in young people later on in life. It says that age-appropriate SRE needs to be an essential part of all secondary school children’s curriculum, with parents given the choice of opting their child out. The number of STI diagnoses rockets once people have left school, with 141,060 new diagnoses for 20 to 24-year-olds in 2015, compared with 78,066 for those aged 15 to 19. SRE is compulsory in council-maintained secondary schools, but not in academies or free schools, which make up 65 per cent of all secondary schools and account for more than two million young people. The LGA says there should be statutory guidance to make sure that all schools are covering key issues including sexual health. Sexual health is one of the biggest areas of public health spending for councils, at around £600 million each year. Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA’s

Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This is a major health protection issue. The lack of compulsory SRE in academies and free schools is storing up problems for later on in life, creating a ticking sexual health time bomb. “The shockingly high numbers of STI diagnoses in teenagers and young adults, particularly in the immediate post-school generation, is of huge concern to councils. “We believe that making SRE compulsory in all secondary schools, not just council-maintained ones, could make a real difference in reversing this trend, by preparing pupils for adulthood and enabling them to better take care of themselves and future partners. The focus needs to be on arming them with the knowledge they need to tackle what lies ahead. Life as a teenager is complicated enough. “The evidence suggests that when designed and delivered in the right way, SRE can have a really positive impact on a pupil’s development. However, we are also conscious that some parents may wish to remove their children from this, which is why we are saying there should also be provision for parents to opt their children out of lessons, if they consider this to be in the best interests of their child.”

new report by the King’s Fund on sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) says that the Government must be prepared to back radical changes to health services if we are to secure the future of the NHS. It says much more effort needs to be put into engaging NHS staff, patients, the public and councils in developing the 44 five-year plans for the future of health and care services in local areas. The report, ‘Delivering sustainability and transformation plans’, also argues that additional investment in social care and the NHS will be needed to deliver the proposals set out in STPs. Chris Ham, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said: “Local plans must be considered on their merits, but where a convincing case for change has been made, ministers and local politicians should back NHS leaders in implementing essential and often long-overdue changes to services. “A huge effort is needed to make up lost ground by engaging with staff, patients and the public to explain the case for change and the benefits that will be delivered.” Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “We back the King’s Fund in warning over the cuts to councils’ social care and public health budgets, and share the concerns over how we can provide care in the community, improve prevention services, and keep people out of hospital. “Councils see STPs as an important vehicle in redesigning local care and health services to improve health and wellbeing, and the quality of care. But we will be unable to achieve this without genuinely new money for social care. “We have long warned that STPs can only be effective if councillors and communities are at the heart of the planning process. “It is vital they are involved and not just consulted afterwards on pre-determined solutions. Any failure to engage councillors could lead to vociferous opposition.” • See p15 for the LGA’s public health report

Pre-election guidance

ith local authority elections due on 4 May, the LGA has updated its communications guidance for councils to include help with new combined authority mayoral elections. The guidance sets out the key principles and restrictions on communications and publicity during the pre-election period, but emphasises that the “ordinary functions of councils should continue”. In general, councils should not issue any publicity which seeks to influence voters, or might be considered by a ‘reasonable person’ to do so. ‘Purdah: a short guide to publicity during the pre-election period’ can be downloaded free at www.local.gov.uk/publications.

4 | first news

www.local.gov.uk

Council tax rises ‘will not prevent service cuts’ The LGA has warned that council tax rises in 2017/18 will not bring in enough money to prevent the need for further deep cuts to local services next year. Its analysis reveals 147 of England’s 152 social care authorities are considering or have approved introducing the 3 per cent social care precept in 2017/18. This would raise £543 million to pay for social care services. But this extra income will be swallowed up by the cost to councils of paying for the Government’s National Living Wage, which could total up to £600 million next year. LGA Chairman Lord Porter said: “Services supporting the most vulnerable people in our communities are at breaking point and many councils are increasingly unable to turn down the chance to raise desperately-needed money for social care and other local services next year. “Genuinely new government money for social care is urgently needed. Without this, our most vulnerable continue to face an ever uncertain future where they might no longer receive the dignified care and support they deserve, such as help getting dressed or getting out and about, which is crucial to their independence and wellbeing.” The final local government finance settlement, published last month, confirmed that councils will not receive any new government funding in 2017/18. Lord Porter

said this was “hugely disappointing”. The Government will implement proposed changes to New Homes Bonus payments to councils in 2017/18. The resulting savings, worth £241 million, will be redistributed as a one-off measure to upper-tier councils through a new Adult Social Care Services Support Grant. The LGA has warned cuts to New Homes Bonus funding will result in two-thirds of councils having to find millions more in savings than expected to plug funding gaps next year. Lord Porter said: “Councils face an overall

£5.8 billion funding gap by 2020. This will push councils perilously close to the financial edge and force them all to make significant reductions to the local services communities rely on. If our cherished local services are to survive, it is imperative that the Government now uses the Spring Budget to take urgent steps to improve the immediate funding outlook for local government and secure its financial sustainability in the long term.”

Funding to tackle child abuse

£40 million package to help tackle child sexual abuse and trafficking has been announced by government. This includes the establishment of a Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, led by Barnardo’s with support from the LGA, which will draw on existing evidence and new research to support all agencies in their work to protect children and young people. Cllr Richard Watts, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said that the much-needed investment in services will help partners work together to keep more children safe. He stressed, however, that it was “important that government recognises the wider funding pressures”, with councils facing a £1.9 billion funding gap in children’s services by 2020.

March 2017

New consultation on business rates

he Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has set out some of the responsibilities it plans to devolve to local government as part of the further localisation of business rates. These include Revenue Support Grant, Rural Services Delivery Grant, Public Health Grant and the Greater London Authority Transport Grant, which together will make up around half of the additional retained business rates the Government estimates will be available to councils. But – as announced by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid on his first visit to the LGA in January (see first 608) – Attendance Allowance, a benefit for older people, will not be devolved. In a consultation response on the design of the new business rates system, the Government has proposed a system of partial resets made every five years, measures to incentivise councils to pool their business rates and provisions for appeals to be managed centrally. Cllr Claire Kober, Chair of the LGA’s Resources Board, said: “We will continue to work closely with DCLG and councils on shaping the new business rates system. Fundamentally, it has to be underpinned by a proper needs assessment which rewards areas for growing their local economies but protects those less able to grow their business rates base.” She added: “The LGA was united in opposition to the option of councils having to use additional business rates income to pay for Attendance Allowance. It would have accounted for the majority of the extra business rates income kept by local government, leaving little left to fund the transfer of other services, and created a significant cost pressure for councils.” Meanwhile, amid opposition to business rates rises due in from April, the Government has hinted it could provide compensation to businesses most affected. Councils have been forced to divert £2.5 billion over the past five years to cover the risk of business rates appeals and refunds. The LGA has urged government to recognise that any possible rise in appeals as a result of this latest revaluation means it is more important than ever for businesses to be happy with what they pay and to protect councils from the growing and costly risk of appeals. • See p29, finance bill

The LGA jointly with the DCLG is holding a series of regional consultation events on business rates retention, starting from 22 March. For more information, please visit www.local.gov.uk/events

first news | 5

news in brief Cuts threaten parks

ublic parks are at a “tipping point” and face a period of decline because of funding cuts, according to a recent report from the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. Cllr Ian Stephens, Chairman of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: “Councils understand how important parks are to residents and the value they have in promoting health and fitness, local heritage, public art, festivals and wildlife walks. However, central government funding for councils has reduced by 40 per cent and they continue to experience funding pressures. Despite this difficult backdrop, councils are doing everything they can to provide the best possible park services.”

Health and care

he National Audit Office has warned that the Government’s plan to integrate health and social care in England by 2020 is at “significant risk”. Progress has been slower and less successful than expected, and the Better Care Fund has not yet achieved value for money. Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “There are many examples where local health systems are integrating to the benefit of those in need of care and support. However, integration alone cannot solve the financial challenges facing health and social care.”

Greener buses

new report from campaign group Greener Journeys suggests bus use is increasing by as much as 19 per cent in key urban areas as services become greener, more convenient and better connected. LGA Transport Spokesman Cllr Martin Tett said: “While it is great news that more people in some areas are using buses, these cherished services remain under threat as councils continue to face severe budgetary pressures and increasing demand for statutory services, such as adult social care. Handing councils control over the Bus Service Operators’ Grant and properly funding councils to administer the statutory free bus pass scheme would help them support vital routes and ensure more people continue to use buses.”

