Tag: Housing and Communities

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 7 February 2025.

The Deputy Prime Minister has met bereaved families and survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and written to both them and residents in the immediate community, to share her decision that Grenfell Tower will be carefully taken down to the ground.

This is a deeply personal matter for the people affected and the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this process. She recognises how difficult it is for them and her priority has been to let them know her decision first.

Listening to the community

The Deputy Prime Minister has prioritised engagement with the community since her appointment in July and has met bereaved families, survivors and residents in the immediate community.

In November last year, the Deputy Prime Minister explained to families that she would listen to their views and consider expert information before making a decision on the future of the Tower in February. From November she offered bereaved and survivors the opportunity to meet in-person in North Kensington and Whitehall, or online, at different times and individually when families felt more comfortable with this. She has also spent time with representative groups, residents’ associations, schools and faith leaders. She is grateful to everyone who shared their view – whether directly with her, with the Minister or officials – and especially to the bereaved and survivors.

The Tower was the home of the 72 innocent people who lost their lives, and of survivors whose lives were forever changed. It is clear from conversations it remains a sacred site. It is also clear that there is not a consensus about what should happen to it.

For some, Grenfell Tower is a symbol of all that they lost. The presence of the Tower helps to ensure the tragedy is never forgotten and can act as a reminder of the need for justice and accountability. Being able to see the Tower every day helps some people continue to feel close to those they lost. For others it is a painful reminder of what happened and is having a daily impact on some members of the community. Some have suggested that some floors of the Tower should be retained for the memorial, others have said that this would be too painful.

Expert advice

The Deputy Prime Minister has considered independent expert advice. Engineering advice says that the Tower is significantly damaged. It remains stable because of the measures put in place to protect it but even with installation of additional props, the condition of the building will continue to worsen over time. Engineers also advise it is not practicable to retain many of the floors of the building in place as part of a memorial that must last in perpetuity.

Taking the engineering advice into account the Deputy Prime Minister concluded that it would not be fair to keep some floors of the building that are significant to some families, whilst not being able to do so for others and knowing that, for some, this would be deeply upsetting.

How the Tower will be taken down

The government is committed to taking the next steps respectfully and carefully. There will be continued support for, and engagement with, the community throughout the process. There will be no changes to the Tower before the eighth anniversary.

In the coming months, the government will confirm the specialist contractor that will develop a detailed plan for taking the Tower down. The work will be led by technical experts with specific health and safety responsibilities and will include a methodology that includes environmental, health and safety measures and a detailed programme of work. It will likely take around two years to sensitively take down the Tower through a process of careful and sensitive progressive deconstruction that happens behind the wrapping.

We continue to support the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission as the community choose a design team to work with them on designing a memorial. The Deputy Prime Minister will ensure that materials from the site, communal areas of the Tower, or parts of the Tower can be carefully removed and returned for inclusion as part of the memorial, if the community wishes.

Continued commitment for the community

The department has regularly consulted the Metropolitan Police, HM Coroner and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to ensure decisions about the site do not interfere with their important work in pursuit of justice and accountability. The Police and HM Coroner have again recently confirmed they have everything they need.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s commitment to the community continues. She will ensure bereaved families, survivors and residents continue to have opportunities to speak with her and the Building Safety Minister on issues that matter to them most.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 6 February 2025.

• From October, social landlords will be forced to investigate and fix dangerous damp and mould in set time periods, as well as repair all emergency hazards within 24 hours
• Government to introduce vital legislation in honour of two-year-old Awaab Ishak who tragically died following prolonged exposure to damp and mould
• Major step forward in mission to transform housing safety and quality

Landmark reforms to force landlords to fix dangerous homes or face the full force of the law will be introduced for the first time later this year.

As part of the government’s mission to transform the safety and quality of social housing, Awaab’s Law will come into force from October, ensuring social landlords have to investigate and fix dangerous damp and mould within a set amount of time as well as repair all emergency hazards within 24 hours.  Landlords who fail to comply face being taken to court, with social tenants able to use the full powers of the law to hold them to account.

Awaab’s Law will be introduced through a phased approach to ensure it is applied as effectively as possible. This means that the protections it provides to damp and mould will be introduced quickly, which would not have been possible if the government applied the law to a wider group of hazards from the outset. This will also allow the government to test and learn so that the reforms benefit social tenants and secure the lasting legacy that Awaab Isaak’s family have fought so hard for.

The vital reforms will help drive a transformational and lasting change in the safety and quality of social housing, supporting the government’s pledge through the Plan for Change to deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation and build 1.5 million homes.

The law is a lasting legacy to two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died after being exposed to mould at his Rochdale home in December 2020. In the wake of this tragedy, Awaab’s family has fought to secure justice, not only for their son but for all those who live in social housing.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:

“We have a moral duty to ensure tragedies like the death of Awaab Ishak never happen again.

“Landlords cannot be allowed to rent out dangerous homes and shamelessly put the lives of their tenants at risk.

“Our new laws will force them to fix problems quickly, so that people are safe in their homes and can be proud to live in social housing.”

From October, Awaab’s Law will force landlords to fix damp and mould as well as carry out emergency repairs. We will then take a step-by-step approach to make the law stronger over time so that landlords will be legally required to fix all dangerous hazards from 2027. These repairs will have to be delivered within set timescales to ensure that landlords are meeting their responsibilities.

