• Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • LATIF
  • Conferences
  • Dashboard
  • Edit My Profile
  • Log In
  • Logout
  • Register
  • Edit this post

Room 151

  • 151 BRIEF

    What's New?

  • London CIV appoints Dean Bowden as CEO

    August 18, 2022

  • Coventry secures over £115m of funding to decarbonise transport system

    August 18, 2022

  • Bexley Pension Fund appoints responsible investment consultant

    August 17, 2022

  • Leeds’ £120m levelling up bids offers ‘transformational change’

    August 16, 2022

  • Social care workforce crisis ‘requires government intervention’

    August 15, 2022

  • Consultation opens on future of IFRS 9 statutory override

    August 12, 2022

  • Treasury
  • Technical
  • Funding
  • Resources
  • LGPS
  • Development
  • 151 News
  • Blogs
    • David Green
    • Agent 151
    • Dan Bates
    • Richard Harbord
    • Stephen Sheen
    • James Bevan
    • Steve Bishop
    • Cllr John Clancy
    • David Crum
    • Graham Liddell
    • Ian O’Donnell
    • Jackie Shute
  • Interviews
  • Briefs

PM pledges new local powers and spending for councils

0
  • by Chris Smith
  • in Resources · Uncategorized
  • — 30 Jul, 2019

The new prime minister has committed £300m to fund greater devolution across the UK.

Boris Johnson this week continued his regional tour with the announcement of £300m to fund economic growth deals to all parts of the United Kingdom.

There would be three deals for Scotland, two in Northern Ireland and a Mid-Wales growth deal.

The commitment built on his first major policy speech in Manchester last week, which included a £3.6bn pledge to improve transport, broadband and cultural infrastructure in deprived towns.

Johnson had also outlined policy plans that included improving “basic liveability”.

Along with a commitment to more police, the prime minister said he wanted to improve social care, housing and schools.

“The British people cannot understand why the health service is able to provide the same care for everyone, regardless of income and yet the social care system cripples those with savings,” Johnson said.

“We will increase the minimum level of per pupil funding in primary and secondary schools and return education funding to previous levels by the end of this parliament.”

The prime minister also highlighted the successes of regional mayors and devolution.

Johnson said he wanted more towns and cities to become self-governing: “London and Manchester have boomed partly because they have had Mayors – some better than others, I would say, but all with the power to speak for their cities, to bang heads together, to get things done.”

With all eyes now on a potential autumn statement, councils are hopeful that, with former communities secretary Sajid Javid now promoted to chancellor, they may get a fairer hearing at the Treasury.

Local government leaders in England backed the renewed interest in devolution but warned an £8bn funding gap must be closed to meet the new prime minister’s pledges to communities.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, said its members liked the tone but warned the policy pledges were unfunded spending commitments at a time when local authority budgets are at breaking point.

James Jamieson, chairman of the LGA, said: “The prime minister has rightly acknowledged the need to bring decision-making closer to local people. 

“It is vital that communities in all parts of the country have access to the benefits of devolution. 

“When councils have the freedoms and funding to make local decisions, there is clear and significant evidence that outcomes improve and the country gets better value for money.

“However, with councils facing a funding gap of £8bn by 2025, the Spending Review also needs to provide councils with the resources to ensure delivery of vital services keep pace with newly regenerated town centres that local communities can enjoy.”

Cllr Martin Hill, County Councils Network spokesman for devolution, and leader of Lincolnshire County Council, also backed the agenda but called for more funding.

He said: “Counties’ ambition for genuinely devolved powers and fresh resource still burns brightly and if the shackles are taken off then we have much to offer the new government in helping solve some of its biggest domestic issues, not least in housing, care, and economic growth.”

Get the Room 151 Newsletter

Room151 Conferences & Events

Share

You may also like...