6 | first news

Care funding ‘link’ to excess deaths As many as 30,000 excess deaths could be due to cuts in health and social care, new analysis in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine suggests. Researchers exploring why there was a substantial increase in mortality in England and Wales in 2015 – the largest rise in the post-war period – believe failures in health and social care linked to lack of funding are likely to be the main cause. The excess deaths, which included a large spike in January that year, were largely in the older population who are most dependent on health and social care. Professor Martin McKee, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, one of the researchers, said: “The impact of cuts resulting from the imposition of austerity on the NHS has been profound. Expenditure has failed to keep pace with demand and the situation has been exacerbated by dramatic reductions in the welfare budget of £16.7 billion and in social care spending.” The LGA urged the Government to review the evidence behind the analysis. Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “If correct, it would clearly reinforce the desperate need to properly fund social care. “Genuinely new government money is now the only way to protect the services caring for elderly and disabled people, and ensure they

can enjoy dignified and healthy lives, live in their own community and stay out of hospital for longer. “Social care faces a funding gap of £2.6 billion by 2020, while councils’ public health budgets, which fund vital prevention work that keeps people well and out of hospital, have been cut by £530 million over a five year period. “Councils, care providers, charities and the NHS are all united around the need for central government to fully fund adult social care. This is essential if we are to ensure people can live independent, fulfilling lives, as well as alleviating the pressures on the NHS.” • See p15 – public health

‘Heavier lorries causing more potholes’

othole levels are likely to surge because of a rise in levels of heavier lorries wearing down roads, the LGA has warned. The amount of goods lorries are transporting each year has increased by 5 per cent to almost 1.7 billion tonnes from the previous year, recent figures reveal. The heavier the vehicle, the more pressure is likely to be exerted on road surfaces, causing them to crumble quicker and form potholes. Lorries, particularly very heavy lorries, are more damaging to road surfaces than cars. This is because the damaging power rises exponentially as the weight of the vehicle increases. Over the remaining years of this decade, the Government is investing more than 40 times more in maintaining national roads (£1.1 million per mile) which make up just 3 per cent of all roads, compared with local roads controlled by councils (£27,000 per mile), which make up 97 per cent of England’s road network. Councils are warning 2017 could be a tipping point for potholes, and that the repair bill could reach £14 billion within two years –

more than three times councils’ entire annual revenue spending on highways and transport (£4.4 billion). To reverse this trend, the LGA is calling for the Government to inject a further £1 billion a year into roads maintenance. This could be achieved by investing just 2p per litre of existing fuel duty. Cllr Martin Tett, LGA Transport Spokesman, said: “Motorists should literally be bracing themselves for a surge in potholes. Our local roads network faces an unprecedented funding crisis and the latest spike in lorries could push our local roads network over the edge. “This year could be a tipping point regarding potholes, and councils, which have experienced significant budget reductions, now face the looming prospect of a bill of £14 billion to bring the nation’s roads up to scratch. “It is wrong and unfair that the Government allocates almost 40 times more to maintaining national roads, which it controls, compared with local roads, which are overseen by councils. It is paramount this funding discrepancy is swiftly plugged.” www.local.gov.uk

letters Battling litterbugs

urham County Council’s efforts to improve the quality of public spaces were recognised with a double honour at the Keep Britain Tidy Awards. We were named Local Authority of the Year, with our anti-fly-tipping programme Operation Stop It scooping Environmental Campaign of the Year. Operation Stop It, which launched in September 2014, and is run in partnership with Durham Constabulary, the Environment Agency, and Crimestoppers, won the campaign prize after it led to a 22 per cent reduction in fly-tipping across the county and saved more than £104,000 in clean-up and disposal costs. CCTV cameras across the county play a key part in catching fly-tippers. In 2014/15, the council successfully prosecuted four people for fly-tipping. This increased to 63 by 2015/16. Other projects which helped our success include The Big Spring Clean, in which the council supports residents and volunteers to carry out their own litter picks – 145 events and 1,692 bags gathered last year; the It’s Your Neighbourhood scheme which provides funding for small voluntary-led groups wanting to improve their local environment; and the Green Move Out scheme in which the council works with Durham University to encourage students to donate their unwanted items for reuse to a local charity to help prevent them ending up as waste. We all have a responsibility for the local

sound bites Cllr Gary Poole (Lab, Islington) “Honoured to celebrate Islington resident F.Booth whose courage on this day 1917 earned him VC #lestweforget.” www.twitter.com/CllrGaryPoole environment and these two accolades help demonstrate what can happen when councils, communities and other partners work effectively together. Cllr Simon Henig (Lab), Leader, Durham County Council

Tackling scam mail

evon and Somerset Trading Standards Service and Devon and Cornwall Police held a day-long workshop at Barnstaple’s Royal Mail delivery office, advising 40 members of staff on how to recognise scam mail. In total, 20 residents in the Barnstaple area were identified as having been potentially targeted by scams. Some of the residents were particularly vulnerable and have had difficulty coping with large amounts of post. Each of these residents were visited by police and trading standards officers and offered help and support. Some of the postal scams trading standards has encountered include letters from lotteries, sweepstakes and competitions promising a prize in return for a payment. By working in partnership with the Royal Mail and the police we can together help stop the flow of scam mail and prevent people from being duped. Cllr Roger Croad (Con), Cabinet Member with responsibility for Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Service, Devon County Council

What do you think? Please submit letters for publication by emailing first@local.gov.uk. Letters may be edited and published online

March 2017

Cllr Lewis Herbert (Lab, Cambridge) “Only times UK built 200,000+ homes it needs were when councils had freedom/ funds to build council homes – biased White Paper doomed to fail.” www.twitter.com/lewis_herbert Cllr Ash Davies (Con, Kettering) “Good to see continued expansion of highspeed broadband across Northants thanks to investment from @mycountycouncil.” www.twitter.com/CllrAshDavies Cllr Oonagh Moulton (Con, Merton) “Congratulations your Majesty! Long may she reign over us @RoyalFamily #SapphireJubilee.” www.twitter.com/oonaghmoulton Cllr Jeremy Hilton (Lib Dem, Gloucester) “I say councils should be free to borrow to build new council houses. We can borrow for swimming pools why not homes? #newhomechallenge.” www.twitter.com/jeremy4glos Cllr Frances Taylor (Ind, Monmouthshire) “Great to contribute to @AcademiWales Springboard. A room full of women, a room full of potential. We all benefit from different voices.” www.twitter.com/Frances4magor Do you have a blog or a Twitter account we should be following? Let us know. Email first@local.gov.uk

first letters | 7

features

Housing white paper is something to build on The Government’s strategy to build more homes is encouraging but falls short on concrete measures to help councils build genuinely affordable housing

he long-awaited Housing White Paper, ‘Fixing our broken housing market’, was published last month and sets out the Government’s strategy for building more homes. The LGA said the white paper includes encouraging signs that government is listening to councils on how to boost housing supply and increase affordability but lacks the substantive measures needed to allow councils to build the genuinely affordable homes we need.

It includes a number of recommendations made in our own Housing Commission report, such as removing the starter homes requirement and increasing funding for planning departments. Importantly, it emphasises building the right homes in the right places to meet councils’ wider ambitions for communities. Proposals to ensure certainty and to simplify the planning system, for instance by standardising the process for assessing housing need, will help with the plan-making

process, as will measures to increase land transparency, the LGA said. However, council leaders insist the process must remain locally led and that national housing targets must not be imposed on local communities. The White Paper also considers shortening the timescales for developers to implement a permission from three years to two years, and supporting councils to use compulsory purchase powers to support building on stalled sites. The LGA will be working with the Government to take forward the proposals and to push for an ambitious vision that recognises local government’s role in enabling additional housing, and in building the genuinely affordable homes that would resolve many of the challenges facing communities, the economy, and public services. For this to happen, councils desperately need the powers and access to funding to resume their historic role as a major builder of affordable homes. This means being able to borrow to invest in housing and to keep 100 per cent of the receipts from properties sold through Right to Buy to replace homes and reinvest in building more of the genuine affordable homes our communities desperately need.

For a full briefing on the Housing White Paper visit www.local.gov.uk/housing. For the LGA’s Housing Commission’s reports, please visit http://bit.ly/1N51pLQ. See p24, p28

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www.local.gov.uk

Accountability •

•

HOUSING WHITE PAPER Key measures include:

Introduce a housing delivery test to hold local authorities to account for delivering homes, requiring a local authority to publish an action plan where the numbers of new homes are lower than the number it is suggested are needed. Hold local authorities and developers to account by requiring information about the timing and pace of delivery for new housing, encouraging local authorities to consider potential build out rates when granting permission.

LGA view: “House building is generally complex and risky, involving a wide range of partners. Councils are committed to building homes where they are needed. House building is complex and councils lack all the planning powers to ensure it. This must be recognised by the proposal to apply a delivery test and requiring action from councils when housing delivery has not met forecast need.”