However, social landlords must continue to fix dangerous issues in their homes before Awaab’s Law is fully implemented. They already have a duty to keep their homes fit for human habitation and to remedy disrepair, and they must also ensure that their homes meet the Decent Homes Standard. Awaab’s Law will set clearer and stronger laws to ensure that tenants are living in safe homes.

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said:

“Awaab Ishak’s family have tenaciously and courageously fought to secure justice, not only for their son but for all those who live in social housing.

“Awaab’s Law will help to drive a transformational and lasting change in the safety and quality of social housing, ensuring tenants are treated with fairness and respect”.

In the coming months we will bring forward further reforms designed to drive up standards across social housing and to build greater trust and transparency between landlords and tenants. This government will:

• Introduce powers through the Renters’ Rights Bill to extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector. We will consult on how to apply Awaab’s Law to privately rented homes in a way that works for the sector and is fair and proportionate for tenants and landlords.
• Consult on a new Decent Homes Standard and minimum energy efficiency standards, to ensure tenant’s homes are made safe, warm, and free from disrepair.
• Legislate to require social landlords to carry out electrical safety checks at least every five years, as well as mandatory appliance inspections on all electrical appliances that are provided by the landlord.

Notes to editors

• We are intending to lay the Awaab’s Law regulations in parliament as quickly as we can to secure these protections and provide the sector with clarity and time to prepare ahead of requirements which will come into force in October of this year.
• In 2023, 7% of social rented homes had a damp problem and 4% had hazards rated at the most dangerous ‘category 1’ level.
• Our phased approach will work as follows:
• From October 2025 social landlords will have to address damp and mould hazards that present a significant risk of harm to tenants to fixed timescales.
• From October 2025 social landlords will also have to address all emergency repairs including for damp and mould or other hazards as soon as possible and within no longer than 24 hours.
• In 2026, requirements will expand to apply to a wider range of hazards. In addition to damp and mould, the hazards we expect to extend Awaab’s Law to in this second stage of implementation include excess cold and excess heat; falls; structural collapse; fire, electrical and explosions; and hygiene hazards.
• Then in 2027, the requirements of Awaab’s Law will expand to the remaining hazards as defined by the HHSRS (excluding overcrowding). The full list of hazards can be found in schedule 1 to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing on 5 February 2025.

Deputy Prime Minister brings six areas onto the Devolution Priority Programme with Mayors to be elected by May 2026 plus four new devolved institutions created.

A major package of devolution has been announced today – with six new areas confirmed to join the government’s Devolution Priority Programme.

Delivering on the government’s commitment to widen devolution, areas will be given sweeping new powers, putting them on the fast track to deliver growth, opportunities, transport and housing for local communities.

The programme – one of the largest ever single packages of mayoral devolution in England – will support the areas to move towards devolution at pace, becoming mayor-led strategic authorities by May next year if they proceed.

Today’s measures brings another 8.8m people under mayoral devolution – or another 15.38% of the population – bringing the total population who will see the benefit from devolution to over 44 million – close to 80% of the country.

Greater devolution is key to unlocking regional growth, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change and putting more money into working people’s pockets, while also empowering them to direct change in their communities.

For too long, political power has been hoarded in Whitehall. That’s why the government set out its proposals in the landmark English Devolution White Paper.

The following areas agreed to join the programme:

• Cumbria
• Cheshire & Warrington
• Norfolk & Suffolk
• Greater Essex
• Sussex & Brighton
• Hampshire & Solent

These six successful areas will now work to an ambitious devolution timetable, with full government backing, with consultations set to launch shortly.

In a further step forward for devolution being delivered at pace, today legislation comes into force to establish four new devolution institutions – as a result of devolution agreements confirmed by the Deputy Prime Minister last year

This includes establishing two new mayoral authorities in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire, and the formation of combined county authorities in Devon and Torbay, and Lancashire.

The government is also focused on fixing the foundations of local government, with simpler and more effective structures and a reduction in unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. Through a national programme of ambitious local government reform, the government will cut waste and improve accountability, ensuring taxpayers get value for money from their services. To achieve this, all councils in two-tier areas and small neighbouring unitary authorities are now being formally invited to develop unitary proposals – which will bring together lower and upper tier local government services in new unitary councils.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said:

The truth is that for all the promises of levelling up, central government’s first instinct is all too often to hoard power and hold our economy back. Too many decisions affecting too many people are made by too few.

We promised to achieve a devolution revolution by overseeing the greatest transfer of power from Westminster in a generation, and today’s announcement will help raise living standards, improve public services and build the homes we so desperately need.

By taking a common-sense approach to reorganisation, boosted by our reforms to give mayors a suite of vital new powers, we will make sure areas can truly deliver on our Plan for Change.

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP said:

In December, we asked areas to come forward to be part of our Devolution Priority Programme. The response was clear—this country is ready for change.

While devolution can be hard to understand sometimes, the aims of this programme are simple: it puts more money in people’s pockets,  leads to quicker, better, cheaper transport, designed with local people in mind and puts politics back in the service of working people.

Today’s announcements come just weeks after plans were set out in the English Devolution White Paper to grant mayors control over key areas including strategic planning, housing, transport and skills.

This will equip these local leaders with the tools they need to deliver for their communities, putting England’s regions centre stage in the government’s Plan for Change missions to grow the economy, deliver 1.5 million homes, and boost opportunity across the country.