  • What has been happening to the outlook for UK bank rate? 26th Oct, 2021
  • Richard Harbord: a lack of New Year resolution 5th Jan, 2022
  • Loans: The legal checklist for supporting enterprise 24th Sep, 2021
  • Will new public procurement rules offer the best commercial results? 19th Jan, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • 151 BRIEFS – WHAT’s NEW?

    • London CIV appoints Dean Bowden as CEO
    • Coventry secures over £115m of funding to decarbonise transport system
    • Bexley Pension Fund appoints responsible investment consultant
    • Leeds’ £120m levelling up bids offers ‘transformational change’
    • Social care workforce crisis ‘requires government intervention’
  • Room151’s LGPS Roundtables

    Biodiversity
    Valuations & Risk
    LGPS Women

  • Room151’s LGPS Roundtables

    Biodiversity
    LGPS Women
    Valuations & Risk
  • Latest tweets

    Room151 9 hours ago

    Liverpool faces further government intervention as commissioners find ‘whole-council failure’: The levelling up secretary has announced that he is “minded to” expand intervention at Liverpool City Council by transferring the authority’s financial… dlvr.it/SWvgGc pic.twitter.com/cB7YeHZ9lE

    Room151 1 day ago

    Recovery position: withholding tax and the LGPS: Partner Content: Paul Sprenger from WTax talks to Room151 about how Local Government Pension Scheme funds could be missing out on millions of pounds of withholding tax recovery opportunities.… dlvr.it/SWsTfQ pic.twitter.com/z6aVMcaqHe

    Room151 2 days ago

    Treasurer societies favour permanent extension to IFRS 9 statutory override: Two treasurer society presidents have indicated their preference for the current five-year IFRS 9 statutory override to be made permanent following the government’s latest… dlvr.it/SWr3G4 pic.twitter.com/MGf9M5zC8Q

    Room151 3 days ago

    Luton Borough Council faces ‘grave’ £10m overspend: Luton Borough Council faces a £10m overspend in its 2022/23 budget which poses a “serious risk” to the authority’s financial sustainability. A report by Dev Gopal, director of finance, revenues[...] dlvr.it/SWmynD pic.twitter.com/ETDd7sQA48

    Room151 3 days ago

    Luton Borough Council faces ‘grave’ £10m overspend: Luton Borough Council faces a £10m overspend in its 2022/23 budget which poses a “serious risk” to the authority’s financial sustainability. room151.co.uk/funding/luton-… pic.twitter.com/XvyTZckW6m

    Room151 1 week ago

    LATIF/FDs’ Summit ‘on course to be biggest yet’: Room151’s flagship event – the Local Authority Treasurers Investment Forum (LATIF) and FDs’ Summit – is on course to be the biggest yet, with more than 200 delegates expected. Combining[...] dlvr.it/SWSDrL pic.twitter.com/f8FXzcAdWB

    Room151 1 week ago

    ‘Local government treated worse than any other part of public sector’: Clive Betts, chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, talks to Mike Thatcher about lack of progress on levelling up, pork-barrel politics and why local government… dlvr.it/SWRk1L pic.twitter.com/Jpw0BsOsy3

    Room151 1 week ago

    Which LGPS pools and funds are attending the LGPS Investment Forum on Nov 2 & the LGPS Private Markets Forum on Nov 1st? Answer here: lnkd.in/eDHU8tuy pic.twitter.com/D3gd63Rh7F

    Room151 1 week ago

    LGPS and levelling up: nothing to fear but fear itself: There have been a number of objections to government plans for LGPS funds to invest 5% of their assets in local projects. But George Graham says these objections can be[...] dlvr.it/SWL7vt pic.twitter.com/ebwBEkZTy4

  • Register to become a Room151 user

  • Previous story LGA says audit delays prove it was right over 2014 accounts deadline warning
  • Next story Redditch issued with section 24 notice and told to save £1.5m

© Copyright 2022 Room 151. Typegrid Theme by WPBandit.

0 shares