Speeding up building Planning • • •

Consult on options for introducing a standardised approach to calculating assessed housing need. Require local plans and other local development documents to be reviewed at least once every five years. Allow local authorities to increase planning fees by 20 per cent from July 2017 if they commit to invest the additional income in their planning departments. Consider allowing a further 20 per cent increase for those delivering a given level of house building.

LGA view: “We are pleased the LGA’s call for planning departments to be sufficiently resourced has been acknowledged. Council tax payers are currently subsidising a third of the cost of processing planning applications. It is important that councils retain the freedom to plan and meet the objectively assessed local housing need and to ensure land with community support for housing is made available.”

Land • •

•

Deliver more homes on public sector land using a new £45 million Land Release Fund to ensure authorities can dispose of land with the benefit of planning permission granted by themselves. Bring more brownfield land back into use through amendments to the National Planning Policy Framework to indicate that greater weight should be attached to using suitable brownfield sites within existing settlements. Maintain existing strong protections for the Green Belt. Boundaries should only be amended in exceptional circumstances.

LGA view: “The release of surplus public land is a significant opportunity to boost house building. It should be pursued in a longterm strategic plan to shape places and as part of a strategy to ensure land that is released is built on within an appropriate time frame.”

March 2017

• •

Consider options for shortening the timescales for developers to implement a permission from three years to two years. Support councils to use compulsory purchase powers to support build out of stalled sites.

LGA view: “Support for councils to make greater use of compulsory purchase powers to unlock stalled sites is significant in helping ensure development on sites with permission, although this will do little to speed up build out rates. Giving councils meaningful powers to force developers to build homes more quickly is vital to get Britain building again.”

Diversifying the market • • • •

Work with councils to understand all the options for increasing the supply of affordable housing. Encourage councils delivering affordable rented housing through alternative vehicles to offer tenants similar rights to other affordable rented homes, including the Right to Buy. Replace the proposed starter homes requirement with an affordable home ownership requirement of 10 per cent on a site-by-site basis. Councils to work with developers to agree the mix of starter homes, rent to buy, shared ownership or other products.

LGA view: “We are pleased the Government accepted our call for local flexibility for councils in delivering starter homes alongside the mix of other affordable housing tenures to meet locally assessed need. Councils must have flexibility to meet local need for affordable rented homes through delivery vehicles and other ventures. The suggestion that the Government wants to see an offer similar to Right to Buy in housing delivered through such ventures is a concern. Councils have often sought to build in ownership options into rented property and it is vital that they maintain this flexibility so that the delivery of additional homes remains viable.”

first feature | 9

Working for our members The LGA has been working hard to promote local government, protect councils from unwelcome additional burdens and to secure much-needed funding

Lord Porter (left) is Chairman and Mark Lloyd is Chief Executive of the LGA

Key achievements 2016/17 •

•

Plans to devolve Attendance Allowance as part of business rates localisation were dropped. The proposal would have accounted for the majority of extra business rates income kept by local government and created a significant cost pressure. Following LGA lobbying, the Government dropped plans to force all schools to become academies. The Local Government Finance Bill provides for government to pay councils for the cost of business rates appeals. Currently, councils are holding back around £2.5 billion to manage the risk of successful appeals. Following LGA lobbying, the Housing and Planning Act dropped ‘pay to stay’, confirmed there would be no requirement to sell higher value council homes in 2017/18, and dropped plans for all new housing to be starter homes. The Housing White Paper includes a minimum 20 per cent increase in funding for local planning teams, a new £45 million Land Release Fund for councils, and new powers to encourage developers to build on sites with planning permission. We continue to call for funding to meet the full cost of flood damage, with £700 million set aside for councils up to 2020/21 to help local areas recover from the floods of 2015/16. Following an LGA campaign highlighting the country’s ‘roads crisis’, the Government announced a £250 million pothole fund.

10 | first feature

he last year has been another tough one for councils. Unprecedented challenges on finance, housing and social care mean that as we look forward, strong, democratically elected local leadership will be more important than ever to secure the best deals for our residents, our communities and our country. It will also be key to making the most of the opportunities for our communities arising from Britain’s EU exit – for example, to push for devolution of Brussels’ powers to town halls, not Whitehall. It is in these circumstances that, on your behalf, we’ve been working as the national voice – your voice – of local government, ensuring councils are part of the story and the solution. We’ve called for the funding and powers needed to make sure that you are in the best position to serve your communities and improve your residents’ lives. As well as securing extra money for councils, much of our behind-the-scenes work and collective actions have prevented additional burdens, both costs and duties, being placed on councils. We will continue to work with you to ensure that local government maintains

a strong, united voice throughout forthcoming debates and negotiations. There was a diversity of views among local government about Britain’s membership of the EU, with the LGA remaining neutral during the referendum campaign. This has put us in a strong position to play a key role in ensuring that powers do not stop in Whitehall and are transferred from Brussels to local areas. We will continue to use our seat at the negotiating table to get the best solutions for your council and the local communities you serve. That means wider devolution and an increased role for democratically elected local leadership. Local government has already made huge progress, delivering a number of devolution deals across the country. We will continue to work with government and our member councils to deliver a real shift in power to councils and local communities, who are best placed to make the decisions that affect them. That includes making those decisions that are critical to balancing the economy, and that requires financial sustainability and the flexibilities to raise more funds locally. We have long called for local government

www.local.gov.uk

“We will continue to work to deliver a real shift in power to councils and local communities, who are best placed to make the decisions that affect them” to be able to keep more of its business rates income and the Local Government Finance Bill is an important step towards this. With health and social care pressures at near crisis point, councils are struggling to deliver local services. While the local government finance settlement recognised this with a one-off adult social care support grant worth £241.1 million and additional council tax-raising powers, this is not new funding and not all areas will be in a position to benefit from the additional social care

March 2017

precept. Council tax rises to pay for social care will not bring in enough money to compensate for spiralling costs driven by demographic and other pressures. Our campaigning work has successfully united charities, health and care providers to achieve sector-wide consensus on the urgent need to help councils tackle the immediate social care pressures they face. We will continue to press government to reverse the associated reductions to the New Homes Bonus and provide genuinely new money

for social care, as the only way to protect the services caring for our elderly and disabled people and meet the £2.6 billion funding gap facing these services by 2019/20. Local government is also committed to building more new homes, but we can only achieve this if national and local leaders work together, supporting all partners to do their bit. Through our Housing Commission we have helped secure a wide range of wins from the Government’s Housing White Paper, including a minimum 20 per cent increase in funding for local planning teams and a commitment to further flexibilities for councils to build council homes. We continue to listen to what you tell us and strive to improve our membership offer and the services we provide to support you. Local government remains the most trusted and efficient part of the public sector. We will continue to work across our political groups and in all our areas of activity to support, promote and share everything that is great about local government and local democracy. Now, more than ever, it is vital that we stand together during difficult times.

first feature | 11

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www.local.gov.uk

Government reforms will change the governance and inspection of fire services

Firing up for change Jeremy Hilton is Chair of the LGA’s Fire Services Management Committee

he fire and rescue service faces a year of change in 2017. As the Government’s fire reform agenda gathers pace, there are a number of ways in which the Home Office is seeking to implement its reform programme, in particular through the provisions of the Policing and Crime Act 2017. The Act received Royal Assent on 31 January and will introduce a variety of measures that will have a significant impact on fire and rescue services. In particular, the Act gives police and crime commissioners (PCCs) the ability to take on local fire and rescue services. The LGA secured a number of changes to the Act as it progressed through Parliament. We helped to strengthen the consultation that PCCs will have to conduct to progress their plans to take on fire and rescue services. They will have to consult local residents, local authorities and any employees who would be affected by the transfer, including both fire and policing employees. There will also be an additional requirement for the PCC to publish a summary of the views of the employees consulted, and PCCs will also have to publish a response to the representations and views they have received on their proposals to transfer governance. The case for transfer will be put to the Secretary of State for decision, and if they believe it would have an adverse effect on public safety the transfer would not take place. In cases where there is local opposition to the transfer of governance, an independent assessment will be made of the proposals which the Secretary of State will publish. The Home Office also wants to drive

commercial transformation across the sector, on issues such as procurement as well as encouraging greater collaboration. The Policing and Crime Act will give fire and rescue authorities the ability to enter into collaboration agreements with ambulance trusts and/or a police body where it could be in the interests of the efficiency or effectiveness of that service and those other services. The inspection of fire and rescue services is another key part of the Act. The aim of the inspection regime will be to provide comparable judgements about the performance of fire and rescue services. The Government is also working on publishing comparable data for the public

“The LGA helped to strengthen the consultation that PCCs will have to conduct to progress their plans to take on fire and rescue services”

March 2017

to hold their services to account. The LGA has pressed for the inspection regime to be proportionate and not overly burdensome for fire services. We are currently looking at how the LGA’s new sector-led improvement and fire peer challenge process will complement the new inspection regime. The final element of reform is focused on workforce. The creation of a new professional standards body will be at the centre of this work and become the home for professional standards for the sector. It would create standards for individuals and fire and rescue services to follow, and would create a professional pathway for individuals as well as giving accreditation to fire professionals. The Home Office is also keen to see an increase in diversity among the service’s firefighter workforce. The LGA has produced a Memorandum of Understanding with 11 other representative organisations (www.local.gov.uk/fire-and-rescueservices) to demonstrate our commitment to this agenda.