The English Devolution Bill – which is due to be brought forward later this year – will also hardwire proposed new mayoral powers into law.

In order to allow areas to deliver devolution to this ambitious timetable, the government has carefully considered requests from local councils to postpone a number of May 2025 local elections.

The bar to postpone elections has been extremely high, and the government has been clear that delays will only be agreed where there is strong justification set out by the local authority. The government has agreed to half of these requests, and will postpone elections due in May 2025 until May 2026 for nine local councils. These councils made the strongest possible case that this is strictly necessary to deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe.

There is an established precedent, including in the cases of North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Somerset elections, and Buckinghamshire district councils elections, under the previous government when reorganisation happened there. The legislation to enable this  will shortly be laid, subject to Parliamentary timetables.

In North Yorkshire, unitarisation enacted in 2023 has enabled the council to manage financial pressures though structural changes and service transformation, which is expected to achieve more than £40m in savings by March 2026.

Ministers will also continue to work with Lancashire, which is in a unique position as it is establishing a non-mayoral institution and is committed to reviewing its future devolution arrangements by the autumn, including steps to deepen devolution. This review will consider all options available for the area, including aligning with the Devolution Priority Programme when it concludes.

Also, given the urgency of creating sustainable unitary local government for Surrey, we will postpone the county election for that area from May 2025 to May 2026, helping to speed up reorganisation and deliver the local ambitions for devolution with the benefits it will bring.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 5 February 2025.

Colin Byrne and Sarah Hamilton have been reappointed as Members of the Boundary Commission for England.

The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced the reappointment of Colin Byrne and Sarah Hamilton as Members of the Boundary Commission for England from 1 February 2025 to 31 March 2032.

The Boundary Commission for England is an advisory non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The Boundary Commission for England is required by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 to review the parliamentary constituencies in England every 8 years.

Biographies

Colin Byrne

Colin Byrne worked for over 30 years in the Civil Service in a number of roles.  These included Divisional Manager, Health and Safety Executive; Director, Town and Country Planning, Department of Communities and Local Government; and Director, Government Office for the South East. He was the Lead Assistant Commissioner for the South East of England in the 2018 Boundary Review. He was a governor of the Guildford College Group for eight years, and a trustee of Citizens Advice Guildford.  Currently he is a non-executive director of a local specialist housing association. Colin Byrne was appointed as a Member of the Boundary Commission for England for a five-year term from 1 July 2019.  The appointment was subsequently extended until 29 October 2024 and then to 31 January 2025.

Sarah Hamilton

Sarah Hamilton graduated from Exeter University with a BA (Hons) in Law in 1992. She was admitted as a Solicitor in 1995 and enjoyed a 20-year career in a City law firm, specialising in litigation, acting for public sector bodies. Retiring from private practice in 2016, she now has a portfolio career in the fields of healthcare, education and regulation. She chairs Fitness to Practise Committees for three healthcare regulators. She is an Assessor for the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board. She is also the Independent Complaints and Standards Reviewer for the Independent Press Standards Organisation. She worked as the Lead Assistant Commissioner for the East of England in the 2018 Boundary Review.  Sarah Hamilton was appointed as a Member of the Boundary Commission for England for a five-year term from 1 July 2019.  The appointment was subsequently extended until 29 October 2024 and then to 31 January 2025.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 3 February 2025.

Final Settlement confirms over £69 billion government funding for councils, a 6.8% cash-terms increase in Core Spending Power.

More than £69 billion in funding for England’s councils has been confirmed today as the government delivers on its commitment to restore trust and stability in public services.

Following the provisional Settlement in December, today’s final Settlement provides a 6.8% in cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power compared to 2024-25. With increased demand and running costs rising, this money is a lifeline and will guarantee no council sees a decrease in their Core Spending Power.

Families across the country rely on crucial council services such as social care, which is why the government is providing up to £3.7 billion additional funding to social care authorities to deliver this. This includes an £880 million uplift to the Social Care Grant, compared to 2024-25.

A new £270 million Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant will support the national roll out of vital family help, keeping children safe and ensuring they get the best start in life as set out in the Plan for Change.

While fundamental change cannot happen overnight, the government is working at pace with the sector to deliver the ambitious reform needed to spread power, money and resources more fairly across the country.

Today, £60 million has also been confirmed to fund long-term improvements to the local government sector over the next year, including empowering mayoral areas leading the devolution revolution in delivering local priorities and supporting councils’ financial reporting with a fit and legal audit system to ensure transparency.

Rebuilding the sector from the ground up is a crucial step towards the national Plan for Change to bring better value for money, sustained economic growth and fix our country’s public services.

The government has maintained the 5% referendum principles on council tax increases – the same level set by the previous administration- to protect taxpayers from excessive increases.

Unlike previous years, this government has introduced a stricter approach to the inherited arrangements that allowed councils to request higher council tax increases if they need Exceptional Financial Support and see increases as critical to maintaining their financial sustainability.

This approach puts taxpayers at the forefront, for example by only agreeing increases where councils are amongst the lowest existing levels for tax. In fact, taxpayers in these areas are still expected to be paying less than the average council tax compared to similar councils. This approach has limited the number and scale of additional increases, with the government not agreeing where councils have asked to increase council tax by a very high amount or by high amounts in successive years.

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said:

Councils deliver vital services across the country – driving growth and local economies and providing a lifeline for those that need it most.

