Local Authority round-up: 22/11/24
22nd November, 2024
Our Local Authority round up provides brief summaries of topical information on a weekly basis, to keep you aware of the changes and updates relevant to you.
Housing
Government has introduced reforms to the ‘Right to Buy’ Scheme
The Government has proposed to increase the minimum time period a tenant must reside in their social home before allowing them the opportunity to purchase the property. A consultation has been launched to review the minimum tenancy period, with the Government considering a raise to five or even 10 years.
The Government is also evaluating whether newly-built social homes should be exempt from the Scheme. It has been argued that this exemption would encourage councils to invest in new property.
The reforms also seek to reduce the maximum discounts for tenants using the Right to Buy Scheme to between £16,000 and £38,000 depending on the council. Under the current rules, tenants must repay this discount to the council if they then sell the property within five years of buying. The Government hopes to extend this to 10 years.
The measures supplement the recent changes to the Right to Buy Scheme announced in the Budget, which included allowing councils to spend in full (as opposed to half) the proceeds from a Right to Buy sale in order to build new social housing.
The Government argues that the changes ‘will deliver a fairer and more sustainable scheme by continuing to pave the way for longstanding tenants to buy their own homes while at the same time crucially supporting councils to protect and rebuild their depleted housing stock’.
For more information please click here.
Regulatory
New measure to be introduced to tackle modern slavery within the NHS
A public consultation has been launched to seek views on the Government’s proposals to prevent goods being sourced from companies accused of exploiting their work force.
It is reported that more than 21% of NHS suppliers were recently found to be at ‘high risk’ of involving modern slavery in their supply chains. Surgical instruments, gloves, gowns, uniforms and face masks were identified as the five highest-risk products.
Proposed new measures would legally require public bodies, such as NHS trusts, integrated care boards and local authorities, to both identify and mitigate risks of modern slavery when procuring goods and services for the NHS.
Views on the proposals are sought from the public sector by the 6th February 2025.
For more information please click here.
Policing reforms announced
The Home Secretary has set out her plans to deliver major policing reforms, including:
- A new Police Performance Unit to track national data on local performance
- A Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to rebuild trust between local forces and the communities they serve
- A new National Centre of Policing to harness new technology and forensics, to ensure policing is better equipped to meet the changing nature of crime.
The Police Performance Unit by tracking local performance, particularly in priority areas where knife crime and violence against women is prevalent, will allow Ministers to work in collaboration with the College of Policing to ensure there is effective intervention when forces are failing.
Thes proposals are said to form ‘part of a strategic reset in the relationship between Government and policing’, in order to ensure that policing is equipped to succeed.
For more information please click here.
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