The LGA’s annual fire conference takes place in Newcastle on 7-8 March. See www.local.gov.uk/events

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Gold Partner LGA Annual Fire Conference & Exhibition 7-8 March 2017 IFE House,64–66 Cygnet Court,Timothy’s Bridge Road,Stratford-upon-Avon,Warwickshire,CV37 9NW Tel: 00 (44) 1789 261463

Public health transformation Four years after public health responsibilities were returned to local government, the LGA’s latest annual report shows councils are making the best use of limited resources

Cllr Izzi Seccombe is Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board

hugely admire the way directors of public health and their teams, with the support of council leaders, cabinets and chief executives, remain full of commitment and inventiveness, despite the financial barriers they face. Good public health, drawing imaginatively on all of local government’s functions, can make a real, large-scale difference to promoting the independence of people with long-term chronic conditions, to preventing ill health and therefore to reducing pressures on the NHS, as well as to its primary goals of improving people’s lives and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities. Good practice from individual councils shows just what potential there is for public health, if properly resourced, to make inroads into improving health and wellbeing. Public health teams, working with a ‘health in all policies’ approach across councils, are tackling persistent problems like adult and childhood obesity, mental illness, alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and the health impact of isolation and loneliness in old age, as well as addressing some of the serious health inequalities that still exist within and between communities. Already, we see directors of public

health beginning to build on their understanding of the impact of most local government functions on the social determinants of health. For example, Birmingham public health is supporting districts that have identified health as a priority to work more strategically and have greater involvement over matters such as commissioning. Cambridgeshire County Council’s Healthy Fenland Project is enabling health trainers to delivering health checks in workplaces to engage routine and manual workers, while the London Borough of Redbridge’s public health team is working to ensure that its local plan addresses some of the social determinants of health. However, the context for all the excellent work described here and in the LGA’s annual report on public health (see below) is the relentless reduction in the resources available for public health work. Councils and their public health teams have put a brave face on the compromises they have had to make, working with the local NHS and voluntary sector, sharing public health initiatives and sometimes

even public health teams across councils, reorganising in an attempt to achieve more with less. I take my hat off to their resilience and passion but I want to reiterate my plea for properly resourced public health services across the country. The renewed public health function of local government has only just got started and it cannot continue to maximise its role at the heart of councils while continually retrenching to make budget cuts. We must not get used to the NHS and social care being in a permanent state of crisis. Public health could help make this country one where people live healthy lives for longer with less dependence on acute health and care services and a better quality of life, while reducing the public service budget in the long term. We could make the sort of stepchange that 19th century public health pioneers made through improved sanitation and housing. We all understand the concept of ‘investing to save’. This is the kind of investment – to save lives as well as money – that public health needs from both national and local government.

“The renewed public health function of local government has only just got started and it cannot continue to maximise its role at the heart of councils while continually retrenching to make budget cuts”

The LGA’s public health annual report, ‘Public health transformation four years on: making best use of limited resources’, will be published at its annual public health conference in London on 9 March. ‘Extending influence to promote health and wellbeing’ is organised jointly with the Association of Directors of Public Health. Please visit www.local.gov.uk/events for more information. See p18

March 2017

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A careers system that works for everyone The LGA is calling for a locally commissioned and coordinated careers service for all, with funding to match the responsibility Cllr Sir Richard Leese (left) is Chair of the LGA’s City Regions Board and Cllr Mark Hawthorne is Chairman of the LGA’s People and Places Board

nadequate careers guidance in many English schools is exacerbating skills shortages and having a negative impact on the country’s productivity. So said MPs last year in a report on careers education information, advice and guidance, which shone a light on the

Case study: Essex County Council Essex Employment and Skills Board, (ESB), supported by the Employability and Skills Unit (ESU) within Essex County Council, is working to join up careers provision across Essex. The work of the board is driven by an evidence base that provides an in-depth analysis of the local labour market, detailed district and county reports, skill needs reported by employment sector, and economic growth sectors. The evidence base identified sectors that are key for Greater Essex in offering economic growth, but also sectors where employers face significant issues in recruiting skilled staff. As a result the ESU has developed a number of programmes including, ‘What’s Your Thing?’ This is a brand aimed at secondary schools which provides young people with careers information specifically on growth sectors.

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problems facing the careers system and made a number of recommendations. We recognise the challenge and want to support the Government to ensure that careers advice matches the needs of local residents and employers. But that can only be done effectively by devolving employment and skills provision, including careers. The LGA’s discussions with councils show that the current careers system is complex, patchy and fragmented, and requires a radical rethink. There are numerous providers, including schools, colleges and several national agencies, delivering initiatives for different age ranges and groups. To help remedy this, the LGA is calling for a locally commissioned and coordinated careers service for all, with funding to match the responsibility. We want a careers system that provides future employees with the knowledge to make the right choices for themselves, provides employers with the skills to meet their business needs, and that

promotes economic growth for all. In discussion with councils, the LGA has developed five guiding principles underpinning a good careers system for all ages and the role we want local government needs to play. Top of the list is that careers advice and guidance should be locally commissioned, coordinated and overseen by councils, or groups of councils, across a recognised economic area, with local government holding providers to account for performance. Everyone, of all ages, should have the opportunity to access high quality careers education, information, advice and guidance to make the right decisions leading to education, training, apprenticeship or sustainable employment. People need relevant support at key stages, for example when making GCSE choices, decisions about vocational pathways or if they are made redundant. Careers advice and guidance should be embedded and available to support people at pivotal stages of their learning and working lives. They also need access to personal guidance and support that takes account of their individual needs, and work experience opportunities that raise awareness of what’s available in the local and national labour markets. Finally, careers advice and guidance should be based on local labour market intelligence, which will be more effective than the current national approach. The Government recognises the importance of careers in achieving its economic ambitions. In January, Robert Halfon, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, outlined his vision for a careers system that works for everyone, building on what works. He said the Government would set out its ambitions and plans later this year in a comprehensive careers strategy for all ages. Local government welcomes this as we know just how important skills are for the economy and productivity. We want to work with the Department for Education to make sure the careers system matches the aspirations of young people, adults and employers – now, and in the future.

“Careers advice is complex, patchy and fragmented, and requires a radical rethink”

‘Careers education, information, advice and guidance’, from the Commons’ SubCommittee on Education, Skills and the Economy, is available at http://bit.ly/2kWEqyv. The LGA’s position paper, ‘Principles underpinning good careers advice and guidance’, is available at www.local.gov.uk/publications

www.local.gov.uk

Engaging with residents A new LGA guide sets out how councils can improve engagement and build trust with local residents

t a time when public services are undergoing fundamental change and resources continue to diminish, few could doubt the importance of better engagement with our residents. Indeed, there are huge risks attached to transforming the day-to-day services that people have come to rely on without truly engaging the public or giving them a genuine opportunity to be involved. But as is often the case, the diagnosis can often be easier to pronounce than the cure. It is often argued that engagement is everybody’s responsibility in a council, but all too often it ends up with no-one taking responsibility. There can be a temptation to think it is an abstract process that somebody else deals with. In reality, ensuring we maintain good dialogue with residents and secure mutual trust between the council and the local community needs to be part of the whole council’s DNA. While the challenges in achieving this are huge, I’m confident that councils face them from a position of well-earned strength. Recent research shows 74 per cent of residents most trust their council to take decisions about March 2017

Cllr Judi Billing MBE is Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board

how services are provided in their local area – just 15 per cent cited central government. In addition, around seven in ten people are satisfied with the way their council runs things. This is a level that has been consistently observed across LGA polling despite councils having to make difficult decisions about which services to prioritise in the face of ongoing funding pressures. So the questions remain. How do we effectively engage at a time when resources are scarce? How do we even begin to build and maintain trust when difficult decisions are being taken? What are the legal pitfalls

that need to be navigated during a period of unprecedented reform? To try to help find the answers to these questions – and many more – the LGA and The Campaign Company recently launched a guide to show how councils can strengthen trust, build resilience and respond to today’s challenges through the use of high quality engagement. Crucially, ‘New conversations: LGA guide to engagement’ shows how this can be achieved with limited resources. It includes theory on what effective engagement looks like, and useful tools for helping councils assess their current engagement activities and make improvements to their consultation practices. Following pilot projects in Hackney, Harlow, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Staffordshire, it also helps to show what engagement looks like in action. These are four very different areas but all share the same ambition to deliver effective, modern engagement and have been running pilots in their own areas to do this. Much has been said and written about how trust between people and political institutions is in decline. Local councils – and, in particular, we as elected councillors – are uniquely placed to bridge that gap and start new conversations. There are huge opportunities for councils if we get this right. I hope this new publication helps your own council get it right.