Through our Plan for Change we are determined to fix the foundations of local government; investing where it is needed, trusting local leaders and working together to deliver growth, better health and social care services and the affordable homes people need.

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE said:

We have been clear we will fix the foundations of local government. That means an end to short-term solutions and instead rebuilding the sector to put councils on a more stable and secure footing.

 >Local leaders play a crucial role in delivering the day-to-day services communities across the country rely on, which is why we want to work with them towards a fairer funding model that tackles regional inequality and prioritises outcomes for local people.

This final Settlement marks an important step towards a government focused on efficiency, value-for-money and a community first approach. For the first time, a new £600 million Recovery Grant will help support places most in need, which maximises public spending to ensure it delivers more meaningful outcomes.

The sector is already having its say via an open consultation on how to best streamline the outdated funding model and distribute taxpayer’s money more fairly, based on an updated assessment of need, enabling every council to deliver high quality services to their communities.

As part of handing local leaders more power and control of their funding, the government will end outdated processes and bureaucracy of bidding for different funding pots and bring forward the first multi-year settlement in a decade in 2026-27 to provide certainty and economic security to councils setting budgets.

The provisional settlement consultation was open for 4 weeks and closed on 15 January 2024.

Notes to Editors

Further details on all of the above, including allocations for individual councils can be found on the Final Local Government Finance Settlement page 2025-26 here.

See the Deputy Prime Minister’s full Written Ministerial Statement here: Written statements – Written questions, answers and statements – UK Parliament

The Final Settlement will be debated in the House of Commons on Wednesday 5th February.

The government’s consultation on funding reform from 2026-27 can be found here, and remains open until 12 February.

Two statutory reports have also been published:

• A Local Government Finance Report which outlines how core settlement funding will be distributed;
• a Council Tax Referendum Principles Report, which sets out council tax excessiveness principles – if a local authority wishes to set council tax higher than these it will need to hold a local referendum.

A record number of councils asked the government for support this year to help them set their budgets, and a record number of these councils have asked for additional council tax increases to aid their financial recovery.

For councils that require Exceptional Financial Support, the government has considered requests from councils for bespoke council tax referendum principles on a case-by-case basis and has agreed bespoke referendum principles for six local authorities. All six of the councils have been clear they will not be able to set a balanced budget without government support. The government has not agreed to all requests and has not agreed to any request in its entirety, to reduce the impact on taxpayers. In the areas where we have made the difficult decision to allow limited council tax rises,  we expect that no taxpayer will see their bills reach higher than the average compared to similar authorities.

Core Spending Power is a measure of the resources available to local authorities to fund service delivery. It sets out the money that has been made available to councils through the local government finance settlement.

The government confirmed unringfenced allocations of the £515m of funding announced at the provisional local government finance settlement to support to local government meet the increased costs of directly employed staff arising from changes to employer National Insurance Contribution (NICs).

The previous government’s referendum threshold for council tax will be maintained at 3% with 2% for the adult social care precept to protect local taxpayers.

Several grants including the Rural Services Delivery Grant and the Services Grant will be repurposed. The government will ensure the impact of rurality on the cost of service delivery and demand is reflected in the public consultation next year. Places with a significant rural population will on average receive almost a 6% increase in their Core Spending Power. No council will see a reduction.

Councils will also receive over £1 billion in total through the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packing scheme (pEPR) which will cover the existing costs they incur for managing household packaging waste, provide additional funding for new legal duties, and support much needed investment in the waste and recycling industry.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 20 January 2025.

The government is tripling the Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding from £10 million to £30 million.

More rough sleepers will be helped off the streets and provided warm beds this winter thanks to new emergency funding given to local councils today.

The Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding, a government scheme to increase the use of emergency accommodation for rough sleepers, will be tripled from £10 million to £30 million. The cash will go directly into areas with record levels of rough sleeping, ultimately saving lives and supporting thousands of vulnerable people in society facing the cold weather.

Those experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping are 8 to 12 times more likely to die prematurely, particularly from chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and those sleeping rough during winter are at even greater risk of ill health and long-term sickness.

Over 280 councils, including all London boroughs, will now have extra resources at their disposal to support frontline workers providing vital services on the ground, which will see more people sleeping rough into safe and secure accommodation with warm beds, hot meals and medical treatment.

The new funding will also continue supporting specialist programmes for vulnerable groups sleeping rough including veterans, care leavers and victims of domestic abuse. This is alongside giving lifechanging support to people who have slept rough long-term, with critical outreach staff helping to address substance abuse and provide employment opportunities.

Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali said:

“Behind every sad rough sleeping statistic, there is a person who has been let down by the system for far too long. This government is more determined than ever to turn the tide on years of failure to properly invest in our frontline services.

“That is why I am tripling the emergency funding from £10 million to £30 million for councils to help the most vulnerable into safe and secure housing with warm beds, hot meals, and specialist care.

“Through our Plan for Change we are already taking urgent action to tackle the worst housing crisis in living memory, delivering the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation and getting us back on track to end homelessness for good.”

A sharp rise in rough sleeping in recent years represents a complete failure in the housing crisis inherited by the government, with almost 360,000 households approaching their council for help with homelessness over the last year.

Today’s emergency cash injection is just one branch of the government’s Plan for Change to raise living standards for working people and families, deliver the biggest boost in affordable and social housing in a generation, and strengthen rights and protections for tenants.

