The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on the government to introduce a retail licensing scheme for tobacco and vape sellers to strengthen enforcement. Responding to the government’s July 2026 consultation on tobacco and vape packaging, appearance and display, the LGA said that without a licensing regime councils could face new inspection burdens without having a register of the premises they are required to inspect. It has also called for new licensing and enforcement burdens on councils to be fully funded through a recurring settlement and for councils to continue retaining income from fixed penalty and licensing schemes to support enforcement activity. The LGA also supports tighter controls on the display, packaging and flavour descriptions of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, but said the regulations must be carefully drafted and practical to enforce. Its recommendations include a single sell-by date for new products, restrictions on flavour descriptors, wider plain packaging requirements and extending relevant rules to online listings and vape-related smartphone apps.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has published a conference speech delivered by the LGA's Head of Workforce, Naomi Cooke, at LGA's annual conference discussing Labour's manifesto pledges for 'Making Work Pay', and how LGA expects this to affect the local government workforce. Cooke highlighted that the government's 'ambitious' plans aim to modernise UK's employment rights framework and have the underlying mission to help kikcstart economic growth. Main changes that can be expected, outlined by Cooke, include, the introduction of more basic rights (such as parental leave and statutory sick pay), from the first day of employment, equality at work, improvement of low paid work, and duties for employers to have gender pay gap action plans, and produce reports on ethnicity and the disability pay gap. Cooke noted that the local government sector is 'good at leading and adapting to change' and will therefore be able to 'thrive in this new landscape'.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has released a report that includes new council feedback on the Department for Education’s Holiday and Activities Food (HAF) programme. The report emphasises that free holiday provision for primary school-aged children from low-income families not only enhances their health, wellbeing, and school attendance but also delivers broader community benefits. The recent extension of HAF funding for a further three years demonstrates the government’s commitment to combatting child poverty. However, councils have raised concerns over barriers that restrict access to the programme, including transport difficulties, language barriers, digital exclusion, and limited data sharing.

Pensions analysis: Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) administering authorities (authorities) are urged to engage now with their Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) providers to coordinate compliance with pensions dashboards obligations following the release of a Template Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) from the Local Government Association (LGA).

The Local Government Association (LGA) has announced its participation in a new Department for Education (DfE) project to design a Centre for Excellence in digital and data for children's services. As part of the D2I consortium, the LGA will lead research activities and contribute expertise from its existing sector support programmes. Other consortium members include Data to Insight, Coram, Social Finance and ICT Revolutions.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has launched ‘Care where we live’, an engagement series comprising webinars, in‑person events and an online interactive conversation platform to gather views on adult social care reform. The series will examine the role of councils in delivering social care, the barriers and enablers of reform, care models and support provision mechanisms. Feedback from local authorities, frontline workers, sector stakeholders, the general public and individuals with lived experience will help shape the LGA’s collective input to the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has launched a new guide, ‘Attracting investment for inclusive growth: A guide for councils’. The guidance is intended to help local authorities engage more effectively with the private sector, support businesses and attract investment and growth. It provides practical steps and context for councils to strengthen their offer to business and attract investment to their area. The guide covers key areas and insights for councils on building prosperity in partnership with business, ranging from housing and development to financing models that generate the greatest social value, as well as the importance of policy and regulatory stability.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has published frequently asked questions (FAQs) setting out the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) position on the Government’s review of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) programme. The Government has withdrawn decisions affecting Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk because they are subject to legal proceedings. The Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth will review those decisions, 14 decisions made in July 2026 and two areas where decisions remain outstanding.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has published the Local Government White Paper. The LGA aims to work in partnership with the next government to tackle the challenges facing local communities today. The LGA has proposed five key priorities to focus on including an equal, respectful partnership between local and national government, sufficient and sustainable funding, backing local government as place leaders, a focus on prevention and services for the wider community and innovation and freedom from bureaucracy. The LGA consulted over 200 local authority leaders and 150 local authority Chief Executives across England to assist with producing the paper.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has published an analysis examining the cumulative cost of the ‘Temporary Accommodation Subsidy Funding Gap’ over the past eight years, warning that councils in England face a cumulative £3.9bn shortfall by 2029/30 if current arrangements remain unchanged. The analysis assesses the difference between housing benefit paid by councils to households in temporary accommodation and the amount reimbursed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), stating that since 2017/18 councils have spent almost £1.5bn more than they have recovered through subsidy. The LGA notes that, under existing arrangements, councils can reclaim only 90% of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates set in 2011, although households receive their full housing benefit entitlement, meaning reimbursement does not reflect prevailing costs. It states that in 2024/25 councils spent £1.27bn on housing benefit for temporary accommodation and were reimbursed £911m, leaving a gap of almost £360m, and projects that the annual shortfall will rise to £595m by 2029/30. The LGA has called for the subsidy to be uprated to 90% of prevailing LHA rates, estimating that this change would reduce the projected cumulative gap by around £1.5bn by 2029/30.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has published its Corporate, Finance and Governance Peer Challenge Programme Annual Report 2025/26. Based on analysis of peer challenges and progress reviews across English local and combined authorities, the report highlights how Corporate Peer Challenges (CPCs), Finance Peer Challenges (FPCs), Governance Peer Challenges (GPCs) and Progress Reviews support governance, financial sustainability, organisational capacity, leadership and service transformation. The report identifies recurring sector-wide challenges including financial sustainability, difficulties setting balanced budgets, rising demand and costs in children's services, adult social care and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), workforce and organisational capacity pressures, housing and homelessness challenges and the impact of local government reorganisation (LGR) and devolution. The LGA says peer challenge findings highlight growing pressures on councils' ability to maintain service performance while delivering transformation and savings, while emphasising the importance of strong governance, leadership, performance management, community resilience and effective data and digital transformation. During 2025/26, the programme delivered 114 Peer Challenges and Progress Reviews, with councils reporting progress on 94 percent of actions in Corporate Peer Challenge action plans.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has published new guidance for councils in England to support the implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. The guidance outlines practical steps for improving oversight, strengthening relationships with providers, and enhancing outcomes for residents in supported housing. The LGA is urging the government to reform housing benefit subsidy rules and provide sustainable investment in supported housing, citing a £71m cost to the NHS in 2023–24 due to delayed mental health hospital discharges and the potential for annual savings of up to £6bn across public services. The guidance offers councils practical tools and recommendations, drawn from the Supported Housing Improvement Programme pilots, to navigate the sector’s challenges and improve service quality without requiring significant new funding. Councils are encouraged to act early and collaboratively to ensure consistent, high-quality provision that reflects local priorities and enables independent living.