‘New conversations: LGA guide to engagement’ can be downloaded free at www.local.gov.uk/publications

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interview

Healthy places, healthy people A decent home, a job and friends are more important to good health than the NHS, says Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of Public Health England

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hen we think of health, more often than not we think of hospitals and GPs or illness and disease. But for Duncan Selbie, the Chief Executive of Public Health England, it goes far beyond that. Good health is about having a good place to live, with a decent home, a job, and friends. He says that these factors “are more important than anything we do in the NHS”. In his view, local government is crucial to improving people’s health, which he says “at heart is about economic development and economic prosperity”. Councils took over responsibility for public health from the NHS in April 2013. Mr Selbie says it is “still early” days. But while www.local.gov.uk

CHRIS SHARP

“We know there’s less money, it’s about how you choose to spend it”

he was full of praise for how councils have made the transition, it wasn’t necessarily “a new thing” for local government. He said: “It’s extraordinary how this has been taken on. It wasn’t like a beginning where a light went on. Public health had to get into the party. Those local authorities that said ‘well this is about everything that we do’ got off to the fastest possible start.” The overarching theme that came across when first went to Public Health England’s HQ to meet Mr Selbie was that “health is about more than health care”. Mr Selbie said: “We think better health will happen through greater investment in the NHS. Although the NHS is an important contributor, much more important to good health is economic development – creating March 2017

jobs that local people can get, and housing that is decent and inspires confidence, where communities feel safe, and crucially where people have a sense of ‘social connectedness.’ ” Mr Selbie has visited every upper tier council in the country, where he’s not just been speaking to colleagues in public health, but those in other departments such as housing and social care. He added: “Health is all about place-making – creating a place where people want to live – which is inseparable from how to improve the health of the people.” As well as to protect, Public Health England exists to improve the health of the people. He said: “You don’t have that discussion with the health service, you

have it with local government, because local government are place leaders, in charge of places, they’re not in control, but they’re in charge. “It’s all the things that come together in a place, which local government is so critical to. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Birmingham or Cambridge, Southwark or Newcastle, the issues are exactly the same. How do you create a place, where jobs can be generated, that local people can get those jobs?” One of the biggest concerns and challenges facing health professionals is reducing health inequalities. People from the most affluent areas of the country will have almost 20 more years of healthy life than those in the most disadvantaged

first interview | 19

CHRIS SHARP

“Health is all about place-making – creating a place where people want to live – which is inseparable from how to improve the health of the people”

20 | first interview

www.local.gov.uk

areas. Tackling this is something that was enshrined as a core element of Public Health England’s role when it was established in 2013. For Mr Selbie, reducing inequalities is about getting people into work. “I’ve seen this all over the country, economic prosperity enjoyed by local people, is how you close the health gap. If you create jobs, that local people can’t get, then you’re not going to close the health gap.” As an example, he cites Greater Manchester, where the council’s cabinet member for economic development showed him a wealth map of the region, and how it was behind London. Yet what was key here was how the councillor was arguing it as a health question. Mr Selbie said: “Until they could improve the health of the people in Greater Manchester, they couldn’t improve the wealth, and the wealth contribution of the people of Greater Manchester to the UK. What was pulling Greater Manchester back was the number of people that weren’t in work and the numbers of people that had a job but were off work because of ill health.”

Social connectedness

Many councils feel they have been handed the responsibility of delivering public health but without the resources to do so, following cuts to the public health grant. Government has reduced councils’ public health budgets by £331 million from 2016/17 to 2020/21. This follows a £200 million in-year reduction in 2015/16. But while sympathetic, Mr Selbie said: “We know there’s less money, it’s about how you choose to spend it. And the most efficient expert people at knowing how to do that are local government. I won’t ever argue that a cut to the public health budget is a smart move, but I can’t be constrained by that because actually local government has been dealing with cuts and budgets forever.” As part of their public health remit, councils are now responsible for tackling everything from sexual health and substance misuse to obesity and mental health. But Mr Selbie said that the biggest risk to people’s health remains smoking. “There’s still mountains more we can do. March 2017

“Although the NHS is an important contributor, much more important to good health is economic development – creating jobs that local people can get, housing that is decent, where communities feel safe, and people have a sense of ‘social connectedness’ ” There’s one in five people smoking, and a quarter of people that are admitted into hospital today smoke. Our research suggests that less than one in 13 of those individuals has a conversation with a nurse or a doctor about the fact that they smoke. One in 10 hospitals implement a no smoking policy. So at a local level, you’ve got all this investment by local government on stop smoking services, and the NHS has this brilliant opportunity to get people to take that opportunity (to give up).” On the fight against childhood obesity, Mr Selbie said the Government’s childhood obesity plan was “a great start”. Despite accusations from health campaigners of a watered-down strategy, Mr Selbie was upbeat about its prospects of success. He said: “If you’d asked me a year ago would I be content with a sugar tax and a 20 per cent take out of sugar from food, I would have bitten your arm off. What we haven’t got is absolutely everything we

hoped for from the evidence review that we published a year ago. But this is more than any other country in the world is doing. The Government said this was the beginning not the end, so I’m very positive because I think this is a big thing to do, and I think we should show we can do it.” Mr Selbie was clear about the need to look at how we resource the way we care for elderly and vulnerable people, warning that “the answer cannot be further and greater reliance on the NHS”. In his previous role as Chief Executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, he said the average age of a patient admitted after 8pm was 83. He said: “The single most important factor affecting whether you got admitted late at night, was did you have someone at home. It wasn’t the presenting illness. The important thing is, everybody else had gone home, but we couldn’t get them home, if they didn’t have somebody at home.” This returns Mr Selbie to his major theme – “social connectedness”. He added: “The importance of affection and having someone to care for and about, is a vital part about keeping well. If you look at this through a lens, about conditions and diseases, a 93-year-old that gets to meet her chums every week thinks in terms of ‘can I meet my chums’, not all these longterm conditions I’ve got, but can I get out and meet my chums? And that’s just a fundamentally different way of thinking.” For Mr Selbie, the road to better health is based on the three key things of having a job, a home, and a friend. He added: “The sheer intuition and common sense of having a reason for getting up in the morning, something to do, enough money to live on, somewhere to live, and someone to care for and about, the science behind that underpins how you improve health and close the health gap, is as deep as anything we do in clinical science and the NHS.”

‘Extending influence to promote health and wellbeing’, the LGA’s and Association of Directors of Public Health’s annual public health conference and exhibition, takes place on 9 March in London. Please visit www.local.gov.uk/events for more information

first interview | 21

comment Districts deliver growth new-build homes nationwide. He also acknowledged the important role local authorities wishing to get back into building homes could play in boosting supply. Greg Clark told delegates that district councils were crucial to delivering the growth vision outlined in his Green Paper and had a real opportunity to influence the Government’s industrial strategy as it is developed over the coming months. He urged local government to seize the initiative and tell central government how, based on experience and evidence, local economies should be shaped. In his speech, Chairman of the Midlands Engine, Sir John Peace, also stressed the importance of connectivity and agility in driving the postBrexit economic revival. As an inaugural event, the conference played out in a spirit of vibrant hope and courageous collective resolve to rise to the challenges we face. And as actual proof of our success, the DCN Conference apparently broke Twitter – trending nationally above Frank Lampard’s retirement from football and the Bank of England’s interest rates decision. I am very proud that the conference proved to be such a success with some very positive feedback, so this has provided a great platform for future events and I would like to thank everyone involved. Greg Clark

They say there is a first time for everything in life. And so it proved for the District Councils’ Network (DCN), which staged the organisation’s first-ever national conference last month, hosting nearly 200 delegates from districts across England. Our 201 members serve nearly 22 million residents across more than two-thirds of the country. I was keen to ensure that the network provided a national platform from which the great issues of the day affecting our members could be aired and debated – and reflect the central and crucial role districts play for the people and places they serve. ‘Districts delivering growth’ was the dominant theme of the conference. It is important to understand the significance of the times we live in. Since the Brexit referendum vote, economic growth has assumed even greater importance as the axis around which local government must pivot its activities. A week before the conference we had seen the publication of a Green Paper on industrial strategy and legislation to enable the 100 per cent retention of business rates. On the opening day of the conference, the Brexit White Paper was published and delegates were preparing for the much anticipated Housing White Paper. As a network, our ability to secure a trio of high-profile ministerial speakers – Communities Secretary Sajid Javid MP; Business, Energy and Industrial Secretary Greg Clark MP (pictured); and Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell MP – to this inaugural conference was clear proof that the Government places great stock in the potential of districts to deliver growth. March 2017