It builds on the largest-ever investment in homelessness prevention services of almost £1 billion for this year, including over £185 million for the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, so councils can better prioritise when providing warm beds and shelter for people at risk, or experiencing, rough sleeping.

This is alongside more than £37 million for the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme that will cover ongoing costs to help rough sleepers into longer term housing and secure more specialist staff supporting their mental health and substance abuse problems.

A new dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group is also bringing together ministers to develop a long-term strategy across the healthcare, justice and education systems, as part of the government’s wider drive to tackle the root causes of rough sleeping and get the country back on track to ending homelessness for good.

One of the leading causes of homelessness, Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, will be abolished for new and existing tenancies through the landmark Renters’ Rights Bill which is now another step closer to becoming law following last week’s third reading.

Through overdue reforms to the Right to Buy scheme councils can now retain all receipts from sales to build and buy more homes as well as receiving an additional £450 million last year to secure and create homes for families at risk of homelessness.

Government investment in housing has now increased to £5 billion for this year, including an extra £500 million for the existing Affordable Homes Programme to build tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country.

Further information

The government previously announced an emergency £10 million package for the Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding last November.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 18 December 2024.

Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement published today will provide £69 billion for councils across the country.

£69 billion of funding will be injected into council budgets across England to help them drive forward the government’s Plan for Change through investment and reform and to fix the foundations of local government, ministers have announced today (Wednesday 18th December).

The provisional Local Government Finance Settlement will provide £69 billion for councils across the country, a real-terms increase of 3.5% from 2024-25, which includes a new emergency £600 million Recovery Grant, offering better value for money through the repurposing of grants to help support councils most in need and maximise every penny of public spending to ensure it delivers for working people.

And £3.7 billion of funding will be made available to social care authorities to support adult and children’s services through the Settlement. This includes £880 million for the Social Care Grant – an increase of £200 million compared to what was indicated last month, taking its total to £5.9 billion – which will support councils to deliver care for adults and children in their communities, helping to reduce pressure on the NHS.

No council will see a reduction in Core Spending Power. Places with a significant rural population will on average receive around a 5% increase in their Core Spending Power to ensure rural communities have the support they need. We are maintaining the previous government’s referendum threshold for council tax , which will be maintained at 3% with 2% for the adult social care precept to protect local taxpayers

And laying the groundwork for wider children’s social care reform, today an increase to the new Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant has been confirmed, which will be uplifted from £250m to £263 million at the final Settlement early next year. This is a step towards ensuring children get the best start to life as set out in our Plan for Change. This will fund a national rollout of Family Help, a preventative service at the core of children’s social care reform, and will make funding available to help ensure that children can stay with their families or in safe loving homes wherever possible.

This mission-led government is determined to bring growth to every corner of the country, and local councils are crucial in this journey to deliver the change communities need – from building the 1.5 million new homes, helping to grow their local economies, and delivering the strong local services communities rely on.

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said:

Local leaders are central to our mission to deliver change for hard-working people in every corner of the country through our Plan for Change, and I know our councils are doing everything they can to stay afloat and provide for their communities day in day out.

We won’t take the easy option or shy away from the hard work needed to rebuild a more effective and efficient system. These kind of reforms won’t happen overnight, but we are determined to deliver fairer funding, ending postcode lotteries meaning everyone gets the support from public services they deserve.

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon said: 

We know councils are calling out for help which is why we have prioritised this vital increase in funding, but we must stop taxpayers’ money being thrown into a broken system.

As a former council leader I know too well that councils have suffered from short-term solutions. But we will fix this outdated system, turning to our partners in local government, working hand in hand to bring ambitious reform and do the long-term, necessary work to rebuild the foundations, and crucially, trust.

Alongside the additional money announced today, the government will be giving the sector a say on how we fundamentally fix the current funding system from 2026-27. By distributing public funding more fairly, based on an up-to-date assessment of need, we will deliver better value for money for taxpayers so that councils across the country can deliver high-quality services. This builds on the ‘Fair Funding Review’ carried out by the previous government, which highlighted the need for change but was never implemented. We will go further, ousting the resource-heavy bureaucracy of bidding for different funding pots

In 2026-27 the government will bring forward the first multi-year settlement in a decade to provide greater certainty and stability to councils and ensure that every penny of taxpayer cash provides value for money through a more streamlined and efficient delivery system.

The government is determined to make the tough decisions and fix the foundations of the local government sector, with skyrocketing demand on services and top-down Westminster-centric decision-making that has left local leaders struggling to deliver the public services communities need.

The need to restore transparency and accountability over how public money is spent is clear, which is why the government has been clearing the audit backlog and is carrying out a systematic overhaul of the broken local audit system. Local audit should be the bedrock of local accountability and transparency, of trust and confidence in councils to spend taxpayer money wisely. The strategy for overhauling local audit, published today, sets out a range of measures for rebuilding the system including, as announced in the English Devolution White Paperthis week, the creation the Local Audit Office. This will streamline, simplify and bring the different functions in the current system together. It will be proportionate and do only what its name says – we are not recreating the bloated Audit Commission.

And as part of a determination to ensure that local government throughout the country is fit, legal and decent, today a ten-week consultation has launched on strengthening the Standards and Conduct Framework in England. Views are being sought on a range of proposals including mandating a model code of conduct, strengthening the investigation processes for code of conduct breaches, and introducing the sanction of suspension.

