Local Authority round-up 15/05/20

Brexit

Third round of talks commence

The third round of trade talks between the EU and the UK took place this week in a further attempt to reach agreement before the transition period ends. The next round of talks will take place in the week beginning on 1 June and both sides will need to decide by the end of June whether the current deadline for negotiating an agreement should be extended beyond the end of December. An extension to the December deadline should be made by the UK-EU “joint committee” overseeing the agreement by 1 July.

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Tariff trade deal impossible by end of the year

EU diplomats have said that a UK-EU trade deal with tariffs impossible in six months. Michael Gove said last week that the Government could “modify our ask” by giving up on a “zero-tariff, zero-quota” trade deal in order to keep the UK free from a duty to adhere to European standards on workers’ rights, environmental protection and state aid. However, the EU diplomats said Gove’s proposal was incompatible with the Government’s refusal to extend the transition period saying “If we are going to negotiate specific tariff lines, even if it is only a couple of hundred, there is no possibility that we will do this by the end of the year. That’s completely unheard of. It will never happen. But if we are going to go into a line-by-line negotiation, this will take two years.” EU sources say it will be impossible to negotiate tariffs quickly because the 27 member states would need time to agree a common position, balancing competing national interests.

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UK will enhance inspection posts at Northern Ireland’s ports

In an attempt to agree a Brexit deal within the transition period the UK Government has confirmed that it will impose border checks at Northern Ireland’s ports as Northern Ireland will continue to follow EU single market rules on agricultural and manufactured goods however, the rest of the UK will stop following these rules at the end of 2020. Junior Minister Declan Kearney said the UK Government has “confirmed it will urgently put in place detailed plans with the executive, which does include physical posts at ports of entry.” A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said “We want to work with NI businesses and the executive to ensure new admin procedures are streamlined and efficient.”

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Commercial

£2 billion emergency active travel fund announced

The Government has published statutory guidance for councils on managing their road networks in response to the coronavirus outbreak including advice on reallocating road space to encourage cycling and walking and enable social distancing. In order to help achieve this, the Government has announced £2 billion investment so that councils create pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors. The Government will fund and work with councils across the country to help make it easier for people to use bikes to get around following on from their guidance for people to avoid public transport unless essential. Sir Dave Brailsford, Team Principal of Team INEOS, said “If ever there was a good time to get on your bike, it’s now. You will be helping take pressure off public transport. You will be looking after your health. You will be looking after the health of others and you will be helping the environment. Let’s all get pedalling and help Britain on the road to recovery.”

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£600m extra funding for infection control within care homes

The Government has announced it will be providing an extra £600 million to councils to reduce and prevent coronavirus outbreaks in care homes. Boris Johnson announced the additional funding as he admitted that the number of deaths among residents has been “too high.” Cllr Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said “This extra funding for infection control in care homes is good news and will help councils’ public health teams in their efforts to reduce and prevent coronavirus outbreaks… we welcome today’s announcement over infection control, and we await further details on how the £600m funding should be used and distributed between councils.”

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Councils need more funding for social care

Labour has warned that councils face a £10 billion funding “black hole” which may mean that they will need to cut social care services. In light of the coronavirus outbreak councils have increased spending and based on 2019/20 budget estimates Labour warns that they may need to cut adult social care by £3.5 billion, which could see 225,000 people lose care this year as well as £2 billion cuts to children’s social care and £700 million from public health budgets. Labour’s shadow communities and local government secretary, Steve Reed, said councils are being left with “a £10bn black hole forcing 21% cuts across the board. Unless the Government drops those plans the frontline heroes we’re cheering today will lose their jobs tomorrow and the equivalent of 225,000 frail and frightened older people and vulnerable adults will lose the support they rely on.”

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Regulatory

Data must be shared with councils to track and trace coronavirus

The Local Government Association (LGA) has said that crucial data must be shared with councils in order to track and trace coronavirus and combat it. The LGA said that councils are ideally placed with the skills, knowledge and experience on the ground to help the Government achieve its ambition to ramp up the level of testing and contact tracing necessary to defeat the disease due to their local knowledge. Key data must be provided to councils including access to testing results, hospitalisation and death records and personal details to enable councils to identify hotspots in their local areas. Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said “COVID-19 is best understood as a pattern of local outbreaks, rather than a national pandemic with a similar impact in every community. To help councils understand where the outbreaks are happening and be able to act quickly to contain them, Government needs to share vital and up-to-date data with them alongside other agencies.”

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Councils report rise in coronavirus scams

The LGA has said that councils have reported a 40% increase in scams since the coronavirus outbreak. These include the sale of fake or unsafe goods including fake coronavirus test kits and hand sanitisers, bogus medical products claiming to treat or prevent the virus, false communications about how to claim school meals funding and Government grants, and criminals cold-calling people’s homes offering to do shopping errands. One council has reported seizing half a million substandard face masks. Councils are urging people to be vigilant and only buy goods from well-known and trusted retailers. Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said “Councils will continue to prosecute and seek the toughest penalties for these criminals. During this unprecedented time, it’s important that everybody – relevant businesses such as banks, family, friends and neighbours – plays their role in preventing fraud from happening in the first place.”

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Planning and housing

Homes for Heroes campaigns for 100,000 homes

The Homes for Heroes campaign is aiming to build 100,000 affordable, eco-friendly factory-built homes for key workers over the next five years. The campaign is being led by 15 of the UK’s largest housing associations who are calling for funding from the Government together with funding from private investors and housing associations in order to provide the housing to key workers to repay their “immeasurable debt of gratitude.” Helen Evans, chair of the G15 group of London’s largest housing associations, and Chief Executive of Network Homes, said “With the collaboration of Government and the housing sector, both private and social, we can bring forward a once-in-a-generation number of new homes for our essential workers, including those not eligible for traditional key-worker housing.”

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Housing market is restarted

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has announced plans to restart the housing market as part of the Government’s plans to ease lockdown and restart the economy.  Under the guidance estate agents’ offices can open and viewings are permitted, show homes can open and removal companies and the other essential parts of the sales and letting process can re-started with immediate effect whilst following social distancing guidelines. In order to restart the building of houses the new guidance allows extended working hours on construction sites as agreed with the local council and to make the planning system operate remotely again councils and developers can publicise planning applications through social media. The Government has launched a ‘Safe Working Charter’ with the Home Builders Federation, enabling home builders to return to work safely. Mr Jenrick said “Our step by step plan is based on the latest guidance to ensure the safety and protection of everyone involved. This critical industry can now safely move forward, and those waiting patiently to move can now do so.”

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If you have any questions about the issues raised in this update, please do not hesitate to get in touch.