CHRIS GEORGE

Cllr Neil Clarke is Chairman of the District Councils’ Network

Sajid Javid praised districts for their ‘cando attitude’, noting their strong track record of managing the heavy-lifting of deficitreduction in the past six years while delivering impressively on housing, efficiency and local economic growth. The topic of the future of devolution in district areas and the place of districts in an evolving local government structure was raised. The Communities Secretary insisted the process was alive and well, adding he would turn his attention to bids not included in the first round of mayoral elections after May. He also restated his pledge that when it comes to determining structure, ‘one size does not fit all,’ and his personal philosophy of putting what works best for the communities we serve above rigid, top-down ideology and structures. Speaking in advance of the Housing White Paper, Gavin Barwell noted the success of districts as the housing and planning authorities siting more than one in two

“As proof of our success, the DCN conference apparently broke Twitter” first comment | 23

group leaders’ comments Housing: greater flexibility will help councils

“The commitment to allow councils to increase planning fees by up to 20 per cent is very welcome”

he security that comes from having a safe and decent home is immeasurable, and I therefore strongly welcome the publication of the Government’s Housing White Paper. I am pleased that the Government has listened to the LGA’s lobbying in a number of key areas, including proposing greater flexibility in relation to the delivery of starter homes. Local planning authorities were underfunded by £195 million in 2015/16 and the LGA has long called for local discretion over planning fees to address this. The commitment to allow councils to increase planning fees by up to 20 per cent is very welcome as it will provide additional resources for councils to

fulfil their duties and deliver homes. The commitment to offer support for councils to build through their housing revenue accounts and other ventures is also an important recognition of the role that councils have in addressing the housing shortage. The success of the One Public Estate programme has already demonstrated the potential that releasing surplus public land can play in boosting house building, and I therefore strongly welcome the new Land Release Fund. Additionally, the Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide opportunities for councils to deliver infrastructure-led housing. We will now be seeking to work with the Government on the exact details of the programme to ensure

Cllr David Hodge CBE is Leader of the LGA’s Conservative Group

that councils have maximum flexibilities to invest in the infrastructure needed locally to deliver housing. While there is much to welcome in the White Paper, the LGA will continue to argue that councils need borrowing freedoms and the ability to retain 100 per cent of Right to Buy receipts if we are to meaningfully play our part in building sufficient numbers of new affordable homes. I look forward to working with the Government to make a reality of the aspirations laid out in the White Paper – while also highlighting the areas in which we believe they could go further – in order to deliver more and better housing.

chairman’s comment

Councils key to housing targets

Lord Porter is Chairman of the LGA

e were pleased that the Government’s Housing White Paper included recommendations made in our Housing Commission’s final report, including more resources for planning departments, dropping the proposed starter homes requirement and a commitment to explore with councils how they can build more homes. This shows that they’re listening to us. It further reinforced the importance of building the right homes in the right places, and responded to our asks for council tools to unblock stalled sites, and for new council powers to establish local development corporations. Similarly, new investment in

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a Housing Infrastructure Fund, the Affordable Housing Programme, and the Land Release Fund all respond to key issues our sector has pressed on ministers. However, our ambition is much greater than the White Paper, which focuses predominantly on planning reforms and lacks the more substantive measures needed for councils to boost housing growth and build genuinely affordable homes. The last time the country built 300,000 homes in a year, councils built 40 per cent of them. The private sector and housing association sector combined have never built more than 187,000 homes in a year. Off-site construction is one route for rapidly building more homes, but the financial models of most private house builders will mean that they are unlikely to deliver the volume needed, so it is critical that

the Government supports councils to deliver the volume of homes through alternative construction methods. If we’re to resume our historic role as major builders of affordable homes, then we need greater powers and access to funding. We will continue our work with ministers to push for the powers to borrow and to keep 100 per cent of the receipts from properties sold through Right to Buy so that we can get on with rapidly building homes. As you know, local communities will only back development if they trust the planning system to respond to their aspirations for their local area, rather than simply being driven by national targets. It is therefore crucial that we have the power to ensure that new homes respond to local need, are attractive and well-designed, and are supported by the schools, hospitals, roads and other services vital for places to succeed.

“The Housing White Paper shows that the Government is listening to us” www.local.gov.uk

Cllr Marianne Overton MBE is Leader of the LGA’s Independent Group

Cllr Nick Forbes is Leader of the LGA’s Labour Group

Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson CBE is Leader of the LGA’s Liberal Democrat Group

The impact of austerity on social care

Councils have made all the efficiencies they can

Funding settlement ‘a total disaster’

“Councils have been cut to the bone and are perilously close to the edge”

“We need to plug the gaps in our services and invest in our local economies”

“It cannot be left to council tax payers alone to try and fix social care”

t was a shock when the Chancellor failed to announce new money for local government in last year’s Autumn Statement. Now, in a fresh blow, no new money has been announced in the local government finance settlement either. The funding crisis in adult social care is urgent and something the Government is well aware of, yet fails to act on. For the first time since I’ve been involved in politics, people beyond local government are saying the same. Five years ago, Labour councils were a lone voice raising concerns about the impact of austerity on social care. Now it’s every authority in the country – and the NHS, the Kings Fund, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Care Quality Commission, and many more. Even Conservative leaders say there’s a problem. But simply forcing councils to increase council tax will not come anywhere close to closing the funding gap. Councils need genuinely new money but once again the Government has hit the taxpayer. The immediate need is for £1.3 billion, with £2.6 billion needed by 2020 for social care alone. The seriousness of this situation cannot be repeated enough. Councils have been cut to the bone and are perilously close to the edge. It’s not a spreadsheet we are dealing with, it’s the lives of people and loved ones in our communities. They deserve us to speak out and demand more.

any of us at the LGA made the case clearly that councils face an untenable funding crisis, namely a £5.8 billion gap by 2020. Thus the announcement of no new money in the local settlement is deeply worrying. Most councils (97 per cent) signed up to the four-year funding deal on the understanding that although it was not enough, it gave some certainty. Unexpected reductions in the New Homes Bonus undermined that completely. In two-tier authorities, the rearrangement of £241 million towards authorities with adult care means a cut for all district authorities and 57 upper tier authorities. The promise of the rest of the business rates in 2017/18 is accompanied by talk of weighty new burdens, when we first need to plug the gaps in our services and invest in our local economies. So councils have made all the efficiencies we can. We have sold off assets and used that money for service transformation. We have created new businesses to make money, but also been forced to reduce access to services, transport subsidies, leisure facilities, street lighting, grass cutting… At the same time we are raising council tax as high as we can. Now many of us are about to stand on the doorsteps and ask for votes. That’s a tough one! The Government must get out of its comfort zone of austerity and ensure the survival of local services.

he announcement of the local government finance settlement was more than a “huge disappointment” – it was a total disaster for councils, who are under immense social care pressures. It’s like a ‘death by a thousand cuts’. How long is the Government going to sit by and watch local government bleed? Even their own local government base is crying out for them to take action. Will they listen to councils, the NHS, charities and care providers, all of whom are united around the desperate need for new government funding for social care? Sadly, no. The Government’s ‘smoke and mirrors’ line about additional funding coming is being swallowed up by the additional costs of its National Living Wage. One hand giveth, the other taketh away, as we are still having to make deep cuts, which are affecting people day in and day out. It cannot be left to council tax payers alone to try and fix this. Social care faces a funding gap of at least £2.6 billion by 2020. Wake up Mrs May, the settlement was a total missed opportunity. The Government line seems to be if you keep saying there is no crisis, people will start to believe you. But it’s not true, as any councillor, whatever their political party, could tell them.