By getting councils back on their feet and giving local leaders more control, stability and certainty over their spending we will deliver better services for taxpayers and boost local economies. Equipping and empowering councils with new Social Care funding will help reduce the strain on the NHS and ensure every child in Britain gets the best start in life as part of our Plan for Change.

Further information

Further details on all of the above, including allocations for individual councils and our consultation document, can be found on the provisional local government finance settlement page 2025-26 here.

The government’s consultation on funding reform from 2026-27 can be found here.

Core Spending Power is a measure of the resources available to local authorities to fund service delivery. It sets out the money that has been made available to councils through the local government finance settlement.

The provisional local government finance settlement includes:

• A total funding package worth £69 billion funding for councils in England in 2025-26, including:
• A new £600 million Recovery Grant for areas most in need;
• £880 million uplift to the Social Care Grant;
• A new £250 million Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant, which will be uplifted at the final Settlement to £263 million.

The government confirmed it will provide £515m of funding at the final local government finance settlement to support to local government meet the increased costs of directly employed staff arising from changes to employer National Insurance Contribution (NICs).

The previous government’s referendum threshold for council tax will be maintained at 3% with 2% for the adult social care precept to protect local taxpayers.

Several grants including the Rural Services Delivery Grant and the Services Grant will be repurposed. The government will ensure the impact of rurality on the cost of service delivery and demand is reflected in the public consultation next year. Places with a significant rural population will still on average receive around a 5% increase in their Core Spending Power. No council will see a reduction.

Councils will also receive over £1 billion in total through the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packing scheme (pEPR) which will cover the existing costs they incur for managing household packaging waste, provide additional funding for new legal duties, and support much needed investment in the waste and recycling industry.

The government will provide confirmation of the final local government finance settlement once the four-week consultation has closed and all responses have been considered in early 2025.

Minister McMahon’s full Written Ministerial Statement is available here.

Further information on local audit reform, is available here.

• Further information on the Local Government Standards and Conduct Framework consultation, is available here.

The full English Devolution White Paper can be found here.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 18 December 2024.

Councils across England will receive almost £1 billion of new funding next year to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness.

More people will be prevented from becoming homeless with the largest-ever investment in homelessness prevention services, thanks to swift government action to get the country back on track to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.

Nearly £1 billion is being pumped into council budgets to help break the cycle of spiralling homelessness. More resources will be available for workers on the frontline who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing as well as seeing more homeless families out of temporary accommodation.

Councils will now be better equipped to step in early to stop households becoming homeless in the first place. This includes mediation with landlords or families to prevent evictions, help find new homes, and deposits to access private renting.

Local areas can also choose to channel resources into services including Housing First, which prioritises access to secure housing for people with histories of repeat homelessness and multiple disadvantage including drug and alcohol abuse. This will secure critical outreach staff to provide specialist services to help address substance abuse and offer life skills to widen employment opportunities.

This is alongside councils being able to continue funding that offers tailored support for prison leavers to access private rented homes and locally run programmes with new education and employment opportunities, as well as support groups to avoid them facing homelessness and readjust to life on the outside.

With the worst housing crisis in living memory, around 40% of homeless families are living in B&Bs or nightly-let accommodation, and the use of this emergency accommodation has doubled in three years. Many of these places lack basic facilities, leaving parents struggling to cook healthy meals for their children while councils bear the mounting financial strain.

Successive years of failure to invest in local preventative services has seen far too many homeless families forced into temporary accommodation for far too long, with a record number of 123,100 households including almost 160,000 children.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said:

“Too many people have been failed by the system time and again.160,000 children face spending this Christmas without a stable place to call home. I am determined to break the cycle of spiralling homelessness and get back on track to ending it for good.

“This largest-ever investment marks a turning point, giving councils the tools they need to act quickly and put in place support for people to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness. It’s time to turn the tide.

“This historic funding comes alongside our work developing a cross-government strategy back on track to end homelessness, pulling every lever of the state, to ensure that we deliver not just sticking plasters but a long-term plan.

“Through our Plan for Change I am determined to tackle the housing crisis we inherited head on, building the homes we need, delivering the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation and ending no fault evictions.”

Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali said:

“We have inherited the worst housing crisis in living memory that has left far too many families trapped in temporary accommodation with no end in sight and soaring numbers of people sleeping rough on our streets.

“This is the dire legacy we have inherited as a government, and we are fully determined to take immediate action. Our funding will not only support councils delivering vital services that meet the needs of their communities but also pave the way for our long-term plan to get us back on track to end homelessness once and for all.”

A new dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, brings together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy working with mayors and councils across the country to get back on track to ending homelessness once and for all.

Next year’s funding will deliver three important steps in the government’s long-term plan to tackle homelessness:

• stopping households becoming homeless in the first place.
• addressing the growing use of B&Bs and nightly-let accommodation.
• streamlining funding structures to make it easier for councils to spend their cash.

The full breakdown of new funding includes the following:

• Over £633 million for the Homelessness Prevention Grant, a £192 million increase from this year, supporting councils to prevent homelessness and provide temporary accommodation where required for families who recently became homeless, for example, through eviction or fleeing domestic violence. This is allocated based on local pressures.
• £185.6 million for the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, consolidating the main rough sleeping and single homelessness focused grants into a single pot of money. This means councils can better prioritise when providing warm beds and shelter for people at risk, or experiencing, rough sleeping.
• More than £37 million for the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, providing ongoing support costs to help rough sleepers into longer term accommodation alongside specialist staff supporting their mental health and substance abuse problems to pave the way for job opportunities.
• £58.7 million for the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant to continue supporting evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment and support services.
• £10 million to the Changing Futures Programmes which offers long-term support for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage, including combinations of homelessness, substance misuse, mental health, domestic abuse.
• £7.6 million for Sector Support grants that will strengthen the capacity the voluntary sector with more staff, including StreetLink that encourages people to notify their authority if they’ve seen someone sleeping rough and what local services are available to provide immediate help into emergency accommodation.
• £5 million for Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, to work with 20 local councils with the highest use of Bed and Breakfast accommodation for homeless families to put in place specialised plans to reduce the use of emergency accommodation, including B&Bs.

This funding is just one element of the government’s Plan for Change to fix the housing crisis, strengthen protections and rights for tenants, and deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, one of the leading causes of homelessness, will be abolished as part of the landmark Renters’ Rights Bill. This will give greater security to new and existing tenancies and empower tenants to rightly challenge poor conditions.

Last week the government published a new growth focused National Planning Policy Framework as part of the Plan for Change, giving councils greater powers to build more social homes alongside vital infrastructure such as GP surgeries, schools and shops.

This supports the ambition to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation, with an extra £500 million for the Affordable Homes Programme to build tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country.

The government is also bringing forward overdue reforms to the Right to Buy scheme to reverse the decline in much needed council housing and better protect existing housing stock. Decisive action has already been taken to reduce maximum discounts and allow councils to retain all receipts from sales to scale up delivery to meet future housing need.

Councils already have greater flexibility to use Right to Buy receipts to build and buy more homes as well as an additional £450 million to secure and create homes for families at risk of homelessness.

This announcement comes as the government prepares to publish its provisional Local Government Financial Settlement before the end of the year.

Stakeholder comments

Local Government Association housing spokesperson, Cllr Adam Hug said:

“Homelessness is one the biggest and most urgent pressures facing councils as more and more people are turning to their local council for support. A record number of households are in temporary accommodation – this represents a personal tragedy for each one, as well as a significant cost for councils struggling to source temporary accommodation.

“Preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place is both humane and cost-effective. The new funding announced today will be a great help to councils as they seek to end homelessness, and will help to relieve some of the financial burden they are under.

“We look forward to collaborating with the Government as they develop their cross-government homelessness strategy. To be most effective, this will need to set out national commitments from each government department, monitor and report departments’ contributions, and ensure that local partners contribute to prevention activity and targets through local homelessness strategies.”

Chief Executive of Crisis, Matt Downie said:

“With homelessness at record levels, we’re delighted to see the government taking action to ensure councils have the necessary funding and the ability to use innovative approaches to tackle this crisis.

“Through our services we see the devastating impact being without a safe home has on people’s health, relationships and life chances. No one should have to spend their nights moving between night buses and no child should grow up in a B&B with nowhere to play or do their homework.

“We look forward to working with the government to deliver a bold and ambitious cross-departmental strategy to end all forms of homelessness, alongside delivering the levels of social homes needed to ensure everyone has a safe place to call home.”

Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, Emma Haddad said:

“We welcome the Government’s announcement that it will be investing nearly £1 billion funding for councils next year to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

“Earlier this year St Mungo’s, working with partner organisations and supporters, called on the Government to extend its funding for rough sleeping services. This vital funding had been due to end in March 2025, despite the number of people sleeping rough at a record high.

“We are pleased to be working with the Government on developing its new strategy to end homelessness for good. Crucially funding for homelessness and rough sleeping needs to be a long term commitment to support the delivery of strategic and joined up services, alongside a focus on prevention.”

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 17 December 2024.

Lyn Garner has today (17 December 2024) been appointed to the New Towns Taskforce. She will replace Eamonn Boylan who will stand down from the Taskforce ahead of starting his new role as interim Chief Executive of Homes England in January 2025.

As previously announced, Eamonn Boylan will start in his new role as interim Chief Executive of Homes England from 15 January 2025. Eamonn will therefore stand down as a member of the New Towns Taskforce ahead of this date.

The New Towns Taskforce is an independent advisory panel which has been established to support the government to deliver the next generation of new towns. To ensure that the Taskforce maintains its independence, Eamonn has decided to stand down as a member in early January 2025.

Eamonn has brought vital experience about large-scale regeneration projects to the Taskforce and has shaped early thinking on the delivery mechanisms required to ensure new towns are successful communities. He will continue to support the Taskforce’s work in his new role, ensuring that Homes England’s delivery expertise continues to be drawn upon in the coming months.

Today, the government has appointed Lyn Garner to the Taskforce. Lyn is a Director and Chair of Future of London, the outgoing Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, and has been the Senior Professional Lead for Greater London Authority (GLA) Group Housing Delivery since 2022. Lyn has over 25 years of experience working in leadership positions across housing, regeneration and finance.

Lyn brings her extensive real-world large-scale delivery experience to the Taskforce. Her valuable expertise will inform the Taskforce’s recommendations on the mechanisms and reforms required to ensure the delivery of the next generation of New Towns.

The New Towns Taskforce continues to make rapid progress to present their recommendations to ministers by summer 2025. Since September 2024, the Taskforce have met regularly to discuss the role that our next generation of new towns can play in kickstarting national economic growth. The Taskforce also launched a call for evidence in November which invited local areas to submit opportunities for large developments.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 16 December 2024.