For more information about the LGA’s political groups, see www.local.gov.uk

March 2017

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The importance of growth Cllr Louise Goldsmith (Con) is Leader of West Sussex County Council

Our counties are changing and we need to adapt fast to be able to meet our residents’ needs. We need to work with our district and borough councils because it will benefit our residents. And that is the whole reason we are here. I am very proud that we have just signed our second district growth deal. These two deals set out a clear set of working principles and have formalised in practical and procedural

terms how we will work together with these two authorities. Both of our district deals have been different but their ultimate aims have been to promote local economic growth and attract investment via the private sector while making sure it is supported by local infrastructure – something which cannot be underestimated. Roads, buses, schools and cycle paths are all things people talk about on social media every single day: infrastructure matters to all of our residents. Having tailor-made deals might seem like a lot of work, especially for counties like us which have seven or more district and borough councils, but they are worth every second spent on them. The individual deals will enable us to work jointly on the key priorities for that

particular place and focus on outcomes. The deals can’t be turned around quickly. I spent three years sitting on the Burgess Hill Development Board working on the exciting development plans for Burgess Hill. These are key decisions for an area which is why it is so important that we all work collaboratively to ensure we are doing the very best for the town and its residents. We are not stopping at two deals, though. Worthing is next, and I am very excited about all of them. The deals we make today are part of a very important legacy and I would encourage other councils to take the plunge. District deals could be an exciting and beneficial way forward if we are going to make the improvements our residents demand and deserve.

“Having tailor-made deals might seem like a lot a lot of work, but they are worth every second spent on them”

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www.local.gov.uk

Buses drive our reputation Cllr Tony Page (Lab) is Deputy Leader of Reading Borough Council

If you want a positive advert for a council service, buses are tough to beat. They are big, colourful and there are lots of them. They reach every corner of town and are relied upon by thousands of local residents every day. Whisper it quietly, but Britain’s best bus company is owned by Reading Borough Council. Take a look at any national bus award nominations over the last few years and you’ll very quickly find the name of Reading Buses. Shortlisted for 19 national and local awards in 2016, it won six, including a hat-trick at the UK Bus Awards and ‘best in class’ (shire operator) for the fifth consecutive year. Twenty-five minutes from London, you’d expect the morning exodus from Reading to far outweigh inward trips. That’s not the case. As a major employment and leisure hub in its own right, the numbers of people arriving is on a par with those leaving. The borough has tight, constrained borders, but as a unitary council we have always had ambitious transport plans extending well beyond our administrative area.

Reliability The council’s bus company plays a key role. More people travel into and out of the town centre by bus than by any other means of transport. Bus trips soared by 1.2 million last year, bucking the national trend of a fall in bus use. Minimising delays and keeping buses reliable is key to that success and Reading has the highest proportion of bus lanes per mile in the whole country, outside of London. We make no apology for that. As the local transport authority and owner of Reading Buses, wearing two hats means we can plan developments in a way that would be impossible when dealing with a depot-load of privately owned and competing bus companies. The council’s ownership means there is a local focus. This enables the implementation of local priorities through the appointment of a board of directors with clear knowledge and commitment to the town. While the council cannot subsidise any bus operations (certainly not these days), our ownership allows us to dictate priorities. Yes, the company has to make a profit, but we are not intent on profit maximisation to pay March 2017

being introduced. Year-on-year carbon emissions produced by the council – and we include our bus company in those figures – fell by nearly 11 per cent in 2015/16. Environment was the second of the three awards Reading Buses won at the 2016 UK Bus Awards. The third was ‘Putting passengers first.’ The company continues to invest heavily in staff training. Customer service is such a crucial part of local services and is something the council and the board of directors insist on. Reading Buses is owned by Reading Borough Council and is run for the people of Reading. At a time when we are all being forced to consider the cost of everything, it is reassuring to be able to consider the value of something as well. It is certainly a jewel in our local crown.

“As the local transport authority and owner of Reading Buses, we can plan developments in a way that would be impossible when dealing with a depot-load of privately owned and competing bus companies” a shareholder dividend. As important to the council is the ‘social dividend,’ because it means the delivery of a wider range of bus services and routes that would just not be delivered by a commercial operator but offer real social benefits. There’s also the ‘environmental dividend’. Over decades now, the council’s priority has been to invest in new buses, with the very latest clean technology. That commitment is paying off. Reading now boasts the cleanest, greenest and youngest bus fleet in the country, with the UK’s first gas-powered double-deck buses currently

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Building a legacy in the public sector Ben Bolgar is Senior Director, The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community

With the desire to unlock more public sector land and increase the supply of new housing, local authorities find themselves in a similar position to other landowners wanting ‘best value’ for the land. In an ideal world, how land gets developed should be a blueprint for high quality building that has good environmental and social motives and accrues value over time. But with the current valuation system, where one in the hand is worth two in the bush, ‘best value’ usually means the bidder that pays the most up front. Whereas volume house builders are accountable to their shareholders to get ‘best value’, the public sector is ultimately accountable to local councillors and the public for how public sector assets are disposed of.

At present the idea of longer term investment in sustainable mixed-use settlements is relatively rare: it happens in trailblazing projects like King’s Cross in London or with landowners like the Duchy of Cornwall at Poundbury and Newquay. In both cases, the landowners are taking a long-term view on returns and staying with the projects throughout or as an estate in perpetuity. With the latest shift in emphasis back to the private rental sector, a number of social impact funds are looking for longer term investments for secure and reliable rental returns. The funds must also demonstrate that they have a social outcome, such as affordable homes and elderly provision that isn’t a burden on local authorities. If a way can be found in the disposal of public sector land to prioritise

those developers who will also deliver social outcomes, and take a long term view on values, then the outcomes are likely to be better than selling land to the highest bidder. The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community has been consulting with a network of landowners and developers working on building popular mixed-use communities to produce a prospectus for landowners called, ‘Building a legacy: a landowner’s guide to popular development’. Even though the initial target audience of the document has been private landowners, exactly the same rules apply to public sector land. The public sector should be better placed to play the ‘land steward’ role and reap the benefits of better community building that occurs by doing things well.

“With the current valuation system, where one in the hand is worth two in the bush, ‘best value’ usually means the bidder that pays the most up front”

Support for grassroots football Greg Clarke is Chairman of The Football Association

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When I joined The Football Association as Chairman last year, one of my main priorities was to continue promoting a healthy provision of grassroots football that we can all be proud of. There are nearly 90,000 affiliated football teams in England, many playing most weekends. As our national game, football has always played an important role in the community, not only offering opportunities to get involved in sport and physical activity but also as an important means of delivering a wide range of positive social outcomes in health, education, community development, inclusion and safety. Despite this, there are some difficult challenges faced by many communities as local government subsidies are gradually reduced and changing lifestyles have meant that players, as customers, want a more varied football offering. The FA’s flagship facilities investment scheme, known as the Parklife programme, is pivotal to our grassroots football ambitions. With Sport England and the Premier League, we have created an additional £130 million

funding opportunity to help create a national network of new football hubs. We hope it will lead to a step change in the provision of grassroots facilities in England over the next five years. Early signs from a pilot in Sheffield are very encouraging. Our partnership with Sheffield City Council has been an excellent experience, built upon shared ownership, shared accountability and open communication. The council has played a full role at all stages to ensure local insight was embedded from the start. The local business case is on track to ensure sustainability, and we had over 16,500 local people registered as members within three months of opening, with five to 14-year-olds the most active at the hubs. The challenge now is to replicate Sheffield’s success nationwide. The deadline for the first phase of Parklife submissions has passed, but you can still talk to our facilities and investment managers about playing pitch strategies and investment in local football facilities. Grants of up to £500,000 are available, alongside a range of small grants for clubs and other organisations looking to improve their facilities. www.local.gov.uk

parliament Business rates bill Following the Government’s introduction of the Local Government Finance Bill, the LGA has been working with Parliamentarians to ensure the legislation works for the whole of local government. The Bill provides enabling legislation to allow local government to keep more of its business rates income. This is something the LGA and councils have long called for. Much of the detail of how the system will operate is not included on the face of the Bill, and instead is being determined by government in consultation with councils. We are pleased that local government has had the opportunity to continue to influence central government on the design of the reformed system, including the devolution of responsibilities and the distribution of funding. We will continue to work alongside government and with councils on how the new system can work effectively and maximise the potential it offers to our local communities and businesses. This includes implementing it in a way which balances

March 2017

rewarding councils for growing their local economies but avoids areas less able to generate business rates income suffering as a result. Last month, Cllr Nick Forbes, LGA Senior Vice-Chair, gave evidence to the Local Government Finance Bill Committee, saying that while local government collectively signs up to the reforms, the redistribution mechanism must be seen as fair by all. He welcomed measures to allow central government to pay councils for the cost of rates appeals, and to allow the Greater London Authority and mayoral combined authorities to raise an infrastructure supplement. He called for talks between central and local government on a clear route to allowing other areas to have this power in the future. Describing social care as “the biggest challenge facing the sector”, Cllr Forbes underlined that it is a top priority for the LGA. He said the measures announced in the provisional local government finance settlement were a “sticking plaster approach”.