Raft of new powers will enable Mayors to drive economic growth, raise living standards and deliver better services across England.

Mayors will get unprecedented powers to drive growth, turbocharge housebuilding and improve transport in a transformative ‘devolution revolution’.

Setting out its plan to give those with skin in the game the tools they need to make a difference, the government published its English Devolution White Paper today (16 December). It puts England’s regions centre stage in the government’s Plan for Change missions to grow the economy, deliver the 1.5 million homes and infrastructure we need, and boost opportunity across the country.

Under proposals set out in the White Paper, Mayors will take a more direct role in plans for their areas than ever before, equipped with a range of new powers across strategic planning, housing, transport and skills. And they will be handed the tools they need to deliver on the ambitious Plan for Change in their regions.

Mayors in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region and the North East will be the first to receive new integrated funding settlements, covering housing, regeneration, local growth, transport, skills, retrofit and employment support.

The White Paper lays out an ambitious new devolution framework, hardwiring Mayors into the fabric of government in a new deal for local people, giving our communities a proper say over their own futures. It also sets out a strong preference to see Mayors in place across the whole of England – making it the default status for regions across England.

Devolution is a tried and tested model for delivering accountability and economic growth. But devolution in England lags behind other developed nations. The English Devolution Bill, which is expected next year, will change this.

With two new mayoral and six non-mayoral devolution agreements confirmed since the summer, devolution will now be extended and deepened across England, giving all communities the opportunity to take back control. The government’s ambitions are shared by communities across the country and it will shortly set out its Devolution Priority Programme aiming to deliver inaugural mayoral elections in May 2026. The Government has had productive discussions with Cheshire and Warrington, Norfolk and Suffolk, and others and will confirm places on the Priority Programme in January.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said:

“Devolution is about delivering fundamental change at every level. It’s about giving local leaders the tools – and the trust – they need to forge their areas’ futures.

“It’s about raising living standards, improving public services and building the homes we so desperately need – all key aspects of our Plan for Change. It cuts across every aspect of government.

“We have an economy that hoards potential and a politics that hoards power. So our devolution revolution will deliver the greatest transfer of power from Whitehall to our communities in a generation, empowering those communities to realise their potential. And nobody is more excited about it than I am.”

Key to this transformation will be the government’s ambition for all of England to have Strategic Authorities – larger than individual councils and covering the wider areas people recognise and work in. Many places already have the Combined Authorities that will serve this role. Elsewhere, the government will work at pace with areas that want to create new Authorities, and will also legislate to allow for the creation of Strategic Authorities where local leaders have, after due time has been allowed, not been able to make progress.

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution Jim McMahon said:

“At its core, this White Paper sets out how the Government will strengthen and widen the mayoral model of devolution across England. It will shift power, decision making and money away from Westminster as part of a completely new way of governing, equipping more mayors working hand in glove with confident and stable local councils with a stronger set of levers to drive growth in their communities.

“It will empower them through integrated funding settlements, a direct role in the rail network, greater control over strategic planning and housing funding and skills training, so that they can deliver tangible change on a local and regional level.

“To do this we will rebuild and reform local government as the foundation for devolution, a reset in the relationship between central and local government, and give communities stronger tools to shape the future of their local areas.”

The White Paper will give Mayors power over:

• Planning and housing, putting our regions at the centre of the drive to build 1.5 million homes in this Parliament;
• Transport, to drive a locally integrated transport network that truly works for their communities and supports local economic growth, with improved train services and better travel to and from rail stations, by bus, tram and active travel
• Skills and employment support to so everyone has the opportunities they deserve and can access good jobs;
• Local Growth Plans to accelerate regional growth and productivity, setting a long-term vision for the next decade, and a roadmap for how this will be achieved – driving the government’s central mission of economic growth and putting more money in people’s pockets
• Too often, Mayors’ hands are tied by Whitehall – even when it comes to allocating their own budgets. The government will create a clear and transparent route for all Mayoral Combined Authorities to receive an Integrated Settlement, so they can move resources between projects in line with local need.

The White Paper also lays out the government’s plans to rebuild local government after 14 years of mismanagement and decline. This means providing multi-year financial settlements, shifting to a fairer system which matches funding with need, and a proper partnership between central and local government. It also announces an ambitious programme of local government reorganisation, working with councils to create simpler and more stable structures, tackling waste, improving accountability with fewer local politicians, and ensuring better outcomes for local people through sustainable, high-quality public services.

The landmark English Devolution Bill will deliver these changes to the law to make the devolution framework a reality and ensure local leaders across the country have the levers they need to make a difference.

For more information:

Devolution has already been enacted or is underway in the following areas:

Existing MCA/MCCAs

• North East
• Tees Valley
• York & North Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire
• South Yorkshire
• Greater Manchester
• East Midlands
• Liverpool City Region
• West Midlands
• Cambridge & Peterborough
• Greater London
• West of England

MCA/MCCAs in the process of being established  (confirmed since election)

• Greater Lincolnshire
• Hull & East Yorkshire

Non-mayoral institutions in the process of being established  (confirmed since election)

• Lancashire
• Devon & Torbay

Single Local Authority non-mayoral agreements in the process of being established (confirmed since election)

• Cornwall
• Surrey
• Buckinghamshire
• Warwickshire