The LGA also briefed MPs ahead of the debate on the Bill, stating that it is a necessary step towards councils retaining all of their business rates income. However, we stressed that for the new system to work it needs to be underpinned by a needs assessment. This will ensure that councils are properly compensated for growing their economies, while ensuring that checks and balances are in place for areas less able to grow their business rate base. During debate the Minister for Local Government, Marcus Jones MP, confirmed that Attendance Allowance is not being considered as part of the business rates reforms. This was welcomed by the sector as it was a key priority in our consultation response. Questions were also raised throughout the debate about what responsibilities might be further devolved to local areas following the transition, with Shadow Communities Minister Gareth Thomas MP asking about the Public Health Grant and Better Care Fund. Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, echoed our call for these devolved powers to be in transport and skills, which are clearly linked to economic development. Mr Betts also called on the Government to properly review social care funding. The Minister stated that the Bill does not cover these principles and later said that the devolution of additional responsibilities would take place in discussion with councils and the LGA. With local government facing a challenging overall funding gap of £5.8 billion by 2019/20 the LGA has been clear that local government must be able to use its extra business rates income to plug existing pressures before additional responsibilities are transferred to be funded through business rates retention. Once existing funding gaps are addressed, councils should then be able to invest the rest into services which support local economies and drive local growth, such as closing skills gaps and improving public transport. The Bill is expected to complete its passage through Parliament in late 2017. · See www.local.gov.uk/parliament

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councillor The pros and cons of sitting on two councils Cllr Sue Baxter (Ind) is Chairman of Wythall Parish Council and Leader of the Independent Group on Bromsgrove District Council

Which hat should I wear today? How many times do we, as twin-hatted councillors, say this to ourselves? Although still useful, in today’s world this is not the most important question we should be asking. Instead I ask myself, how can my collective two hats ensure that my residents live in a thriving community, with the local services they need, want and deserve, within the context of the wider district? This is my mantra as a twin-hatted councillor. I am the Chairman of Wythall Parish Council and Leader of the Independent Group on Bromsgrove District Council. My parish is sizeable, with an electorate of around 10,000. I am very lucky in that my parish and district wards are identical so my residents are the same. I am their councillor with responsibility across both the first and second tiers of government. My paymasters are the residents that I represent, not the councils that I sit on. Planning and addressing housing needs, and balancing those needs and the aspirations of ward, parish and district, is one of the greatest challenges facing any dual-hatted councillor. Not only are we trying to represent and prioritise our own ward, we must also ensure that our parish plays

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an active part in the planmaking process. I believe neighbourhood plans must provide the answer, as they position and state the aspirations of our neighbourhoods within the wider district, regional and national landscape. To date, 90 per cent of all neighbourhood plans have been led by parish councils. My own parish is just starting its neighbourhood plan, following the adoption of Bromsgrove’s Local Plan. The neighbourhood planning process, although led by the parish, needs the support of the planning authority: my being involved from both perspectives should help move the odd log-jam. How can I ensure that my residents continue to benefit from those discretionary services that are under threat as a result of the financial pressures that face the district council? We need to work together to develop creative solutions that will save money for the district while being affordable to the

parish. As a twin-hatted councillor, I understand those financial pressures and can help identify opportunities where the parish council can take on the delivery of local services. As Chairman of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), I spoke at the recent annual District Councils’ Network’s conference (see p23), at a workshop on double devolution. We were all impressed by the partnership working between Newark Town Council and Sherwood District Council with regards to their devolution package, which will give the town council more control and influence over the delivery of its services while delivering significant savings to the district. Locally, we are still at the embryonic phase of any such discussions, but with the support and knowledge that is becoming available within both NALC and the LGA I am confident that we will find ways of working together to continue to deliver the services that our communities want. Is there a downside to being twin-hatted? Not really. I have a couple of personal ground rules that I try to stick to. At a district council meeting, I am representing my ward, not my parish, and will consider the risks and benefits to the district as a whole when making a decision. At a parish council meeting, I am representing my ward, within the parish, and will consider the risks and benefits to the parish as a whole when making a decision. Otherwise I consider that I have a bigger toolbox that I can dip into to resolve local issues, and a larger network for support.

“As a twin-hatted councillor, I understand the financial pressures and can help identify where the parish council can take on the delivery of local services”

The LGA has a councillor workbook on ‘Working with town and parish councils’, see www.local.gov.uk/councillor-workbooks

www.local.gov.uk

local by-elections Cheshire East, Bollington BOLL FIRST GAIN FROM CON 33.4% over Con Turnout 28.4%

elections

Corby, Kingswood & Hazel Leys LAB HELD 37.9% over Con Turnout 18.7%

Local party faithful

Dudley, St. Thomas LAB HELD 34.1% over UKIP

Local council by-election seats continue to change hands regularly as voters in some parts continue to put their faith in local parties. Three recent vacancies resulted from a disqualification of the sitting councillor (there are only 11 such cases since 2015) with one producing a surprise result. In Cheshire East, Bollington First edged into fourth place in last May’s two-member election, took full advantage of a Conservative resignation and now controls both seats in Bollington. Meanwhile, Residents for Uttlesford achieved that status at a stroke after capturing the two seats vacated by Liberal Democrats. Topping the list, though, is Liberal Democrat Adam Carter, whose campaign in Rotherham’s Brinsworth and Catcliffe ward catapulted him from fifth place last May to first, with a 50 percentage point increase in vote share. This is the first seat his party has won in Rotherham in the past 15 years. Carter’s campaign may become a model for future Liberal Democrats. Staying in Rotherham, Labour received consolation with a victory in Dinnington. It was UKIP’s second-place breakthrough in the parliamentary by-election four years ago that provided the catalyst for a surge in support. The party took the seat in 2014 while the threemember ward split two for Labour and one for UKIP in 2016. More evidence that UKIP finds it difficult to defend seats at by-elections arrives from Forest of Dean’s Lydbrook and Ruardean ward. UKIP took the third and final seat in 2015 with Labour just four votes adrift. However, voters this time preferred the Green candidate, presenting the party with only its fourth byelection gain since May 2015. It was a different story for UKIP in one of its strongest areas, Tendring, which hosts the party’s only MP, although his constituency does not include the Great and Little Oakley ward. The vacancy, caused by an Independent March 2017

Cotswold, Fairford North LIB DEM GAIN FROM CON 37.9% over Con Turnout 46.6%

Turnout 23.6%

East Staffordshire, Burton LIB DEM HELD 28% over Lab Turnout 21.6% Professors Colin Rallings (right) and Michael Thrasher are Directors of Plymouth University’s Elections Centre

resignation, saw an increase in vote share for all parties. The Conservative candidate, Andy Erskine, had defected from UKIP and continues to sit on Essex County Council, but he could not prevent UKIP’s Mike Bush from taking the seat. A further three gains feature Liberal Democrats deposing Conservatives. There was another impressive vote increase for the party’s town councillor Andrew Doherty in Cotswold’s Fairford North ward. He received two in every three votes and took full advantage of UKIP’s absence while significantly undermining the Conservative vote. The Liberal Democrats’ effective campaigning saw them recover ground in Waterside, Norfolk North. The party comfortably controlled the ward’s two seats until it lost one in 2011 and another four years later. Victory was assured by a more than 30 percentage point increase in vote share. And in Wokingham, Imogen Shepherd-DuBey converted second into first place in Emmbrook ward and now joins her partner Rachelle on the council. Unusually, the by-election in Fylde saw the sitting councillor re-elected. Mark Bamforth won a by-election in March 2014, topped the May poll in 2015 but was subsequently disqualified for non-attendance because of his well-publicised agoraphobia. Undaunted, he asked St Johns’ electors for another term and the voters duly obliged, increasing his personal vote at the same time!

For a full list of recent by-election results and a spreadsheet with detailed data on each election, please visit www.local.gov.uk/first

East Staffordshire, Town CON HELD 22.4% over Lab

Turnout 17%

Forest Of Dean, Lydbrook & Ruardean GREEN GAIN FROM UKIP 11% over Con Turnout 25.6% Fylde, St. Johns FYLDE RATEPAYERS HELD 30.9% over Con

Turnout 31%

North Norfolk, Waterside LIB DEM GAIN FROM CON 20.3% over Con Turnout 33.2% Oldham, Failsworth East LAB HELD 33% over Con Turnout 17.9% Rotherham, Brinsworth & Catcliffe LIB DEM GAIN FROM LAB 48.9% over Lab Turnout 32% Rotherham, Dinnington LAB GAIN FROM UKIP 19.8% over UKIP

Turnout 19%

Tendring, Great & Little Oakley UKIP GAIN FROM CON 7.7% over Con Turnout 35.1% Uttlesford, Elsenham & Henham 2 RES GAIN FROM LIB DEM 4.2% over Res Turnout 48.1% Wokingham, Emmbrook LIB DEM GAIN FROM CON 26.4% over Con Turnout 39.7%

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